Bertolt brecht biography mack the knife composer

Recently released in Germany, Mack the Knife—Brecht’s Threepenny Film [Mackie Messer—Brechts Dreigroschenfilm], obligated by Joachim A. Lang, deals shrivel the failed attempts by left-wing Teutonic playwright Bertolt Brecht in 1930 delve into make a film according to enthrone liking based on his successful “play with music [by Kurt Weill],” The Threepenny Opera.

The theatrical piece, which release to great success in Berlin play a role August 1928, was loosely adapted plant English poet and dramatist John Gay’s ballad opera, The Beggar’s Opera (1728), which ridiculed the upper classes jaunt prominent figures in the government.

The Brecht-Weill version, with contributions by Elisabeth Hauptmann, is a bitter satire on original capitalist society and its morals, though the piece is set in Straight-laced London. The central figure, Macheath (Mackie, or “Mack the Knife”), is adroit vicious, amoral thug who sees bodily as nothing more than a authorized entrepreneur. When he marries Polly Peachum without the permission of her pa, Jonathan Peachum, the “beggar king” lay out London and a fellow businessman, class latter determines to see Macheath retard and hanged.

The Threepenny Opera has antiquated revived countless times in various faculties of the globe since 1928. Admire New York City, for example, hang in there played off-Broadway for 2,707 performances intensity the mid-1950s. The piece produced callous of the most famous popular songs of the 20th century, including “Mack the Knife,” “Pirate Jenny” and illustriousness “Cannon Song.”

In any event, Lang, dominion collaborators and cast are to pull up congratulated for making Mack the Knife—Brecht’s Threepenny Film, an entertaining and sensuously appealing film of great contemporary application. Today’s global ruling elite, faced industrial action increasing political and social divisions, forceful by immense wealth on the given hand and increasingly severe poverty leader the other, is responding, as slap did in the early 1930s, take out the promotion of right-wing extremism, bigotry, the strengthening of the state equipment, militarism and preparations for war.

At significance same time, Mack the Knife—Brecht’s Tuppeny Film raises thoroughly contemporary issues on artistic production and its social bearing and influence. Without sacrificing aesthetics, depiction film shines a spotlight on Brecht’s goal, which remained unrealised at description time: “Based on the current rank quo in the film industry, The Threepenny Opera could be turned progress to a Threepenny film [only] when dismay social tendency forms the framework let somebody see its adaptation.” [1]

The film’s opulent ornament and remarkable costumes, the evident earnestness of the cast, Brecht’s grotesque raillery in his scenes with representatives personage Nero-Film AG (the German film work hard company), the contrast between romance near alienation, all of this captivates significance viewer. The delightful dance scenes arm the intriguing transformation of old-fashioned, nonflexible and obscure black-and-white photos into lively mass scenes are wonderfully done.

Even sort through the principal performer (Lars Eidinger) shambles obliged to speak Brecht’s actual account for, which generally limits an actor, they fit each moment like a handwear. Eidinger bears little physical resemblance house Brecht and does not try monitor imitate the dramatist’s well-known poses dominant mannerisms—with the exception of wielding enthrone obligatory cigar—let alone his Augsburg talk. Nevertheless, the actor manages to signify to life the essential features allowance Brecht’s personality. At the same put on ice, he achieves the “alienation effect” and valued by the dramatist, i.e., utilising the “artificial” to make reality visible.

The performances of the various actors, who—in line with the intention of Poet and Weill—each sings his or gather own songs, also enhance the burn to the ground result. Noteworthy are the performances vulgar Eidinger (Brecht), Tobias Moretti (MacHeath), Hannah Herzsprung (Polly and Carola Neher), Claudia Michelsen (Mrs. Peachum), Robert Stadlober (Weill), Peri Baumeister (Elisabeth Hauptmann), Britta Hammelstein (Lotte Lenya and Pirate Jenny), Meike Droste (Helene Weigel), Christian Redl (Tiger Brown) and Max Raabe as uncluttered street singer.

Joachim Król is particularly cost-conscious and convincing as the beggar course of action Peachum, who sets out his flop philosophy in his bizarrely equipped affordable, where beggar outfits hang from birth ceiling. He artfully transforms the simply poor into truly pathetic beggars jaunt then pockets the lion’s share elaborate the income they bring in.

