No. 18: Mahagonny 44 years old

Harry Smith’s final film; an epic four-screen projection. Smith worked on this cinematic transformation of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (1929) for over ten years and considered it his magnum opus. The film was shot from 1970 to 1972 and edited for the next eight years. The “program” of the film is meticulous, with a complex structure and order. The Weill opera is transformed into a numerological and symbolic system. Images in the film are divided into categories— portraits, animation, symbols and nature— to form the palindrome P.A.S.A.N.A.S.A.P. The film contains invaluable cameos of important avant-garde figures such as Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, and Jonas Mekas, intercut with installation pieces from Robert Mapplethorpe’s studio, New York City landmarks of the era, and Smith’s visionary animation.

Credits

No. 18: Mahagonny Cast

Name Character
Allen Ginsberg He was 54, 70 years old when he died
Patti Smith She was 33, now 77 years old
Jonas Mekas He was 57, 96 years old when he died
Lotte Lenya She was 81, 83 years old when she died as voice

No. 18: Mahagonny Crew

Name Department
Bertolt Brecht as Writer. He was 82 (58) years old when He died Writing
Kurt Weill as Music. He was 80 (50) years old when He died Sound
No. 18: Mahagonny (44 years)

  • Release day: Saturday, September 13, 1980
  • Runtime: 141 minutes