Although “Cabaret” relies on the cabaret setting as the film's narrative force, it also draws on the history of cabaret performances in Berlin. Both in film and in real life, the cabaret served as a venue for degenerate art and political dissent; this status distinguished it from other venues for art and performance in Berlin at the time. historical and cultural history of cabaret shows in Berlin proves that cabaret is inherently political and anti-fascist, which proves the political and anti-fascist character of the scenes and performances in the film, including "Money" and "Say No to Plagiarism Get". a tailor-made essay on “Why Shouldn't Violent Video Games Be Banned?Get Original EssayIn Friedrich Hollaender's essay “Cabaret,” he describes the nature of cabaret as “the handing out of a biscuit poisoned” under the guise of normal evening entertainment, meaning that radical ideas spread easily through cabaret performances. unconsciously, appearing on the surface as fun entertainment. This can be observed in many elements of the film "Cabaret", notably in the songs "Money" and "Cabaret". This subtle but intense political indoctrination effect is a key point in understanding the cultural and historical context and importance of “Cabaret” as a whole. “Money” is a performance by Sally Bowles and the emcee. The song they perform talks about the necessity of money in all aspects of life and the adversities surrounding poverty, as well as the privileges that come with being rich. Although it was a very serious subject and quite relevant to audiences of the time, the nature of the show itself was rather humorous. Through this juxtaposition, those watching enjoy humorous and enjoyable entertainment while being unconsciously "fed" with radical ideas about wealth and class structure, thus fully encompassing the concept of distributing the "poisoned cookie" (Hollaender 567), so audiences will come away with these new ideas associated with the positive aspect of cabaret entertainment and performance, whether they were aware of it at the time or not. In Berlin during the Weimar Republic, at very superficial levels, cabaret was debated in terms of its cultural interest. utility. For example, many thought the war was too disastrous to turn to silly entertainment, while the other half of people saw cabaret as a positive, carefree outlet needed in times that were far too serious. As we can see in Hollaender's essay and in the film "Cabaret", historically, the true nature of cabaret fell somewhere between these two ideologies - a source of entertainment that was extremely political in its essence while remaining enjoyable - a necessity against a burgeoning empire of fascism largely defined by aesthetic grandeur without the underlying political meaning. The existence and success of the cabaret was a political act in itself, a form of enjoyable entertainment including alcohol, a symbol of prosperity, against the rise of fascism and the tragedies of impending war. Cabaret shows criticized all aspects of German political and social life. life. The most popular topics were sex, government, and fascism, to the point that after the 1920s two separate words were used to differentiate between types of cabaret shows: "Cabaret" for songs about lewd activities and “Kabarett” for direct political discourse. . Cabaret allows public discourse to flourish, even in a threatened environmentby censorship. Citizens did not feel guilty when they criticized the state at Cabaret, mainly because it was all under the guise of humor. If they only listened to political speeches, it would sound more like dissent. This is where Hollaender’s “poison cookie” comes into play. Political dissent is so palatable that it doesn't even seem like political dissent, even when popular topics of criticism include Germany's very existence as a republic as well as the rise and influence of the Nazi Party. Specifically, the song "Money" combines lyrics about wealth and poverty with humorous performance and choreography to fully encompass Hollaender's concept of cabaret. During wartime, poverty was widespread, making the problem quite universal in its historical context. At the same time, the song has an underlying Marxist theme, which is an act of political dissent in itself since it is performed during the rise of fascism in Berlin, as it is fundamentally opposed to Marxist ideology. Through the lyrics, the song juxtaposes elements of wealth and poverty, emphasizing how wealth makes life easier and being poor makes life harder. For example, the host sings: "If you're rich and you want some nighttime entertainment, you can afford a gay getaway" (Cabaret). This shows the ease and carefree life of the rich, and also gives a sense of irony and self-awareness to the audience, as most of the Kit Kat Club viewers are rich, as shown in the film, and are looking for entertainment. just like what is described in the lyrics, a “nightly entertainment”. On the other hand, the song highlights the trials and difficulties of poverty. Sally Bowles later sings, "When you have no shoes on your feet and