Cabaret shows an interesting and tragic way that society can pay for an individuals escape from reality. The characters from the film demonstrate to the viewer how the people of Berlin suffer greatly from their attempt to escape reality. For through their own disillusions they allow the Nazi regime to come into power. As a consequence of this, society pays a price through suffering through the turmoil of the rule of the Nazi party.

Sally Bowles is both an interesting and complex character. Her continuous illusion of wanting to be “a big movie star” demonstrates to the audience that she attempts to escape reality on a regular basis. Sally is so wrapped up in her own world that nothing seems to affect her. A key scene demonstrating this is when Max’s limo drives pass the Nazi bashing in the street. Bob Fosse has enhanced this seen by using freeze framing to give it a more dramatic effect and also create resent towards the Nazis. This seen also provides the viewer with an insight on Sally’s unawareness of the outside world by showing her interrupting Max’s and Brian’s conversation, by saying “Hey Ma

The MC also makes constant reference to the impending Nazi uprising through his distasteful Cabaret acts and also his comments. After Brian asks the question “Do you still think you can control them?” it cuts to the Cabaret where the MC is silently answering his question. It is these small crosscuts that have a great effect on the overall theme of Nazism in the film. At the end of the film the MC only thanks in French and German. A stark contrast from the opening when he also uses English. It is evident that the MC has seen the rising of the Nazis in the German society. So consequently he caters for his new audience. The MC during the film appears to know everything, and he, himself, knows that society is paying the price for escaping reality.

Through the characters of the film we see the way that German society is paying the price for its escapism from reality. If only a slight majority of the German population had thought about what sort of things they were following, and not seeked to escape from reality. The tragic events that followed could have been avoided. We are shown slight resistance through Brian and also the Klub owner. But all that the German society need listened to was the words of Fraulein Kost “If all the Jews are Bankers, how can they be Communists too?”.

Society itself was trying to escape the reality of Berlin 1931. The people of Berlin were simply clinging to an irrational cause in the hope that it may bring happiness to them after years of despair. Although the older German population represented by Fraulein Schneider, wished that “the Kaiser was still here” so that order would be restored. They can see the path, which Germany is about to follow and are wishing for less turmoil.

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