THE THREEPENNY OPERA - DVD review

While many 20th century playwrights' works are more widely read and performed, nobody can claim the same influence over modern art as Bertolt Brecht. Brecht was the wild child of German theater, and the adoration of his ardent fans was exceeded only his admiration of himself. Brecht was notorious for the controversial content of his plays, but one generation's controversy becomes quotidian for the next generation. Brecht's enduring legacy was his notion of the "separation of elements," a blunt repudiation of the Aristotelian ideal in which unity and integration are considered essential to a well-made drama.

Brecht defined his approach to dramaturgy as "epic" (or "non- Aristotelian"). The epic form could survive even in its parts rather than functioning only as a complete narrative.
The epic drama also did not strive to engage the viewer's attention by drawing him or her into a seamless narrative; rather the viewer is constantly distanced from the narrative by the reflexive elements of the work. By drawing attention to the act of creation itself, Brecht helped to launch a revolution that transformed virtually every 20th century art form from cinema to literature to music to painting. That's why they call it "Brechtian."

Oddly enough, there is little particularly Brechtian about G.W. Pabst's 1931 film adaptation of Brecht's most famous work "The Threepenny Opera," or "Die 3groschenoper" for you German purists. Then again Brecht really didn't put his theories on drama into writing until just about the same time the film was being made, so Pabst may well have approached the project simply as if he was turning a wildly popular play into a (hopefully) wildly popular and entertaining movie.

If you've heard any rendition of the song "Mack the Knife" (reportedly the most covered song of the 20th century), you have some idea of the basic story which is set in 19th century London. Mackie Messer, AKA Macheath, AKA Mack the Knife is an amoral burglar who spends his spare time with his favorite prostitutes. On a whim, Mackie marries Polly Peachum, not the first Mrs. Messer by any stretch of the imagination, and not, if Mackie has any say about it, the last. This wife turns out to be a little different than any other of old Macheath's babes; she's the daughter of Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum, King of Beggars, and the poorest man in London. Also one of the most powerful. Peachum does not like seeing his daughter married off to a rogue and rival, and plans to have Mackie arrested and hung. He blackmails Mackie's old school chum, chief of police Tiger Brown, into arresting his old friend. Polly takes over Mackie's criminal ring, while Mackie relies on old flames like Jenny to bail him out of trouble.

It's a deceptively simple plot that packs a revolutionary wallop. In what seems to be a background story (but really isn't), London is preparing for the Queen's coronation ceremony. To turn the screws on Tiger Brown, Mr. Peachum sends his army of beggars to disrupt the proceedings and embarrass law enforcement as well as Queenie. Soon, Peachum realizes he has unleashed a force he can't control, and the film promises that true power lies with the proletariat, a reminder to European audiences and governments that the Bolshevik Revolution might not be contained only to Russia. The film's Marxist message was considered so threatening that it was almost instantly banned by the Nazis once they assumed power just a few years after it was released.

Even if the political message sounds somewhat muted today, one element that lingers is composer Kurt Weill's extraordinary score. Pabst's film does not feature wall-to-wall music; indeed, only a few of the crucial numbers from the opera are preserved in the film, but that ones that remain are electric, not only the recognizable "Mack the Knife" melody but also the searing number performed by "Pirate" Jenny, played on stage and in the film by Lotte Lenya, then married to Weill. Lenya only has a modest role in the film, but she is easily the most electric performer in the cast. (TRIVIA QUESTION: Lenya performed almost exclusively on stage, but played one role in a very well-known British film of the 60s. Can you name the film and the role?)

Admittedly, her competition isn't very stiff. Polly is played by Carola Neher, who also performed the role on stage. She shines once given the chance to take over Mackie's gang and turn it into a "legitimate" business, but has little to do in the rest of the film. Rudolf Forster cuts a slim, sharp figure as Mackie, but generates only a modicum of genuine menace with his steely glint, warning all interlopers to stay the hell out of his way. His performance doesn't really live up to the reputation of Mack the Knife who comes as more of a dandy and an idler than a stone cold killer.

Even with the somewhat lackluster performances, Pabst's adaptation has plenty of oomph in it. Brecht apparently did not feel the film was as politically savvy as his original version, but the scenes of the beggars massing in the streets with a clueless, frightened Queen staring helplessly at her "people" are quite potent. The film replaces the play's original dues ex machina ending (intended by Brecht to exasperate audiences by its very capriciousness) with a more plausible ending, with the former criminals Mackie and Peachum uniting with disgraced police chief Brown to become legitimate bank owners, blurring the difference (if there is one) between the usurious practices of "respectable" bankers and the shady dealings of criminals.

"The Threepenny Opera" was only Pabst's third sound film, and is still shot like a silent film in many stretches despite the fact that is a musical. Some of the best sequences in the "Opera" are almost completely silent. The film is not a par with Pabst's best silent work, particularly his two films with Louise Brooks, but it's still a superior effort.

Video

Like many early sound films, "The Threepenny Opera" was shot in 1.19:1 full-screen ratio (known as "pillar-boxing") because the soundtrack was recorded right alongside the film, taking up some of the space in the usual 1.33:1 image area. Here we go again: it's another superb Criterion transfer. A few missing frames, a little dark in places, but what do you expect from a 1931 film? It looks fantastic.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. Optional English subtitles support the German audio.

Extras

This two-disc set is loaded with special features. Unfortunately, I have only had time to watch a few.

Disc One features the digitally restored transfer which is accompanied by a feature-length commentary track by film scholars David Bathrick and Eric Rentschler. There is also an archival introduction (from 1956, 90 seconds) by actors Fritz Rasp and Ernst Busch, originally record for the film's East German re-release.

Also on Disc One is a new documentary (47 minutes) about the conflict between Brecht and Pabst over the film adaptation. Film scholars as well as Pabst's son and the director of the Kurt Weill foundation assure that many view points are represented. In my very amateur opinion, I agree with the final assessment that Pabst's ending actually carries more of a Marxist message than Brecht's original.

That would seem like enough for an entire release, but that's only Disc One.

Pabst also shot a French-language adaptation of "The Threepenny Opera" simultaneous with the German one, a common practice in the early days of sound film. The French version is title "L'opéra de quat'sous" and leads off the collection of extras on Disc Two.

I have not watched the French version, but I have watched the very informative short multi-media presentation (18 minutes) by Charles O'Brien on the differences between the two versions. Originally presented at the Cinegraph Congress (was that the one after the Continental Congress?) in 2005, O'Brien's program points out the ways in which the German film was much darker, both literally in the use of lighting, and thematically in the presentation of its characters. The French version also contains a lot more music. Apparently Pabst didn't think the French were prepared to "handle the truth."

Disc Two also includes an interview with actor Fritz Rasp (18 min, 1972), behind-the-scenes photos of the film taken by Hans Casparius, and Andrej Andrejew's production sketches for the movie.

The insert booklet features an essay by film critic Tony Rayns.

Film Value

It might not be too Brechtian, but Pabst's film adaptation of "The Threepenny Opera" is still a winner. There are plenty of highlights but you've really gotta look out for Miss Lotte Lenya; she's the show stopper.

The two-disc set is one of Criterion's most comprehensive offerings of 2007, though there's plenty of competition for that honor.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Lotte Lenya starred as the poison-toed toad Rosa Klebb in "From Russia with Love."

I never thought I'd lose my heart to Rosa Klebb, but Lenya is a real standout in the movie.