Bergman opens out mozarts opera to show a youthful extra killing time backstage with a comic book, and the audience filing in. Mozartbergmans trollflojten, 1975 the magic flute e. The magic flute without papageno would be like shakespeares plays without his fools and clowns. Mozarts immortal opera is masterfully reworked for the screen by the great ingmar bergman in this sublime rendering of one of the composers bestloved works a cheerful and charming operatic celebration of. Bergman filmed in the baroque drottningsholmtheater in stockholm. Ingmar bergmans filmed staging of mozarts the magic flute captures the operas mirth. The magic flute is a moving tale of love, deception, bravery and magic. Rent the magic flute 1975 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. Bergman gives papageno his full due several times over. The basic concept is that pamina is sarastros daughter, who he. The magic flute, 1975, directed by ingmar bergman, from the opera by wolfgang amadeus mozart, libretto by emanuel schikaneder when someone says the name ingmar bergman, two words spring immediately to mind.
Bergman himself appears briefly in shots of the audience group, as do sven. The work is in the form of a singspiel, a popular form during the time it was written that included both singing and spoken dialogue. Looking to watch the magic flute on your tv, phone, or tablet. It was intended as a television production and was first shown on swedish television but was followed by a cinema release later that year. Certain snippets, like bergman working with the orchestra or artists painting the elaborate backdrops featured in the film, are intriguing, but the documentary as a whole lacks focus. As this rereleased 1975 version shows, the opera was the.
If anything, the magic flute gives viewers the clearest window into bergmans fascination with the otherworldly, as the project allowed him to realize his childhood dream of filming his favorite. While the opera itself is offered in a highly stylized and theatrical fashion, the fluidity of the camerawork turns the affair into a purely cinematic experience. Bergman spent a year on the production, selecting a predominantly scandinavian cast of singers from over a hundred candidates. The fact that it was made for tv suggests not merely the straitened circumstances of the commercial cinema in sweden, but primarily bergmans. The work is in the form of a singspiel, a popular form during the time it was written. Ingmar bergman film version of mozarts magic flute revd by p g davis. Bergmans film of the magic flute remains the finest screen version of an opera ever produced. The queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino, but. Ingmar bergman puts his indelible stamp on mozarts exquisite opera in this sublime rendering of one of the composers bestloved works. The film was shown at the 1975 cannes film festival.
The magic flute 1975 stream and watch online moviefone. The magic flute, singspiel in two acts by wolfgang amadeus mozart, with a german libretto by austrian actor and theatrical producer emanuel schikaneder. The magic flute is wolfgang amadeus mozarts acclaimed two act opera that presents a range of magnificent arias, duets and ensembles. In this film, mozarts opera the magic flute is brought to the screen. It was intended as a television production and was first shown on swedish television on 1 january 1975, but was followed by a cinema release later that year.
March, 2018 this is the queen of the night but not as you know her. Ingmar bergmans 1975 production of mozart s the magic flute, originally made for television, is now rereleased as part of the bergman centenary retrospective at londons bfi southbank. Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the ingmar bergmandirected movie via subscription can be tricky, so. Hes made a very clever translation of the german text into swedish and an equally clever translation into english subtitles. Classic fm the magic flute ingmar bergman facebook. Its as if all this joy has been building up inside him during the great decade of metaphysical films beginning with persona. Ingmar bergmans version of mozarts the magic flute isnt his most cinematic work its a film version of an opera and was originally shown on swedish tv. Despite having seen many magic flutes and pretty much every bergman movie its only now that ive got around to watching his famous film of the mozart opera, or rather bergmans version of the opera, because it differs in important ways from shikaneders libretto. This weekend, the gold town nickelodeon in juneau, alaska, will be showing one of ingmar bergmans most fascinating films, the magic flute. Unless, of course, it was filmed by ingmar bergman.
Its been 10 years since he made a comedy the dreadful all these women and 20 years since he made a good one smiles of a summer night. Someone at sveriges radio made the obvious connection and hired bergman to direct a film of mozarts the magic flute to celebrate the 50th. With ulrich cold, josef kostlinger, hakon hagegard, birgit nordin. As this rereleased 1975 version shows, the opera was the perfect vehicle for bergmans combination of symbolism, seriousness and mischief. Mozarts magic has been neither betrayed nor merely reproduced by bergman, but rather. Ingmar bergmans the magic flute new trailer bfi youtube. Back in 1976, ingmar bergman made a movie of mozarts famous opera the magic flute. Shooting in swedish on a set replicating a lovely 18thcentury theatre, bergman begins his wonderfully warm, witty and sensuous movie by. Ingmar bergman, and to celebrate, the criterion collection has announced of their most expansive releases ever. Released as part of the swedish directors centenary programme, this 1975 version of mozarts. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. She gives a magic flute to tamino and magic bells to the bird hunter papageno, who follows tamino and wants to find a wife.
A celebration of love, forgiveness, and the brotherhood of man, flute is considered by many to be the most exquisite opera film ever made. Magic flute 1975 swedish director ingmar bergman had been a fan of the 1791 mozart opera the magic flute since he first saw a production of it at the royal opera house in stockholm at the age of twelve. About swedish auteur ingmar bergmans 1974 filmversion of mozarts fairytale opera the magic flute trollflojten in swedish, i am probably unable to be. It also happens to be the lightest in tone among the movies filmed by ingmar bergman. In the film, which is an exquisite reimagining of mozarts 1791 opera of the same title, bergman adeptly m.
Shot in sumptuous color by sven nykvist, and featuring some of the finest nordic singers of the day, the film marks bergmans overt tribute to classical music. Ingmar bergman has never before made a movie so warm, happy and innocent as this version of mozarts the magic flute. It is more than two hours long, and spellbinding for every minute. During world war i, in an unnamed country, a soldier named tamino is sent by the queen of the night to rescue her daughter pamina from the clutches of the supposedly evil sarastro. What is it that makes this the most endearing cinematic or video representation of mozarts opera. Mozarts the magic flute on dvd bright lights film journal. He exploits the wonderful charm of eighteenth century stagecraft and fosters the illusion that we are indeed witnessing a repertory traversal of the magic flute in a public venue. Bergman had unsuccessfully tried for years to mount a production of the magic flute, finally getting his chance in 1975 with a television offer. The queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino, but he has to bring her back from her father and priest sarastro. I saw it when it came out, when i was in my second year as a student of germanic and scandinavian languages at ucla. Bergmans film version of mozarts opera, set in a mockup version of the drottningholm theatre, had gained intense press coverage long before its premiere. A centennial celebration ingmar bergman centennial. With joseph kaiser, amy carson, ben davis, silvia moi.
Filmed at a time when bergman was wellknown chiefly for darker, more depressing films such as persona, cries and whispers and scenes from a marriage, the magic flute was a welcome breath of fresh air recalling bergmans classic comedies and exceeding their brilliance. A prince rescues a princess from a sorcerer in this version of mozarts opera. The most startling aspect of ingmar bergmans screen version of mozarts the magic flute is the ease with which this enchanting fable of a filmsimultaneously effervescent and haunting. A 30minute interview with bergman, recorded just before the release of the magic flute, touches on many of the same topics already covered in tystnad. A longtime pet project of swedish filmmaker ingmar bergman, wolfgang amadeus mozarts opera the magic flute was finally brought to the screen in 1973. With ulrik cold, josef kostlinger, irma urrila, hakan hagegard. The magic flute trollflojten critics consensus fleet and joyous, ingmar bergmans filmed staging of mozarts the magic flute captures the operas mirth and satire with scandinavian flair. Now i think its among the greatest artworks ever created.