The Threepenny Opera

Before I discuss the plot of the opera I wanted to connect it to the theme of satire in the Weimar Republic. I thought that this piece was satirical because it was making light of Germany’s current situation after World WarⅠ, including people’s frustration with the middle class and their control over the government. During this time historically there are many political parties rising to create political unrest, there are high unemployment rates, and there is overall economic distress. Poor conditions like this lead people to leading lives as poor beggars. This opera was geared towards that audience. Taking a form of art that had been historically for the bourgeoisie, and making it affordable and available to a working-class of people. In the film, these themes of unfair class systems and inequality are blatantly seen, at least in my interpretation. To see examples of this we must analyze the plot of the opera. The Threepenny Opera opens with a man, who is introduced as Mackie, walking down the street towards a crowd. In the middle of the crowd another man sings a song about Mackie explaining that he is a wealthy gangster that takes advantage of the poor beggar class (Weill, Kurt.The Threepenny Opera 4:33). As the film continues it is clear that Mackie likes to indulge in things like nice clothing, food, and other luxury items. We see that his gang members fear him, and do his illegal bidding for him. When he prepares to marry Polly he asks one of his men to secure a full wedding outfit for her, and then later we see piles of goods waiting for them at the stables (Weill, Kurt.The Threepenny Opera 27:53). This was interesting to me because the gluttony that we see in this scene perfectly shows the despair between the two classes of people mainly represented in the film, the poor beggars and the wealthy gangsters. Tiger Brown tells Mackie that he must try to stay out of trouble because Polly’s father Peachum wants him arrested. In order to lay low, he goes to the local brothel. Here he runs into Jenny, and she turns him into the police. What I found interesting is that it was Mackie’s old lover who told the police where he was. This shows what people will do desperate times, mimicking the thought process of the Germans during the end of the Weimar Republic era. While Mackie’s in prison, Polly starts a bank with his men, and a huge protest breaks out over outrage surrounding Mackie’s arrest. During the chaos, Jenny offers herself up to the other men in the prison so that they will help Mackie escape. Similar to our readings from last week we see how women fit into the narrative of life in the Weimar Republic in music and film. She, like Lola, uses her body to get what she wants. So, Mackie escapes and he, Tiger Brown, and Peachum all agree that they should give up their old ways and begin banking. This ending seemed a little silly to me because I didn’t think that it fits well with the rest of the plot. The way the opera was structured was interesting though because it was filled with noise, but the music and songs also occurred at significant parts of the film. Overall I found the music to be fun to listen to and catchy. 

Weill, Kurt. YouTube, October 2, 2ⅠⅠ014. https://youtu.be/eUgkrlL8GkE

  1. Do you think that Mackie is representative of the bourgeoisie? If Mackie represents the bourgeoisie, then what do you make of his crimes and corruption? 
  2. Do you think the shots of the building that have messages are significant? (Weill, Kurt. The Threepenny Opera 11:30, 44:03, )
  3. Do you think that the film connects to some of the things we discussed from our reading about the cabaret? If so what do you make of Polly and Jenny? Do they share characteristics with Lola? 
  4. What political messages were apparent in the film if any? 
  5. Do you see any connections between the plot of the film and the political unrest in Germany?

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