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The astonishing Die Dreigroschenoper opened in Berlin in 1928 and quickly swept across the continent. Coming at the beginning of the talking picture/movie musical era, the film rights were quickly swept up. (When the musical finally reached Broadway's fabled Empire Theatre in 1933, as The Threepenny Opera, it fizzled after a mere 12 performances.)

Georg C. Pabst — who in 1928 had directed Louise Brooks in "Pandora's Box" — filmed Brecht & Weill's The 3 Penny Opera [Criterion] in 1931. Or maybe not Brecht & Weill's, exactly; this is more like Pabst's own rendition, with some severe changes from the stage version. Much of the dialogue is gone, and the plot takes a turn that is nothing like what happens in the stage version. The music is cut down, too. Even so, it is quite a film, giving us a better feeling of the piece than the stage versions I've seen. Here comes Macheath in the person of Rudolf Forster, looking and acting just like we'd always imagined. (Am I alone in finding a resemblance to Flo Ziegfeld?) Carola Neher, German-born wife of Brecht collaborator Caspar Neher, does wonderfully well as Polly; an avowed Communist, she died in a Soviet prison camp in 1942 at the age of 41. From the vantage point of today, the film does us a great favor by preserving Lotte Lenya's stage performance as Jenny. There she is, looking and sounding like a very different Lenya than we might imagine. Jenny is a small role, relatively speaking, but watch Lenya sing "Pirate Jenny," standing static in front of a window in the bordello. This is the Lenya of the first act of LoveMusik, by the way, and she is unforgettable here.

Pabst's "3 Penny" has long been disparaged for a variety of reasons; the print I saw, years ago, was unimpressive. The restoration makes clear that this is an extraordinary film, which fits right in with the gems of the early German cinema. The two-disc set is loaded with fascinating extras, as is usual with Criterion. Along with interviews and documentary examinations, they include "L'opιra de quant'sous," the French-language version that Pabst filmed simultaneously on the same sets. Yes, it is interesting to see the same film with different actors, but the French version doesn't begin to compare with the German. Lest anyone be interested, the one-named Florelle — who plays Polly — went on to create the title role in Weill's 1934 Paris musical, Marie Galante.

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"Let's put on a show!" That was the sentiment behind the four Mickey Rooney/Judy Garland musical film hits produced at M-G-M from 1939 to 1943. Fans of the pair have long been waiting for these titles — "Babes in Arms," "Strike up the Band," "Babes on Broadway" and "Girl Crazy" — to make it to DVD. Now they have finally arrived in the Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland Collector's Edition, part of the Warner Home Video Ultimate Collector's Edition series.

Ultimate Collector's Edition indeed. The films are gloriously present and restored in the manner that we have become accustomed to. "Babes in Arms," the first of the series, even has re-inserted the segment with impersonations of the Roosevelts, which was deleted after the death of the president. (There is also a blackface segment, which passed for popular entertainment at the time.) This film has little to do with the 1937 Rodgers & Hart stage musical of the same title, retaining only two of the Rodgers & Hart songs. They do, however, give us "God's Country" from Hooray for What! — the show which earned Arlen & Harburg the "Wizard of Oz" assignment. "Strike up the Band" has even less to do with the Gershwin-Kaufman-Ryskind musical of 1930, merely borrowing the title song for a grand finale. ("Girl Crazy," the second film version of the other 1930 Gershwin musical, does bear a passing resemblance to its forbear, retaining six of the songhits.) The third film of the series, "Babes on Broadway," was an original — although original is perhaps not the best way to describe the plot about a couple of teenagers who get together, yes, to put on a show. This one has perhaps the best written-for-Hollywood song of the series, Burton Lane and Ralph Freed's "How About You?" That's the one that goes, "I like New York in June. . . I like a Gershwin tune, how about you?" Pretty nifty songwriting.

The four films, which are not being sold individually, are contained in a handsome box set; also included is a fascinating and nicely-illustrated hardcover guide written by John Fricke, who also provides commentary for two of the films. They also give us a packet of photo postcards. Features include vintage comedy shorts, cartoons, trailers, and audio-only radio broadcasts. Mickey Rooney himself — who turned 87 last month — is on hand, in person, to introduce each of the films. And yes, he does look older than when he made the movies. The fifth DVD in the box includes a 1996 TCM special, "Private Screenings with Mickey Rooney," hosted by Robert Osborne. Of most interest to Garland fans, perhaps, is what they call "The Judy Garland Songbook." Here you have an assortment of 21 complete numbers as performed in the original films, sort of a one-person "That's Entertainment." This is like putting on a compilation CD, except you get it with sets, costumes and visuals of Judy. Who, indeed, displays the changes wrought by the passing of time as she goes from ages 14 to 42. Continued...