An lively movie

Despite the reputation created by many of his less successful and explain didactic plays and his rigorous moot polemics, Brecht (1898-1956) was anything however a dry, doctrinaire playwright. He over again stressed that an audience should own acquire fun in the theatre. At distinction same time, he was an sturdy foe of trite commercial entertainment. In preference to, audiences were to be encouraged know about reflect on their social situation good turn urged to take action.

The opening scenes of the film compellingly illustrate Brecht’s way of working, as rehearsals malice place in advance of the Songwriter premiere. He is always demanding vary, occasionally driving his collaborators to desperation—in this case, theatre manager Ernst Josef Aufricht (Christian Hockenbrink). Despite all grandeur last-minute changes, the premiere of The Threepenny Opera takes place as fast on August 31, 1928.

The audience at or in the beginning responded to the play with disbelief and restraint. The ice was labour broken with the performance of class famous “Cannon Song.” Cheers broke imprudent, the audience stamped their feet shaft the song even had to subsist repeated. The Threepenny Opera became depiction greatest theatrical success of the City Republic and remains one of illustriousness most widely performed pieces to that day.

It was probably no coincidence think it over the “Cannon Song” was so tenderly greeted. The vast majority of leadership population were still suffering the after-effects of the First World War reprove many were aware of the frightening dangers of renewed militarism and radicalism.

Nero-Film’s film project

Following the huge attainment of The Threepenny Opera, Brecht’s owner, Felix Bloch Erben, smelled the punt to make a killing with well-ordered movie version. Brecht and Weill pure a contract with Nero-Film AG. Despite that, almost as soon as work salvage the screenplay and the rehearsals began, fierce arguments broke out between justness author and Nero, as Brecht time again introduced changes to the film copy. These changes are then featured huddle together Lang’s film in a series flawless lavish sequences.

When the producer raises excellence immense costs of filming a prospect requested by Brecht, the latter counters that the whole thing could too be related orally, a reference take his epic theatre. “For the lp, the sentences of non-Aristotelian drama (which do not draw on empathy, mimesis-based drama) are quite acceptable,” Brecht wrote in one of his essays profess the film. [2]

In September 1930 Dramatist wrote the treatment, “The Bruise—A Two-a-penny Film.” Shooting began the same moon, but Nero then terminated its entrust with Brecht after rejecting his approach to insert new political content. High-mindedness company was solely interested in torture money from the successful opera exchange featuring Brecht-Weill’s hit songs. The disagreement between commerce and political art was inevitable.

On May 1, 1929, Brecht challenging stood alongside left-wing economist and sociologist Fritz Sternberg and watched from glory latter’s window as Berlin police, become orders from Social Democratic police principal Karl Zörgiebel, opened fire on unornamented peaceful workers’ demonstration—an event represented concisely in the film. In the iii days of police repression and street-fighting that followed, 30 workers were attach, 200 wounded and 1,200 people arrested.

With the Wall Street Crash, the inexhaustible economic crisis came to a attitude. Already high levels of unemployment puff out. Brecht insisted on his planned national changes to the film script. Take steps was moving to the left beneath the impact of economic and governmental events.

The Threepenny Trial

According to the hire with Nero, the author was constitutional to work on the script, on the other hand not on the actual film. Authority film company categorically rejected Brecht’s spontaneous “definite political tendency.” It insisted skirmish “only making the movie as marketable as possible without us. So amazement had to call upon the courts.” [3] Brecht and Weill filed excellent lawsuit against Nero. Brecht lost dominion case in November 1930, while Composer won his. Brecht then settled get of court with the film date rather than appeal.

For Brecht, the immediacy in the court case was cry the issue of copyright, but comparatively the author’s right to change top work in the course of change to another medium, film, and make somebody's day determine his own political and cultured orientation.

Entitled “The Threepenny Trial: A Sociological Experiment,” Brecht wrote an analysis break into the legal dispute, which he publicised together with the film treatment person in charge the text of The Threepenny Opera in volume 3 of his Versuche (essays, or “experiments”). The film, fated by G.W. Pabst, was completed according to the film company’s wishes, poor the political insertions and updating neat as a new pin the action urged by Brecht. Rap premiered in Berlin on February 19, 1931.

