405 - The Threepenny Opera (1931)

Come join us as we discuss director G. W. Pabst's adaptation of Bertholt Brecht and Kurt Weill's legendary musical set in the London underwold.  Gang boss Mackie Messer (aka Mack the Knife played by Rudolf Forster) plots to marry Polly Peachum (Carola Neher) daughter of the beggar king, while his scorned lover Jenny (Lotte Lenya) seeks to have him arrested by police chief Tiger Brown (Reinhold Schunzel).  With a few jaunty tunes and innumerable betrayals and getaways, this German language exploration of class , power, and poverty paints a compelling portrait of pre-War politics.  And we totally don't spend too much time talking about Bobby Darin.

If you'd like to watch ahead for next week's film, we will be reviewing and discussing Mike Leigh's Meantime (1984).