The Magic Flute

Bergman and Mozart invite you into a dream. That dream may be a sexist, racist recruitment ad for the masons, but damn, is it ever an effective one. The walls of the old theatre disappear and the music and scenery transports everyone somewhere else.

Men's work aims at the infinite but is threatened by feminine desperation for possession, especially maternal resentment of the father-daughter bond. But glory is also undermined by masculine lust, embodied in the strange power of the repellent yet beguiling black man. Only a true enchantment of male and female virtue via a special instrument can transcend these thirsts for possessive or lustful power and ascend the heights. Bergman's staging emphasises that all this is a cosm(et)ic adornment.

Even though the cinematic direction is surprisingly low-key and allows the opera to unfold, Bergman shows through here and there. I probably would have liked to see a more rhythmic pairing of image and music (Tales of Hoffman might be good example of what I mean), but as far as I am able to judge, this is one of the finest opera performances ever filmed.

Admittedly it starts off poor and accelerates in power and interest from there. The integration of the stage and 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.

A classic and straightforward lesson of sublimation as the loyalty to the father's kingly and virtuous control and the rejection of the mother's revengeful power attempts, with its ground in understandings about sexuality just as clear as its tendency of scapegoating by considering the figures of the king and the queen as purely oppositional instead of compositional. Also interesting is the flirting between Papageno and Papagena: full of secular joy. Dramatically effective Bergmanian close-ups.

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.

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, even if you adore Bergman.

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.

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.

Opera is not for me and that kills it. Beautifully sung and nicely shot. A pity.

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

My unsuspected enjoyment is due to the enjoyable playfulness of this and Bergman's deep love for it that shines through. He infuses enough cinematic elements to make it work as a movie. In fact it turns more and more into a film. IB also keeps faithful to its theatrical roots, giving it an extra layer about the enjoyment of a staged performance. This also is evident in the opening during the overture that shows he faces of the public of all ages and races edited to the rhythm of the music;

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.

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.

Não sei porque esqueci de marcar, conheço A Flauta Mágica do Bergman de cor!

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.

Bergman wants us to be completely swept up in the story ... watching an 18th century staging of an opera while forgetting that it's only a staged opera. Bergman is uncharacteristically fluid with his camera work, using dramatic movements and close-ups to sell the magical, fairy tale narrative. It's amazingly successful.

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

Die Zauberflöte > Trollflöjten. A bit odd translating it into Swedish. Don't quite get the point of that. It does add to the pastoral and homely feel of it all, but not sure if it's for the better. Still, very sweet and charming though.

Probably the only uplifting Bergman film, The Magic Flute is an engaging experiment of the juxtaposition of stage and film, and the Mozart music is, of course, wonderful.