Cabaret is a vibrant form of live entertainment typically staged in venues like pubs, casinos, hotels, restaurants, or nightclubs. It's a blend of various art forms including music, singing, dancing, acting, and sometimes heightened drama, revealed before an audience that enjoys the show while seated, sipping drinks or having a meal. A master of ceremonies often steers the event. Rooted in European culture, cabaret usually targets adult viewers and embraces a somewhat edgy and subterranean flair. In the American context, this sort of amusement can encompass burlesque, striptease, and drag performances, often accompanied by music such as a solo singer with a pianist.
Tracing the etymology of the word 'cabaret' takes us back to the Picard or Walloon languages, where terms like 'cambret' and 'camberte', referencing a 'small room', first appeared around the 12th century. The word evolved through various languages and contexts, settling into its modern usage to denote a comfortable refuge offering food and drink, sometimes accompanied by live performances.
The evolution of cabaret began in France, where it distinguished itself from mere taverns as early as the late 15th century. In Paris, these establishments offered both food and wine, presenting dishes on a clothed table with a fixed price per plate, unlike taverns which charged by the mug. Cabarets quickly gained popularity for dining and outclassed taverns by the turn of the 17th century, ultimately becoming the go-to venue for a refined eating experience. Over time, the roles of taverns became more specialized, focusing solely on wine sales and later on serving roasted meats.
The rich tapestry of Latin American music is a reflection of its diverse cultural heritage, predominantly influenced by the Romance language-speaking countries south of the United States, along with the melodies and rhythms of indigenous populations. This eclectic musical landscape includes a vast array of styles, such as the rhythmic cumbia, the romantic bachata, the elegant bossa nova, the energetic merengue, rumba, salsa, samba, son, and the passionate tango.
As the 20th century unfolded, the music of Latin America began to absorb elements from the United States, giving life to a new range of genres like Latin pop, rock, jazz, hip hop, and the urban beats of reggaeton. It's a geographical medley too, encompassing the tunes from Spanish and Portuguese speaking areas, as well as French-influenced Caribbean and South American countries. The rich array even includes styles born in the U.S. such as salsa and Chicano rap, highlighting the transcultural mix.
Tracing its roots back to the 1500s, the music of Latin America has evolved since the Spanish and Portuguese conquests, when Europeans brought their musical traditions over. These sounds have been expressed through Spanish, Portuguese, and sometimes French lyrics.
Argentina is known for the tango, a genre whose origin is debated. Some suggest that it began in Germany as religious music in 1860, while Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges controversially attributes its birth to brothels. Typically, experts assert that the tango arose within the diverse communities of Buenos Aires, thriving in bars and blending the influences of European migrants, criollos, blacks, and others to become a significant urban musical movement.
List of 20th Century Fox films (1935–1999)
The esteemed film production company now known as 20th Century Studios has a storied history that began in 1935, stemming from a merger between the Fox Film Corporation and Twentieth Century Pictures. From its inception through the end of the 20th century in 1999, the studio has been responsible for a plethora of cinematic productions that have captivated audiences worldwide.
The journey of their motion picture creation spans several era-defining decades. Through the golden age of the 1930s, into the transformative period of the 1940s, and continuing through the innovative and colorful eras of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the studio established itself as a cornerstone of Hollywood filmmaking.
As the pendulum of culture swung back and forth through the progressive 1980s and into the cutting-edge 1990s, 20th Century Studios consistently produced films that not only entertained but also mirrored and influenced society's ever-changing landscape.
For those who are intrigued by the studio's more recent filmography, one can explore their catalogue further by delving into the lists that cover film releases from the years 2000 through to 2020.
The legacy of 20th Century Studios is not only woven into the fabric of cinematic history but is also meticulously chronicled and celebrated in various compilations of their work, and, for the visual enthusiasts, through media available at platforms like Wikimedia Commons.