The Inspiration for an Inspiration
The Berlin Stories was adapted into a play called I Am a Camera by John van Druten, an English playwright and theatre director. This play inspired several other works: a 1955 comedy-drama film, also called I Am a Camera, as well as the 1966 musical and 1972 movie version of Cabaret.
Julie Harris as Sally Bowles in ‘I Am A Camera,’ 1955. Photo by Romulus Films / Park Circus / Shutterstock
Interestingly, even though both versions of Cabaret focus on the character of Sally Bowles, she was only a relatively small part of the many stories that made up Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories. Regardless, the musical version of Cabaret was a huge success, and it seemed like only a matter of time until a motion picture version of the story would be made.