Threepenny Opera (1962)
-
100% want to see it
(1 ratings)
Hampered by over-orchestrated music, smeary color photography and (in the English version at least) poor dubbing, this 1963 French/German adaptation of the Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht piece The Three Penny Opera nonetheless has its attractions. Not least of these is the central performance of Curt… More Hampered by over-orchestrated music, smeary color photography and (in the English version at least) poor dubbing, this 1963 French/German adaptation of the Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht piece The Three Penny Opera nonetheless has its attractions. Not least of these is the central performance of Curt Jurgens as robber captain MacHeath, whose romance with Polly Peachum (June Ritchie), daughter of beggar king J. J. Peachum (Gert Frobe), puts his life in jeopardy. Hildegarde Neff has an effective cameo as whore-ish Pirate Jenny. For the film's American release, distributor Joseph E. Levine hired Sammy Davis Jr. to play the Ballad Singer, who narrates the story, introduces the scenes, and sings the opera's most famous song "Moritat (The Ballad of Mack the Knife)." Unlike the music in the rest of the film, Davis' rendition of "Mack the Knife" is rearranged in Bobby Darin "pop" fashion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Wolfgang Staudte
- Genres
- Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International
Unrated,
Critic Reviews
-
Phil Hall, Film Threat
Abysmal English dubbing makes a mess of this German film of the Brecht-Weill masterwork.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
Sammy Davis Jr.
as Ballad Singer
-
Curd Jürgens
as Macheath
-
June Ritchie
as Polly Peachum
-
Hildegarde Neff
as Pirate Jenny
-
Lino Ventura
as Tiger Brown
-
Walter Giller
as Beggar Filch
-
Martin Berliner
as Wally the Weeper
-
Gert Fröbe
as J.J. Peachum
-
Hilde Hildebrand
as Mrs. Celia Peachum
- Robert Manuel
-
Jacqueline Pierreux
as Prostitute
-
Hans Reiser
as A Guide
-
Henning Schlüter
as Rev. Kimball
-
Stanislav Ledinek
as Robert the Saw
-
Adeline Wagner
as Suky Tawdry
-
Walter Feuchtenberg
as Hook-Finger Jacob
-
Siegfried Wischnewski
as Money Matthew
- Curt Jurgens
