Cabaret vs. Sweet Charity

nclysander

on 10/17/2016

I know I'm going to be in the minority on this one, but I'm going with Sweet Charity for now, even though Fosse's inexperience as a film director is at times painfully obvious, especially in the opening number, where the gimmick of zooming in and out to transition from location becomes nauseating. But there are long stretches of the film that work perfectly well, and what a triumph for Fosse as a choreographer! The Rich Man's Fug, "If They Could See Me Now," "There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This," and "I'm a Brass Band" are all mini-masterpieces as far as dancing in movie musicals go. And it's a joyous movie that relishes being a musical, which is not the impression I got when I watched Cabaret a couple of years ago, even if it's the more polished film.