What It's About:

Hoping to become a teacher, bisexual British writer Brian Roberts (York) rents a small apartment in Weimar Berlin, where he meets effervescent American showgirl Sally Bowles (Minnelli), a singer at the depraved, disreputable Kit Kat Club. Shortly after Brian and Sally become acquainted, they meet a well-heeled German, Maximillian von Heune (Helmut Griem), who captivates them both. Meanwhile, in the world outside the vulgar, perverse frolic of the Kit Kat, the Nazis are steadily making in-roads to power.

Why I Love It:

Fosse's groundbreaking "Cabaret," a Broadway musical-turned-showstopping film event, was itself based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood. While the film considers Germany's dark, historic slide from Weimar decadence into fascism from an intriguing angle, it's the effusive, stylishly choreographed song-sequences that elevate the film to classic status. Minnelli was never better as the brash, electrifying Sally, especially belting out "Money" or the Dietrich-like "Tomorrow Belongs to Me." And who can forget Joel Grey, the Kit Kat's eccentric, ghastly master of ceremonies? Winner of eight Oscars, "Cabaret" is a flamboyant knockout.