The Threepenny Opera - Criterion Collection
by G.W. Pabst
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Lotte Lenya, Rudolf ForsterDirector: G.W. Pabst
Brand: Image Entertainment
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); German (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Digital Sound, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Unknown
Running Time: 110 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-09-18
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Criterion
Movie Reviews of The Threepenny Opera - Criterion Collection
Movie Review: A Classic?
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Threepenny Opera" (Die 3groschenoper")
A Classic?
Amos Lassen
In 1931, "The Threepenny Opera" was filmed and still remains a masterpiece. I just got my Criterion edition of the film and have already watched it twice. Not only is it an important reflection of the social scene in pre-war Germany, but it is magical. In the few years before the Nazis overtook the German movie industry, Kurt Weill managed to get his operetta filmed with a wonderful cast that included his wife Lotte Lenya as Jenny. The film, even with the language barrier gives us songs that have become part of us.
"Threepenny" is a cynical film. The leader of the Guild of Thieves gets married to the daughter of the leader of the Guild of Beggars and friction comes into being between the two organizations, both highly respected and professional. Every crime known to man transpires and all those involved have the time of their lives. The movie balks cynically at government, crime, the bourgeoisie, misanthropy and corruption.
The book is the collaborative effort of Bertolt Brecht and Elizabeth Hauptmann and is a take-off of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera". Directed by G.W. Pabst, the film has some outstanding moments and his direction as well as the camera work is amazing. The songs by Kurt Weill are still heard today--notably "Mack the Knife" and "Pirate Jenny".
Many consider the film to be a classic and it has certainly lasted but it does fall short of being a masterpiece. Some of the individual scenes are absolutely wonderful but others fall flat. The film is gritty and somewhat flat. I love it myself but I love it for what it is--a look at German film culture that had great potential. And of course it is an opportunity to see the amazing Lotte Lenya.
Summary of The Threepenny Opera - Criterion Collection
The sly melodies of composer Kurt Weill and the daring of dramatist Bertolt Brecht come together onscreen under the direction of German auteur G.W. Pabst (Pandora's Box) in this classic adaptation of the Weimar-era theatrical sensation. Set in the impoverished back alleys of Victorian London, The Threepenny Opera follows underworld antihero Mackie Messer (a.k.a. Mack the Knife) as he tries to woo Polly Peachum and elude the authorities. With its palpable evocation of corruption and dread, Pabst's Threepenny Opera remains a benchmark of early sound cinema. It is presented here in both its celebrated German and rare French versions.Note: The aspect ratio of this production is 1.19:1. This specifc ratio is particularly rare as it was used only in Germany prior to World War II, and has not been widely used since.
The stage version of The Threepenny Opera caused a sensation in Berlin when it opened in 1928, and a movie version was quickly sold and shot. This 1931 film actually differs greatly from the stage production, yet it deserves its status as a classic of Weimar-era Germany (it was banned after the Nazis consolidated their power). Both were based on John Gay's famous The Beggar's Opera, but writer Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill added their own layers of genius. The story revolves around Mackie Messer (played by the fearsomely tough Rudolf Forster), also known as "Mack the Knife," a London bad boy whose underworld adventures expose all the hypocrisies and squalor of urban life. Those familiar with the stage score will note that the movie cuts a great deal of Weill's music, in favor of more social criticism; Brecht, high on socialist theory, had largely re-written the play when he turned in his screenplay for the movie. (He was then fired off the project, but many of his new ideas remained.)
Director G.W. Pabst (Pandora's Box) captures both the story's docklands setting and the unmistakable whiff of 1920s Berlin decadence, along with the bitter aftertaste of the original. The music remains stirring, and the indelible Lotte Lenya (Weill's wife and the enduring interpreter of his music) plays Jenny, the slattern Mackie thrusts aside to marry Polly (Carola Neher), daughter of the king of the beggars.
The sheer beauty of the film's black-and-white images is well served by Criterion's release, which also includes a second disc containing L'opera de quat'sous, a French-language version of the film, directed by Pabst simultaneously with the shooting of the German version. Its cast (including Albert Prejean and, in a small role, Antonin Artaud) and lighter tone make it a decidedly less compelling movie than the German take. A 48-minute documentary detailing the story of Threepenny's journey from stage to screen is an unusually good backgrounder; other features include a commentary track, a visual comparison of the German and French versions, and a delightful new introduction for the movie's re-release in East Germany two decades after its making, featuring actors Fritz Rasp and Ernst Busch. --Robert Horton
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