Color in Cabaret

Film Paper
Color in Cabaret In the movie Cabaret color is used to symbolize many different things. There is a wide array of color that shows the viewer what is going on between the characters and what the general emotion of a scene is. In many instances the colors foreshadow what will happen later in the movie. Conflicts in the film are also shown by the difference in color schemes making it more obvious to the viewer the contrast of the two ideals in conflict. This masterful use of color is just one element that makes the movie a masterpiece. Let’s take the color red for instance. In the opening scene it is very evident as Brian
Roberts enters Germany and is looking for a place to stay. All around him as he walks and rides the bus are different examples of the color red. In this case red symbolizes a new life beginning; it symbolizes a more free life; much different from the sheltered life he has been living. This use of red is directly symbolic of the cabaret which is a new fun place where he sees Sally Bowles perform for the first time. ; She changes his life drastically. Even her lipstick is red which shows the viewer that Brian’s life will soon become new and exciting. So the overall meaning of red in the beginning of the film is change. Later in the film the meaning changes because it is associated with the Nazi party. In that case red means a change in power which is believed to be good then but will prove to be a dangerous change. The colors of Brian’s clothes in the first few scenes are very different from those in the kit kat club. He wears very neutral colors like gray, beige, and brown. These symbolize his old lifestyle, far from the one he is about to encounter. These colors reoccur in the film and usually symbolize old and boring. When we meet Natalia we see this use of the boring color scheme in her dress , which we later find out symbolizes her traditional and sheltered lifestyle. Her outfit even clashes with Sally’s room which is full of color and fun. This brings me to another conflict brought out by the color which is traditional vs. promiscuous and new. This conflict is quite obvious when Natalia confronts Sally about what she should do about Fritz. We see both ladies: one with a plain colored dress , and one with colorful glittery makeup on. The difference in color is enough to show the difference in personality, not to mention they are talking about their opinions of fornication with men. Gold and silver are colors that are used in the film to show the viewers the lavish lifestyle and in some cases greed. This is shown when Maximilian tries to include Brian by giving him the gold cigarette case. At first Brian doesn’t except the gift because he doesn’t believe in how Max lives. He eventually learns to accept Max and enjoy the perks of being close to Max. Later on in the movie we see the color silver in the song “Money makes the world go round”. The stage is filled with silver which suggests that money is very important to the people of the time period. Blue is a very powerful color in the film especially between Max and Brian. When
Brian starts to accept Max he is given one of Max’s blue sweaters to wear while he and Sally are staying at Max’s residence. Max then remarks “Blue is a great color on you”. This is the starting point for their relationship first as friends and then surprisingly as lovers. After this scene both of them have some shade of blue on whenever they are together and even the car they drive around in is blue. At this point the viewer is lead to believe that blue is the color that represents their friendship, but we later learn that it symbolizes their surprising love affair. This is made somewhat evident when we look back at the date scene , where they look each other in the eyes for an extended period of time. Both their eyes are blue, which shows a form of commonality. Black is a special color in Cabaret. It is assigned many different meanings, but the first one we see is independent. The viewer notices that Sally has dark black hair and it is quite short for a female. This directly symbolizes her free spirit and lack of ability to keep a long lasting relationship. It is shown multiple times during the cabaret shows where she is always wearing a black hat. This shows her free lifestyle and open personality. Black is not usually assigned to these situations though. Black usually symbolizes and outsider, death, and demise. In this case it may suggest that society views her as an outsider and doesn’t accept her for who she really is.
The cabaret style may not be accepted as a legitimate career. The ongoing relationship between Brian and Sally is a major theme throughout the film.
This relationship is represented by the color white. Their bed sheets are white in all the sex scenes, her dress is white when she sings the song about him in the club , and their teeth when they both smile at each other are pearly white. This also symbolizes love and innocence throughout the film. We all know that it just apparent innocence though because we know how promiscuous the main characters are. Someone could write a book about every hue and every color in this film that stands for something. Most of these are a matter of creative opinion and what you find important in the film. I chose the colors that I thought were truly important to the plot of Cabaret. I hope this paper will help you appreciate the use of color to show emotion and conflict without actually saying it in the script.