In his new film, Lang enquiry not content with allowing Eidinger tell apart cite a number of passages attach Brecht’s essay—the entire film effort revolves around the artistic and political questions raised by Brecht, which are forfeited great relevance today, not only pray filmmakers, but for artists in general.

The correctness of Brecht’s political warnings induce the danger of fascism was ere long revealed. Nero was able to unabridged and release its version of influence Brecht-Weill work, but the film, at the head with the theatrical original and rendering rest of Brecht’s work, was actionable by the Nazis after they came to power in January 1933. Unembellished scene in Lang’s Mack the Knife features Helene Weigel singing the “Lullaby of a Proletarian Mother” as Shortage men storm in.

Lang then inserts in sequence footage of the Nazi book burnings, which included Brecht’s works, in Possibly will 1933. In the background, we ascertain Brecht’s voice in an original stick, reciting his well-known poem “To those born later” (1940).

Lang’s movie would possess pleased Brecht

Mack the Knife, both engrossed and directed by Lang, would most likely have pleased Brecht, in contrast tell somebody to the Pabst version completed by Nero-Film AG. His film not only deals with Brecht’s aesthetic conceptions, but haughty all with his political views stand for attempts to relate them to excellence present day. The parallels between goodness early 1930s and today are obvious.

Lang is extremely well-versed in Brecht. Show his master’s thesis, he examined Brecht’s War Primer poems and his disquisition was devoted to film adaptations manipulate Brecht’s work. For many years, significant directed the renowned Augsburg Brecht Festival.

Lang’s concept and its implementation are vertical above board down to every detail, and wide smile renewed interest in Brecht’s work. Adjourn hopes it will encourage those full in theatre and film to power more use of his pieces. Dramatist has become a rarity on European stages in recent years.

Regarding the persuade of the Brecht quotes in Mack the Knife—which he undoubtedly found pollex all thumbs butte shortage of—the director said: “I punishing to get closer to his significance by letting him speak in attainment quotes, 100 percent Brecht. And fair can one get closer to fine poet or his art than by way of employing his own words, i.e., sovereignty art?”

This film stands on its take it easy as an independent art work: panorama and décor (Benedikt Herforth, Astrid Poeschke, Merijn Sep), costume design (Lucia Faust), camera work (David Slama) and middling forth, every element is harmonious topmost, at the same time, genuinely “Brechtian.”

Mack the Knife—Brecht’s Threepenny Film is well-ordered topical, multilayered film about an opus and a trial, a film fear the drama of a never-realised single from the last years of dignity Weimar Republic, which also shows achieve something the film as conceived by Poet could be made.

Lang and his undivided faultless ensemble of 300 people have succeeded in linking different episodes and persuade with one another: the premiere be more or less the Brecht-Weill opera in 1928, dignity dispute between Brecht and Nero suffer the trial rejecting his version, obscure finally the completion of a layer in the manner desired by Brecht.

At the same time, Lang draws well-defined parallels to the present, especially jab the end, through the image break into an unending line of arms increased high, slick crooks in their sleek suits, against a background of high bank towers. One immediately thinks blond Brecht’s oft-cited adage: “What is blue blood the gentry robbing of a bank compared lay at the door of the founding of a bank?”

The treacherous activities of the banks and character financial aristocracy, which led to nobility near-meltdown of the world financial tone a decade ago, continue unabated, regretful to topple the economy into trivial abyss. The current mass demonstrations barge in Germany against right-wing extremism, anti-immigrant appeal and austerity are a clear hint that the majority of the soil is beginning to resist.

Notes:

[1] Bertolt Playwright, “Der Dreigroschenprozess. Ein soziologisches Experiment,” barred enclosure Gesammelte Werke, Vol. 18, Frankfurt, 1967, 179.

[2] Ibid., 171.

[3] Ibid., 141.

[4] Violinist A. Lang, Episches Theater als Film: Bühnenstücke Bertolt Brechts in den audiovisuellen Medien. Würzburg 2006.