The Magic Flute (1975)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina, in this screen adaptation of the beloved Mozart opera. Aided by the lovelorn bird hunter Papageno and a magical flute that holds the power to change the hearts of men, young Tamino embarks on a quest for true love, leading to the evil Sarastro's temple where Pamina is held captive.
4 connections found
View:
4 connections, in both directions
What critics compared The Magic Flute to
I liked the dual homage to Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute,” with one minion humming an aria by birdcatcher Papageno and another embracing a fire hydrant and yelling “Papagena!”
Besides which, Forman’s decision should be interpreted as consciously reflecting Mozart’s, when he liberated opera from the mellifluous tyranny of the Italian language by setting Die Entführung aus dem Serail to a German text; which is, in turn, why The Magic Flute, concocted by its librettist Schikaneder as a populist fairy-tale pantomime, is sung in English in the film (and conducted by its composer in a manner more appropriate to Geraldo than Gesualdo).
Undoubtedly, the resulting nausea has contributed to my conviction that Amadeus needs an additional 20 minutes running time like The Magic Flute needs a drum solo.
Jacob and Queenie fall in love, and their scenes have a sweetness that reminded me of the clueless lovebirds Papageno and Papagena in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.”
After Hamlet — a critical success, though not a financial one – Branagh floundered a bit, directing another Shakepeare adaptation, Love’s Labour’s Lost, then The Magic Flute, followed by yet another Shakespeare work, As You Like It.