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Cabaret Essays: Guidelines on How to Write a Good Film Review
The assignment of writing a Cabaret essay usually implies writing on the famous award winning 1972 film, starring Liza Minnelli. Referring to Cabaret essays, the term usually was used to differentiate from the 1966 Broadway musical Cabaret, on which the film was based.
In that regard, it can be stated that writing a Cabaret essay implies implementing a movie review approach, rather than literary analysis. Thus, this paper will provide several guidelines on writing Cabaret essays as movie reviews.
The Film vs. the Original
One essential element of writing a Cabaret essay can be seen in conducting an extensive comparison between the film and the originals it was adapted from. It should be noted that in the case of a Cabaret essay, the originals include, in addition to the Broadway musical, a book by Christopher Isherwood and the play I am Camera.
Thus, writing the Cabaret essay, the student should try to outline several common elements as well as the main distinctions between the film and originals, specifically the influence of the occurrence or the absence of certain elements. It should be noted that despite that the Cabaret essay is written in the context of a film review, the literary influence should not ignored. The latter is specifically apparent when comparing characters, dialogues, plot, and others.
The Musical Elements
Another aspect, specifically relevant to Cabaret essays, is the analysis of the musical elements in the film. In that regard, it is unlikely that the students will be asked to analyze the artistic elements of the songs in Cabaret, rather than analyzing their significance to the plot. Thus, a good implementation of such analysis can be seen in measuring the overall effect on the value of the film, if the musical elements were absent.