Master Of Ceremonies

The function of the musical numbers in this movie are to further illustrate the points of the movie. For example, the number about money points to the fact that the most important thing to many people in this time period is money. They do the things they do and act the way they act just to earn a buck or, in this case, a mark. The number where the performers on the stage turn into a form of burlesque soldier calls attention to the fact that the Nazi soldiers think very highly of themselves. They are becoming a more prominent entity who beat up people in back alleys as retribution. These all serve a specific purpose which is to call our attention to the ridiculous or important things going on in the world around us or around the actors and actresses.
The scene with the Master of Ceremonies and the person in the monkey costume illustrates a few different points. I think it was mainly

intended to show the relationship between Fritz and Natalia.

Fritz starts out only wanting to be with Natalia because she is from a wealthy family but ends up actually falling in love with her. When she tells him they cannot be together, he is crushed and asks why. He seems to think that her reasoning, her being Jewish, is pretty ridiculous. This is especially made clear to the audience when he reveals his own secret of being Jewish. The Master of Ceremonies sings a song about how he wishes the world would see his “girl” the way he does through his own eyes. If only they could see how amazing she is, despite her religion, her boisterous nature, or in the case of the performance, a monkey, then the world would understand how great of a person she really is. However, this can also be related to the relationship between Brian and Sally. Brian starts out hesitant to be with Sally who is an outgoing person, to say the least. He loves her despite everything that

has happened and everything that she does. Through this musical number, the audience is made to feel sympathy for the struggling couples. This makes the audience relate to them through non traditional means. It is presented as a play performance. There are other characters walking through in front of the camera as well as some panning shots that move along the stage with the character. It is done this way to make the viewer feel as though they are there in the same building. It makes the viewer feel like they are part of the audience as well with waiters and waitresses walking in front of you, having a limited view of the stage, blocked by the heads of other attendees, and slowly moving our heads to follow the performers like the panning camera shots do.