Admittedly it starts off poor and accelerates in power and interest from there. The integration of the stage to the screen is the film's major testament, although Bergman's peculiar use of cinematography and color symbolism does more to reveal (or is it magnify?) the Freemason iconography and ideology in the text.

Well filmed, interesting if only for the blatant combination of Bergman's theatrical pursuits with his filmmaking. The constant audience cutting feels redundant at times, but it still works to remind us that this isn't simply a film, but an opera that we're seeing along with others. Wonderfully appropriate aesthetics.

Oh god, what did I get myself into? I dislike opera. I dislike Mozart. I am not this movie's intended audience. If you also dislike these things, The Magic Flute will not change your mind.

Okay. So you know those three kids? The one who's usually on the left is wicked cross-eyed. Totally distracting, totally hilarious, singing his little heart out. More generally, I was charmed by the first half and bored by the second half. But the charming bits significantly outweigh the boring bits.

Dull as Hell.

This is not a straight film version of a stage production, nor is it completely removed from the stage. Bergman constantly goes back and forth between scenes that are clearly shot on a theater stage and scenes that clearly aren't. He shows some footage of a theater audience every now and then, and in the middle there's a brief interlude where the camera goes backstage and shows the actors "out of character". This is a great way to bridge the gap between theater and film.

As a movie this doesn't do much, but Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of what is probably the best of Mozart's operas is great in its own way. It never really dedicates itself specifically to a cinematic tone but also doesn't really leave itself stuck as a theatrical or operatic performance of the story. Needless to say, this is one of the best bodies of music ever written and the story is great as an opera. As a movie, though this is still a worthwhile watch but really only for fans of the Opera.

Many different kinds of terrific. Beautiful to behold and experience even if you, as I do, know nothing at all about opera

Bergman has a ball with this, skillfully blending the blatantly theatrical with the purely cinematic. Surely for an opera fan, this is one of the best filmed operas there is. The thing is... I'm not an opera fan. I must say there are some parts I find quite boring, particularly in the second act. If it wasn't for the intensely joyful Papageno moments occasionally breaking through the dreariness, this would be a pretty tough section to get through. But the rest of it is quite charming.

A perfect blending of Bergman's direction and Mozart's music.

The only film I've seen of Bergman on the big screen and probably the best for it. The laughs are plentiful and while not entirely successful, has enough heart and imagination to win me over.