GIVE A SHOUT TO WORD UP! wordup@papermag.com
Entries tagged with 'G.W.Pabst'
Posted Sep. 18, 2007,
The 3 Penny Opera!
By Dennis Dermody
Just watched the fabulous two-disc DVD of The 3 Penny Opera from Criterion and it made we weep with joy it was so fabulous! Dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill collaborated on a version of The Beggar's Opera in 1928 and the resulting The 3 Penny Opera was a resounding success with critics and audiences. Film director G. W. Pabst (Pandora's Box) was in the audience and bought the rights for the film version. But Brecht turned in a script that reflected his growing Communist idealism that had little to do with the stage play and ended up suing Pabst. Ironically, the resulting film which is an approximation of the play (and includes half of the songs) ended up reflecting a definite Marxist leaning towards the end.