The 3 penny opera [DVD video]

"Set in the impoverished back alleys of Victorian London, The threepenny opera follows underworld antihero Mackie Messer (a.k.a. Mack the Knife) as he tries to woo Polly Peachum and elude the authorities. With a palpable evocation of corruption and dread, set to Weill's irresistible score, The threepenny opera remains a benchmark of early sound cinema."--Container.

General Note:

Originally released as a motion picture in 1931.

Based on the play "Threepenny opera" by Bertolt Brecht which was based on John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera."

Special features: restored high-definition digital transfer ; audio commentary by scholars David Bathrick and Eric Rentschler ; archival introduction by stars Fritz Rasp and Ernst Busch ; documentary tracing The threepenny opera's journey from stage to screen ; Pabst's French language version of the film, L'opéra de quat'sous, adapted by Solange Térac with dialogue by André Mauprey, starring Albert Préjean, Florelle, Gaston Modot and Margo Lion ; a multimedia presentation by film scholar Charles O'Brien on the differences between the versions ; archival interview with Fritz Rasp ; galleries of production photos by Hans Casparius and production sketches by art director Andrej Andrejew ; a new essay by film critic Tony Rayns.

Performers:

Lotte Lenya, Rudolph Forster, Carola Neher, Reinhold Schünzel, Fritz Rasp, Valeska Gert, Hermann Thimig, Ernst Busch, Vladimir Sokoloff.

Contents:

Disc 1. Feature (110 min.) -- Disc 2. L'opera de quat'sous.

Technical Details:

DVD ; region 1 ; full scree presentation (aspect ratio 1.19:1) ; Dolby digital mono.

Personal Subject:

Gay, John, 1685-1732-Film adaptations.

Weill, Kurt, 1900-1950-Film adaptations.

Brecht, Bertolt, 1898-1956-Film adaptations.

Subject Term:

Criminals -- England -- London -- History -- 19th century -- Drama.