Cabaret (1972)

This movie is not just about a new romance between a cabaret girl and an english tutor, it's about world war and german history...just cleverly disguised. If I weren't told that, I would've been lost half way through the movie.

Cabaret - I loved the book upon which this is based by Christopher Isherwood. Turned into a musical, this works an absolute treat and Cabaret is one of the classic and defining Hollywood big-budget musicals and stars Liza Minnelli at her very finest. In fact, she was never better before and has never been better since. Joel Grey also does an amazing turn. Based in Berlin in the pre-World War II era, it shows the decadence of German culture contrasted with the stark rise of Nazism. Minnelli is every inch the star, turning the down-and-out character of Sally Bowles into a budding vocal queen and she won a well-deserved Oscar for her performance.

This is truly one of the great Hollywood musicals and everyone should see it to note its impact on 20th century film.