I Am a Camera (1955)

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(104 ratings)

Julie Harris repeats her stage portrayal of the irrepressible Sally Bowles in John Van Druten's I Am a Camera. Set in pre-Hitler Berlin, the film details the curious, chaste relationship between Sally, an entertainer at a bawdy nightclub, and fledgling writer Christopher Isherwood (Lawrence Harvey).… More Julie Harris repeats her stage portrayal of the irrepressible Sally Bowles in John Van Druten's I Am a Camera. Set in pre-Hitler Berlin, the film details the curious, chaste relationship between Sally, an entertainer at a bawdy nightclub, and fledgling writer Christopher Isherwood (Lawrence Harvey). Shelley Winters co-stars as Natalia Landauer, whose impending marriage to a wealthy young Jewish man is imperiled by the anti-Semitism which envelops Berlin as the Nazis gain political power. If all this sounds familiar to you, it is because I Am a Camera is the non-musical precursor to the Broadway musical hit Cabaret. Both properties were based on Christopher Isherwood's Berlin Stories. Those familiar with the film version of Cabaret will notice that certain plot elements have been watered down in Camera. Examples: Isherwood's homosexuality is left unmentioned, save for Lawrence Harvey's opaque opening comment that he is "a confirmed bachelor;" and Sally Bowles' third-act abortion is changed into a false-alarm pregnancy. Also, Julie Harris' dynamic but rather overbaked interpretation of Sally is not nearly as memorable as Liza Minelli's Oscar-winning interpretation of the character in Cabaret. Still, I Am a Camera is well directed and deftly adapted for the screen (by John Collier); and even taking into consideration Ms. Harris' hamminess, she remains one of the most fascinating stage personalities of the mid-20th century. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Henry Cornelius
Genres: Drama, Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Aug 8, 1955 Wide

Critic Reviews

Phil Hall, Film Threat
The long-forgotten non-musical forerunner of Cabaret.

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Cast

            Julie Harris as Sally Bowles

            Laurence Harvey as Christopher Isherwood

            Shelley Winters as Natalie Landauer

            Ron Randell as Clive

            Lea Seidl as Frau Schneider

            Anton Diffring as Fritz Wendel

            Ina DeLa Haye as Herr Landauer

            Jean Gargoet as Pierre

            Stanley Maxted as American Editor

            Alexis Bobrinskoy as Proprietor

            Andre Mikhelson as Head Waiter

            Julia Arnall as Model

            Geoffrey Dunn
            
            David Kossoff
            
            Zoe Newton as Cigarette Girl

            Clifford A. Pellow as Turk

            Sid Raymond as First Man

            Harold Siddons
            
            Stan Bernard Trio
            
            Frederick [Fritz] Valk as Doctor

            Vince Edwards
            
            Tutte Lemkow as Electro-Therapist

            Patrick McGoohan as Swede

            Peter Prowse
            
            Don Koll as Ticket Clerk

            Charles McDaniel as Reservation Clerk

            William Adams as Old Doctor

            Charles Saynor
            
See full cast

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