The 3 Penny Opera (1931)

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'.

Director:

Georg Wilhelm Pabst (as G.W. Pabst)

Writers:

Bertolt Brecht (story) (as Brecht), Léo Lania (adaptation) (as Lania)

Stars:

Rudolf Forster, Lotte Lenya, Carola Neher

1 win.

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

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'.

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Plot Keywords:

thieves | police | crowning | rats | social inequality | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

19 October 1956 (East Germany)

Also Known As:

The 3 Penny Opera

Filming Locations:

Staaken Studio, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tobis Filmkunst, Nero-Film AG, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 104 min (censored) 106 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Tobis-Klangfilm)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For those who try and translate the title as "The Three Dime Opera" or the "Thirty-Cent Opera," it should be noted that German title "Die 3 Groschen-Opera" translates very well into English as the "Threepenny Opera." 3d (Threepence) in the UK was, in pre-decimal times (pre-1971), the closest equivalent to 3% of a pound. (There were 240 pence in the pound, not 100)

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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 ...

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Connections

Version of The Beggar's Opera (1991)

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Soundtracks

Die Dreigroschenoper
Composed by Kurt Weill
Libretto by Bertolt Brecht

User Reviews

Pabst filming of Brecht Masterpiece Still The Best

Hard-biting cynicism of governments, crooks, the bourgeoisie, misanthropy, and corruption is as stingingly appropriate today as it was in 1931. The leads are well cast and well executed as gangster Mack the Knife and his bride don't care whose feathers they ruffle. However, both take a backseat to Lotte Lenya's unforgettable portrayal of Pirate Jenny which has stood for 70+ years at finest revenge-dream sequence ever filmed.

Eerily, one of the sycophantic government stooges is a dead-ringer for Donald Rumsfeld. The incomparable Weill score is reason enough to watch this richly textured, ahead-of-its-time operetta. One thing -- this would be a great candidate for restoration because the copy aired on the PBS stations (where I've seen it twice) is frayed so badly that some sequences are very tough to see.

Nevertheless, if you're a student of mankind, Die Dreigroschenoper is one you will not wish to miss!