It is more than two hours long, and spellbinding for every minute. 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. Looking to watch the magic flute on your tv, phone, or tablet. Its as if all this joy has been building up inside him during the great decade of metaphysical films beginning with persona. Directed by ingmar bergman, starring ingmar bergman, hakan hagegard, jane darling. Were sorry but jwapp doesnt work properly without javascript enabled. Bergmans deep knowledge of music and gift for expressing it cinematically. In this film, mozarts opera the magic flute is brought to the screen. 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. Bergman himself appears briefly in shots of the audience group, as do sven. He later said that making this film was the best experience of his career. 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.
Shooting in swedish on a set replicating a lovely 18thcentury theatre, bergman begins his wonderfully warm, witty and sensuous movie by. 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. Bergman opens out mozarts opera to show a youthful extra killing time backstage with a comic book, and the audience filing in. Bergmans film version of mozarts opera, set in a mockup version of the drottningholm theatre, had gained intense press coverage long before its premiere. What is it that makes this the most endearing cinematic or video representation 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. Hes made a very clever translation of the german text into swedish and an equally clever translation into english subtitles. The queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino, but he has to bring her back from her father and priest sarastro. 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. About swedish auteur ingmar bergmans 1974 filmversion of mozarts fairytale opera the magic flute trollflojten in swedish, i am probably unable to be.
With joseph kaiser, amy carson, ben davis, silvia moi. The magic flute, singspiel in two acts by wolfgang amadeus mozart, with a german libretto by austrian actor and theatrical producer emanuel schikaneder. Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the ingmar bergmandirected movie via subscription can be tricky, so. Bergman gives papageno his full due several times over. Ingmar bergmans the magic flute new trailer bfi youtube. 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. 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. As this rereleased 1975 version shows, the opera was the perfect vehicle for bergmans combination of symbolism, seriousness and mischief. 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. Ingmar bergman puts his indelible stamp on mozarts exquisite opera in this sublime rendering of one of the composers bestloved works. With ulrich cold, josef kostlinger, hakon hagegard, birgit nordin. It was intended as a television production and was first shown on swedish television but was followed by a cinema release later that year. The fact that it was made for tv suggests not merely the straitened circumstances of the commercial cinema in sweden, but primarily bergmans.
A prince rescues a princess from a sorcerer in this version of mozarts opera. The basic concept is that pamina is sarastros daughter, who he. 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. A longtime pet project of swedish filmmaker ingmar bergman, wolfgang amadeus mozarts opera the magic flute was finally brought to the screen in 1973. I saw it when it came out, when i was in my second year as a student of germanic and scandinavian languages at ucla. Unless, of course, it was filmed by ingmar bergman. 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.
In the film, which is an exquisite reimagining of mozarts 1791 opera of the same title, bergman adeptly m. Classic fm the magic flute ingmar bergman facebook. The queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino, but. March, 2018 this is the queen of the night but not as you know her. The magic flute 1975 stream and watch online moviefone. As this rereleased 1975 version shows, the opera was the. Back in 1976, ingmar bergman made a movie of mozarts famous opera the magic flute. 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. She gives a magic flute to tamino and magic bells to the bird hunter papageno, who follows tamino and wants to find a wife. 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.
Mozarts magic has been neither betrayed nor merely reproduced by bergman, but rather. 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. Bergman had unsuccessfully tried for years to mount a production of the magic flute, finally getting his chance in 1975 with a television offer. Mozarts the magic flute on dvd bright lights film journal. This weekend, the gold town nickelodeon in juneau, alaska, will be showing one of ingmar bergmans most fascinating films, the magic flute. Ingmar bergmans filmed staging of mozarts the magic flute captures the operas mirth. Bergmans film of the magic flute remains the finest screen version of an opera ever produced. 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. The challenges of making an opera work visually are almost insurmountable. A beautiful adaptation of my favorite operas, this version of the magic flute remains one of the best opera adaptations ever made. The magic flute without papageno would be like shakespeares plays without his fools and clowns. It also happens to be the lightest in tone among the movies filmed by ingmar bergman. 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. Mozartbergmans trollflojten, 1975 the magic flute e.
The work is in the form of a singspiel, a popular form during the time it was written. The film was shown at the 1975 cannes film festival. 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. A celebration of love, forgiveness, and the brotherhood of man, flute is considered by many to be the most exquisite opera film ever made.
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. Released as part of the swedish directors centenary programme, this 1975 version of mozarts. Now i think its among the greatest artworks ever created. With ulrik cold, josef kostlinger, irma urrila, hakan hagegard. Ingmar bergman, and to celebrate, the criterion collection has announced of their most expansive releases ever. Ingmar bergman film version of mozarts magic flute revd by p g davis.
Bergman filmed in the baroque drottningsholmtheater in stockholm. Someone at sveriges radio made the obvious connection and hired bergman to direct a film of mozarts the magic flute to celebrate the 50th. Rent the magic flute 1975 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. A centennial celebration ingmar bergman centennial. As an adult, he frequently directed theater productions as well as films, and according to his biographer peter cowie, bergman was an accomplished organist and musicologist. Ingmar bergman has never before made a movie so warm, happy and innocent as this version of mozarts the magic flute. The magic flute is a moving tale of love, deception, bravery and magic. The magic flute is wolfgang amadeus mozarts acclaimed two act opera that presents a range of magnificent arias, duets and ensembles. Celebrations marking the centenary of the birth of ingmar bergman continue with a rerelease of his oscarnominated 1975 adaptation of mozarts the magic flute. The music was composed by mozart while the libretto was written by emanuel shikaneder, a german composer, singer and actor.
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