The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a 1931 German musical film directed by G. W. Pabst. Produced by Seymour Nebenzal's Nero-Film for Tonbild-Syndikat AG (Tobis), Berlin and Warner Bros. Pictures GmbH, Berlin, the film is loosely based on the 1928 musical theatre success of the same name by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. As was usual in the early sound film era, Pabst also directed a French language version of the film, L'Opéra de quat'sous, with some variation of plot details (the French title literally translates as "the four penny opera"). A planned English version went unproduced. The two existing versions were released on home video by The Criterion Collection.
Plot
In 19th century London, Macheath — known as Mackie Messer ("Mack the Knife") — is a Soho crime lord whose former lover is Jenny, a prostitute in a brothel on Turnbridge Street. On first meeting Polly Peachum, however, he persuades her to marry him. His gang steals the props required for a mock wedding in a dockside warehouse in the dead of night. The celebration is attended by Jackie “Tiger” Brown, Mackie's old comrade-in-arms from their army days in India who is now Chief of Police and about to oversee a procession through the city for the queen’s coronation.
More details
| author | Béla Balázs Ladislaus Vajda Léo Lania |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | London |
| director | Georg Wilhelm Pabst |
| editor | Hans Oser Henri Rust |
| events | capitalism corruption criminality Criminalization poverty Precariat social inequality |
| genre | drama historical |
| keywords | 19th century arrest bank change of heart chief of police crime boss crime lord fade feminine wiles lose meet protection racket protest march soho steal turnbridge street turnmill street wed |
| musicBy | Kurt Weill |
| producer | Seymour Nebenzal |
| productionCompany | Gemeinschaft mit Tobis Warner Bros. Pictures GmbH |
| publisher | Nero-Film Tobis Filmkunst Warner Bros. Pictures GmbH |
| theme | musical musical drama |