In London at the turn of the century, the bandit Mack the Knife marries Polly without the knowledge of her father, Peachum, the 'king of the beggars'.
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Title: The 3 Penny Opera (1931)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Rudolf Forster | ... | Mackie Messer | |
 |
Carola Neher | ... | Polly |
| Reinhold Schünzel | ... | Tiger-Brown | |
| Fritz Rasp | ... | Peachum | |
| Valeska Gert | ... | Mrs. Peachum | |
| Lotte Lenya | ... | Jenny (as Lotte Lenja) | |
| Hermann Thimig | ... | The Vicar | |
| Ernst Busch | ... | The Street Singer | |
| Vladimir Sokoloff | ... | Smith, the Jailer (as Wladimir Sokolow) | |
| Paul Kemp | ... | Mackie Messer's Gang Member | |
|
|
Gustav Püttjer | ... | Mackie Messer's Gang Member |
|
|
Oskar Höcker | ... | Mackie Messer's Gang Member |
|
|
Krafft-Raschig | ... | Mackie Messer's Gang Member (as Kraft Raschig) |
|
|
Herbert Grünbaum | ... | Filch |
| Sylvia Torf | ... | Whorehouse owner | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In London at the turn of the century, the bandit Mack the Knife marries Polly without the knowledge of her father, Peachum, the 'king of the beggars'. Written by Brian rawnsley <rawnsleb@natlib.govt.nz>
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Details
Country:
GermanyLanguage:
GermanRelease Date:
19 October 1956 (East Germany) See more »Also Known As:
Beggar's Opera See more »Filming Locations:
Halensee, Grunewald, Berlin, GermanyCompany Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (censored) | (DVD)Sound Mix:
Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.20 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was banned by the Nazi Party in 1933 and prints of the film were destroyed. The film was restored and reconstructed in the 1960s. See more »Quotes
Peachum: You too wish to be part of this splendid occasion. You, poorest of the poor, who'd long ago have perished in the sewers of Turnbridge if I hadn't spent sleepless nights devising a way to wring a few pence out of your poverty. For I've shown that the rich of this world have no qualms about causing misery but can't bear the sight of it. They have hard hearts but weak nerves. Well, we won't spare their nerves today! By the thousands we'll tear at their nerves, for our rags do not conceal our ...See more »
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G.W. Pabst's version of 'The 3penny Opera' is simply sublime with a formidable casting and a magnificent cast with: Ernst Busch as a street singer, Carola Neher, who died in a soviet prison, as Polly and Lotte Lenya as Jenny. The mass scenes (without the help of computer games) are nothing less than masterful. But, above all are the texts of Bertolt Brecht and the magical songs by Kurt Weill; just delicious stuff.
This eternal masterpiece doesn't paint a rosy picture of human affairs, with a city (pars pro toto – the world) in the hands of people with shark teeth, venal civil servants and a corrupt police force. Bertolt Brecht formulates in simple words the rules of the game, the basics of human society: first grub, then morals. If the primary conditions for human survival (food, safety) are not available, then there is absolutely no ground for any kind of morality. For Bertolt Brecht, in a 'free for all' society the poor, the vast majority of the population, can only survive by (organized) begging and stealing, by dirty works ('Missetat'). After fighting one another, the crime bosses find a far better solution for the consolidation of their power. They make a super deal, pool their resources and create a financial syndicate of criminals, in other words, a bank, with the former corrupt police chief as CEO. What an awesome prophetic idea! With brilliant theatrical histrionics and a perfect 'London' atmosphere, G.W. Pabst shot an ageless movie masterpiece based on an everlasting opera. A must see.