Winner of eight Oscars, the now legendary "Cabaret" introduced the flamboyant debauchery of the Kit-Kat Club to a movie-going public that supposedly weren't interested in film musicals anymore. Thirty years on and here's a welcome special edition release on DVD.

TECHNICAL FEATURES

Picture Non-anamorphic transfers are increasingly becoming a rarity in DVD releases and it's a shame that this disc is a new member of the club we'd like to see dwindle into obscurity. There's still a lot to like about the picture quality in comparison to the three previous UK video releases, but the nagging feeling that the image could be sharper through the anamorphic process remains.

Sound There are no complaints in the sound department, with a strong and vibrant stereo score on offer that works well when played in Pro-Logic mode. The backing music has detail and depth, while Liza Minnelli's strident voice is delivered with unwavering clarity.

DISC ONE SPECIAL FEATURES

Cabaret: A Legend in the Making This 17-minute documentary was produced back in 1997 for the US Warner Bros DVD release, which contains the same extra features as this new UK disc. While a little short, the calibre of the interviewees is excellent, and there's behind-the-scenes footage, screen tests, and outtakes to be found. Actor Joel Grey (MC in the film) provides his insight into a production that he did both on stage and as a movie. Despite the enormous success the play achieved, producer Martin Baum has no shortage of anecdotes about the funding problems that beset the movie.

Michael York offers up a highly amusing story about going to audition for the movie after hearing that they were looking for "Michael York types". He certainly made an impression on Liza Minnelli, who describes him as, "probably the best actor I know of, and the most underrated".

The Recreation of an Era The billing of this 1972 promotional six-minute featurette as a 'documentary' is perhaps a little ambitious. There's precious little interview footage, but there is behind-the-scenes material, including Bob Fosse directing a couple of scenes.

Kit-Kat Memory Gallery In this gallery you'll find short interview extracts not used in the main documentary. The presentation is a little awkward as there's no option to simply play all, but it's still worth sifting through these snippets. Liza discusses the impact her look in the movie had on fashion, Joel Grey remembers a sleazy comedian he based his movie character on, and Martin Baum recalls more funding horror stories. Also included in the gallery: Michael York, Emanuel L Wolf, John Kander, Jay Presson Allen, and Fred Ebb.

Additional Extra Features Also on the DVD are 40 pages of good production notes, a trailer, a handy song selection menu, and a photo gallery.

Region: 0
Chapters: 14
Ratio: 1.85:1
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0 (stereo)
Technical Features: Scene selection and animated menus.

This DVD was reviewed on a JVC XV-S57 DVD player.