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The Magic Flute - Criterion Collection | Year: 1975 Classification: Foreign Film - Swedish Directed: - Ingmar Bergman Actors/Actresses: - Josef Köstlinger - Ulrik Cold Die Zauberflöte Mozart's operatic explication of the mysteries of Freemasonry is part frat-house ritual, part custody dispute, and two parts love story. In the tradition of German 'singspiel', it combines the sung and spoken voice. The influence of grand opera on the tradition shows up in the mixture of aria and recitative in the sung portions. Mozart composed the music for a libretto in German by Emmanuel Schikaneder. Ingmar Bergman's film of 'The Magic Flute' is one of the better attempts at tranfering an opera to the screen. In fact many claim it's the best, but I would argue with that. Certainly, it's in the top five, but I find the Harnoncourt/Ponnelle production of 'The Coronation of Poppea' superior. That however is my favorite opera so I may be prejudiced. Bergman wisely avoided using a naturalistic setting such as Franco Zefferelli and Petr Weigl have used for their opera films. He retains the staginess of opera by presenting it as a performance before an audience (Ponnelle did the same a few years earlier). But he doesn't limit the view to what can be seen through the proscenium. He uses the techniques of cinema to keep the camera moving around the scenery and the singers. At intermission, he shows the performers backstage which itself is a performance (ie, it's not documentary footage). Occasionally, he appears to use location shots such as during Pamina's despair. Bergman keeps the viewer's eye active throughout. I was doubtful about a film of 'The Magic Flute' sung in Swedish, but, for one who doesn't speak German, the difference is barely noticeable. If anything, Swedish is a more mellifluous language than German, and the result sounds rather Italianate. The singers are all good, and they look like their roles for the most part. The sound was pre-recorded, and Bergman had the singers perform to the music at half-voice during filming. The lip-sync is therefore perfect, not only in lip movement, but in spatial location as well. Boy sopranos sing the roles of the three angels. During the overture, Bergman chose to show faces in extreme close-up of people of various ages and races as though they are the world audience. All reviews that I've seen say it's a great conceit, but I found it annoying and unimaginative. The shots of the little girl that pop up at random moments are particularly distracting. That Bergman would want to demonstrate that Mozart is for the whole world but at the same time translate into his own language seems contradictory. I assume Criterion did their best with the available prints, but the film looks rather worn. The colors have faded, the picture is granular at times, and dropouts are frequently evident. The sound though is impeccable. The DVD has no extra materials; only the choice to turn the English subtitles on or off. I'm always annoyed when producers don't provide subtitles in the original language, but I'm not sure what that would be here, German or Swedish. In any case, the film frequently disp Wonderful Staging of A Wonderful Opera! Watch it Again! Director Bergman has given us a charming film production of Mozart's Magic Flute that is set to be a modern-day staging of the opera in an small, old opera house. The staging is low-tech (no lasers) and represents what one may have seen when this fairy-tale opera was produced in the early 1800s. Shots of the stage action are interspersed with backstage scenes of characters reading, adjusting their costumes, etc. This is a Magic Flute that draws you into its world. The staging in enjoyable but is no way distracting from the music. This is a nicely balanced "Flute" with the comedy of Papageno/Papagena very well played along the more serious scenes with Sarastro and the priests. It is a film version that both children and adults will like -- I saw it as a teen many years ago and have loved opera ever since. This is definitely a DVD to own, though there really are no special features on DVD, other than the ability to switch the subtitles off (the opera is sung in Swedish). The sound on the DVD is very good, though the picture is not partcularly sharp. The DVD is well indexed, though, so it is easy to find favorite scenes. A definite buy! Buy The Magic Flute at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Magic Flute Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Magic Flute This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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