The Beggar’s Opera *** (1952, Laurence Olivier, Stanley Holloway, Dorothy Tutin, Hugh Griffith, George Devine, Athene Seyler) – Classic Movie Review 12,448

The 1953 British historical musical film The Beggar’s Opera is a big-screen adaptation in Technicolor of John Gay’s 1728 ballad opera. Directed by Peter Brook in his feature film debut, its stars Laurence Olivier in his sole musical.

Laurence Olivier cuts a dash (and sings sweetly) as Captain MacHeath in director Peter Brook’s 1952 British Technicolor film The Beggar’s Opera, a big-screen version of the 1728 John Gay comic opera about a highwayman in Newgate prison turning his story of dering-do into a jolly musical.

A very good, talented cast (particularly Stanley Holloway as Mr Lockit, Dorothy Tutin as Polly Peachum, Hugh Griffith as The Beggar, George Devine as Peachum, Mary Clare as Mrs Peachum, and Athene Seyler as Mrs Trapes) helps to hold the interest when the director can’t always. You would think theatre buffs would have rushed to see it, but it was so unpopular in Britain that it was taken off after a single night of its release and the producers paid compensation.

Olivier refused to change the title to MacHeath the Highwayman.

With additional dialogue and lyrics by Christopher Fry, the film expands and changes some elements of the opera,

It was legendary stage director Brook’s first film and last till 1960: Moderato Cantabile (UK title Seven Days… Seven Nights) with Jeanne Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo.

Laurence Olivier (in his sole musical) and Stanley Holloway do their own singing, but Dorothy Tutin and others are dubbed.

The fee for both producer Herbert Wilcox and Olivier was £50,000, £30,000 deferred, while Alexander Korda provided finance for foreign rights. The film was sold to Jack Warner bought it without seeing it for $700,000, so Korda made a profit while Olivier and Wilcox never received their deferred payments.

Wilcox recalled Olivier and he constantly offered Brook practical suggestions which were ignored.

Olivier was injured while performing a stunt and Wilcox had to pay £31,000 out of his own pocket.

The cast are Laurence Olivier as Captain MacHeath, Hugh Griffith as The Beggar, George Rose as 1st Turnkey, Stuart Burge as 1st Prisoner, Cyril Conway as 2nd Prisoner, Gerald Lawson as 3rd Prisoner, Dorothy Tutin as Polly Peachum, George Devine as Peachum, Mary Clare as Mrs Peachum, Edward Pryor as Filch, Athene Seyler as Mrs Trapes, Stanley Holloway as Mr Lockit, Daphne Anderson as Lucy Lockit, Eric Pohlmann as Inn Keeper, Yvonne Furneaux as Jenny Diver, Kenneth Williams as Jack the Pot Boy, Sandra Dorne as Sukey Tawdrey, Laurence Naismith as Matt of the Mint, and Felix Felton as Governor.

Peter Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) married actress Natasha Parry (died 2015) in 1951.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,448

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