Theater of War

2008

1 hr. 35 min.

Documentary

List

72%

18 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

This documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at a daring American staging of Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece of political theater, "Mother Courage." Meryl Streep and her costars tackle Brecht's challenging pacifist work in a bold new translation by acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner. The film also discusses Brecht's creative life, his exodus from Nazi Germany in the wake of World War II and the relevance of "Mother Courage" in the context of contemporary world politics.

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Audience Member

Ties together war, world history past and present, rehearsal process, Brecht's own biography, Marxism, and, of course, the play, "Mother Courage and Her Children," weaving together a tapestry of interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, home movies from Brecht, newsreel footage, and photos and recordings of both the original production and the Central Park revival. Ultimately, the whole of "Theater of War" isn't any more than the sum of its many fascinating parts, but it's interested, engaging, frequently exciting stuff, and for anyone who loves Brecht (like I do) or who saw the performance (which I did), it's essential viewing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Like a master class on how to stage a play in NYC; Kushner talks playwriting, plus a peek at rehearsal process with Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep. Not to be missed by theatre lovers. "Process is clunky." -Meryl Streep

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

Is somewhat in the vein of Pacino's Looking for Richard documentary, discussing motivations for the play and its author, but Theater lacks that film's energy and enthusiasm.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Theater of War tries to be a number of things, and doesn't succeed in any of them, with the exception of being able to see Meryl Streep as Mother Courage.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

It's informative -- both about the life and ideas of Bertolt Brecht and the staging of a high-profile New York theater production.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An introduction to Brecht, the roots of contemporary theater, and Marxism. Fascinating, but not terribly well put together or even that engaging, unless any of the above fascinate you on their own.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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John W. Walter

Director

Meryl Streep

Actor

Kevin Kline

Actor

Tony Kushner

Actor

George C. Wolfe

Actor

Dany Garcia

Executive Producer

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David Fear

Time Out

Rated: 3/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

Engrossing and timely, this crackles with ideas about art, politics, religion, and the terrible costs of war.

Apr 3, 2009

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Walter V. Addiego

San Francisco Chronicle

For theater lovers in general, this documentary -- a look at a high-powered production of a modern classic and a chance to watch Meryl Streep build a character -- is intriguing and educational. For partisans of Bertolt Brecht, it's mandatory.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 3, 2009

Full Review

Carolina Benalczar

Another Gaze

The trauma of the past is expressed in the woundedness of the present and through this expression finds a type of sanctuary.

Mar 16, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

The delights were in seeing arguably America's greatest actress, Streep, going through the clunky process of rehearsing while telling us how she interpreted her role.

Rated: B

Feb 26, 2010

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

Mildly engaging with brief moments of insight, but it's mostly a missed opportunity to dig deeper into the play's sociopolitical relevance to the world of today

Rated: 5.75/10

Jan 31, 2009

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Synopsis

This documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at a daring American staging of Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece of political theater, "Mother Courage." Meryl Streep and her costars tackle Brecht's challenging pacifist work in a bold new translation by acclaimed playwright Tony Kushner. The film also discusses Brecht's creative life, his exodus from Nazi Germany in the wake of World War II and the relevance of "Mother Courage" in the context of contemporary world politics.

Director: John W. Walter
Executive Producer: Dany Garcia, Jack Turner
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Oct 19, 2010