your coat is as thin as paper and you look like you lost thirty pounds..." (Cabaret). While the audience is likely to laugh at these lyrics as they are accompanied by cheerful music and humorous choreography exaggerating what it's like to be cold and hungry, these lyrics depict the very real struggles of people living in poverty. Although Sally herself is not actually poor because of her father's money, the line about having a "paper-thin coat" directly refers to Sally having to sell her coat. warm fur to be able to have an abortion, emphasizing the sacrifices that must be made. to do when they are poor and have no other choice. These words are metatextual because they refer to events in the text itself, but also to the current historical moment. Although at first glance these lyrics may seem simple or humorous, this is all due to the nature of cabaret as described by Hollaender. The song's message is actually quite radical and, as Hollaender says, "its effect goes far beyond the harmless evening to boil the otherwise placid blood and incite a slow brain to think" (Hollaender 567). While on the surface the song "Money" simply describes the contrast between the rich and the poor, the foundation of the song rests on society's dependence on money, which is deeply rooted in Marxism. While the song "Money" describes how difficult life is for those without money or income and how all of their struggles are based on their poverty, it highlights Marx's idea that all of humanity's struggles are rooted in class conflicts between the privileged and the most advantaged. oppressed, or the bourgeois and proletarian classes. This is revealed in the most basic way: the songoscillates between describing the privilege of the rich and the oppression of the poor. The repeated title phrase, "Money makes the world go round" (Cabaret), is an inherently Marxist phrase in itself, as it advocates the idea that all history and conflicts are based on class struggle and, hence, money, which is directly related to class. This is an extremely radical idea to express through a performance, especially in the cultural context of 1930s Germany as the Nazi Party rose to power, when the Nazi Party was fundamentally opposed to the ideals Marxists. Therefore, the ideas expressed through the song "Money" are quite worthy of being the fundamental cabaret song described by Hollaender, exactly corresponding to the function of cabaret in the Weimar Republic. Hollaender also describes the nature of humor used through cabaret performances to "dispense the poisoned cookie" or unconsciously spread inherently radical ideas to audiences. Hollaender says that humor in a particular cabaret show, unlike other types of comedy shows, is much more than just a cheap joke, but "the royal joke which, in an affectionate mockery of the weaknesses that are all too human, brings the listener back to an awareness of his strength” (Hollaender 567). While the superficial humor of cabaret relies on cheap humor through the choreography, such as Sally Bowles and the emcee tossing coins into their clothes and making loud noises, the lyrics themselves reveal a much more radical type of humor. Even cheap physical humor has a deeper meaning: they literally throw money into their clothes, performing images of wealth, perhaps of a sexual nature, thus proving the basic human dependence on money. money. This can be seen in multiple aspects of “money”. The first and most obvious example is the fact that many of the Kit Kat Club audience members are wealthy themselves, such as Max, a frequent audience member during much of the film who buys things for Sally and Brian. This song reminds these wealthy audience members of their own power in wealth through lyrics that highlight their privilege, such as "Even though you moan and groan a lot, you can take it on the chin and start" (Cabaret), which is in fact a very fundamental method of reminding the wealthy class of their privileges and that their problems are not as monumental as they seem. This is particularly effective in its contrast with the adversities of the poor, which also ties in with Hollaender's idea of ​​the "royal joke", which aims both to empower the rich by nature of awareness of their own privileges and to give also power to the rich. the rich by making them aware of the class structure that intrinsically binds them, then giving them the power to resist. The "Cabaret" show towards the end of the film serves entirely the same purpose, showing the same basic qualities of a cabaret show in the German Weimar Republic, although this show relies much less on the comedic aspect than on the performative. In this case, the message lies entirely in the words. Sally sings “Life is a Cabaret” (Cabaret). Since the cabaret space of historic Berlin was established as inherently and fundamentally political and anti-fascist, Sally's words prove her dedication to political dissent. By choosing to live her life as a cabaret artist, she chooses to engage in active political criticism of the state, particularly the rise of fascism. Some of Sally's reviews.