The Beggar's Opera

Director: Peter Brook Peter Brook

Overview

Laurence Olivier makes his singing debut in this lively adaptation of John Gay's 18th century theatrical piece The Beggar's Opera. Olivier stars as Captain MacHeath, the leader of all bandits and cutthroats in England. MacHeath is in love with Polly Peachum (Dorothy Tutin), the daughter of beggar king Peachum (George Devine). He has also dallied with Lucy (Daphne Anderson), the offspring of corrupt constable (Stanley Holloway) Lockit. Since it is in the best interest for both Peachum and Lockit to rid the world of MacHeath, the two conspire to imprison and hang the scoundrel, but an unexpected turn of events rescues MacHeath from the executioner's noose. Adapted for the screen by Dennis Canaan and Christopher Fry, The Beggar's Opera manages to retain the raffish charm of the stage original while still being wholly cinematic in approach and execution. The same basic story was later retooled by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill as The Threepenny Opera.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/23/2009
UPC:	0883316125892
Original Release:	1953
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:33:00
Sales rank:	48,192

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Laurence Olivier	Captain MacHeath
Hugh Griffith	The Beggar
Stanley Holloway	Mr. Lockit
George Devine	Peachum
Mary Clare	Mrs. Peachum
Athene Seyler	Mrs. Trapes
Dorothy Tutin	Polly Peachum
Daphne Anderson	Lucy Lockit
Margot Grahame	The Actress
Denis Cannan	The Footman,Footman
George Rose	1st Turnkey
Yvonne Furneaux	Jenny Diver
Cyril Conway	2nd Prisoner
Edward Pryor	Filch
Felix Felton	Governor
Oliver Hunter	2nd Chairman
Sandra Dorne	Sukey Tawdrey
Eileen Harvey	Young Female Traveller
Kenneth Williams	Jack the Pot Boy,Jack
Tamba Alleney	Page
John Kidd	2nd Turnkey
Joycelyn James	Molly Brazen
John Baker	2nd Chairman
Edith Coats	Mrs. Peachum (singing voice)
Laurence Naismith	Actor
Bombardier Billy Wells	Hangman
Ondrej Vetchý	Actor
Arthur Bliss	Composer
John Gay	Composer

Technical Credits

Dennis Cannan

Christopher Fry

Peter Brook	Director
Laurence Olivier	Producer
Herbert Wilcox	Producer
Dennis Cannan	Screenwriter
Christopher Fry	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A strange but fascinating and entertaining curio, The Beggar's Opera is not for all tastes but will prove irresistible to aficionados of musicals, especially those with a knowledge of musical theater history. The John Gay piece from which the film is adapted is a classic of the English stage, never out of the repertory for very long and quite popular with audiences, even if this film version did not repeat the stage play's success. Director Peter Brook has added an unnecessary framing device -- it doesn't really add to the piece, but it also doesn't really damage it -- and has cut a bit too much of Gay's original dialogue in order to express things in more cinematic terms, but all in all, he has respected the material. Certainly the spirit of the original has been well retained. As MacHeath, Laurence Olivier proves himself an uncertain singer, but he's a tremendous amount of fun, mocking the derring-do aspects of his character while still making them believable; he walks the fine line between satire and seriousness that the material demands without making a false step, as does most of the cast. There's sterling work from Stanley Holloway, George Devine, and the delicious Athene Seyler, and Dorothy Tutin is a very pleasing Polly. Brook and his cinematographer, Guy Green, have painted the picture in bold, dazzling colors, and there's a liveliness to the whole proceedings that is contagious.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler