The 3 Penny Opera!

Just watched the fabulous two-disc DVD of The 3 Penny Opera from Criterion and it made we weep with joy it was so fabulous! Dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill collaborated on a version of The Beggar's Opera in 1928 and the resulting The 3 Penny Opera was a resounding success with critics and audiences. Film director G. W. Pabst (Pandora's Box) was in the audience and bought the rights for the film version. But Brecht turned in a script that reflected his growing Communist idealism that had little to do with the stage play and ended up suing Pabst. Ironically, the resulting film which is an approximation of the play (and includes half of the songs) ended up reflecting a definite Marxist leaning towards the end.

The story follows an underworld kingpin Mackie Messer (Mack the Knife) who marries Polly Peachum, whose father controls the beggars in the city. Lotte Lenya is unforgettable as Jenny, the prostitute and spurned ex of Messer's who turns Mackie over to police. Pabst's brilliant filming, artful composition and ingenious stagings retains the cynical flavor of the show but it's also incredibly cinematic at the same time. And the end when the beggars march down the streets ruing the Queen's coronation could only be shot on film. The restoration (from the film's negative) reveals a version I have never seen in my life of the movie -- it shimmers on disc. And the documentaries and commentaries are illuminating and fascinating. Included also is the French version Pabst shot simultaneously which I never even knew existed. This is a must-own DVD!