The Musical Makers Didn’t Like the Film at First
Even though Cabaret was very warmly received by the vast majority of critics and audiences, some very important people didn’t think too highly of the film at first. John Kander, who wrote the music for the musical, and Fred Ebb, who wrote the lyrics, both agreed that they weren’t impressed by the film on their initial viewing.
Michael York and Liza Minnelli in ‘Cabaret,’ 1972. Photo by Moviestore Collection / Shutterstock
They were both very surprised at how different it was to the piece they had both written, and it took some time for them to get used to the changes. However, when viewing the movie again, both Kander and Ebb started to love it and ultimately admitted that it was a fine motion picture.