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The Magic Flute

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The Magic Flute

G

Released Nov 11, 1975

2h 14m

Musical

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92%

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26 Reviews

84%

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2,500+ Ratings

The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino (Josef Köstlinger) to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina (Irma Urrila), 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 (Ulrik Cold) temple where Pamina is held captive.

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Critics Consensus

Fleet and joyous, Ingmar Bergman's filmed staging of Mozart's The Magic Flute captures the opera's mirth and satire with Scandinavian flair.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Bergman must have reached a new, serene assurance to have tackled this sensuous, luxuriant opera that has bewildered so many stage directors, and to have brought it off so unaffectedly. It's a whole unfussy production with the bloom still on it.

Oct 20, 2023

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Peter Cowie

Sight & Sound

While the Mozart purist may take issue with Bergman's conception of The Magic Flute, no one can deny the technical perfection with which the film has been mounted.

Jul 11, 2018

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Ingmar Bergman has never before made a movie so warm, happy and innocent... It's as if all this joy has been building up inside him during the great decade of metaphysical films beginning with Persona.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 9, 2018

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Craig Schroeder

Battleship Pretension

The Magic Flute is a fascinating look into Bergman's thoughts on the pretense of theater and film and the shared DNA between the two.

Jan 7, 2021

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Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

Paradoxically, Bergman has completely re-imagined The Magic Flute as a cinematic work, despite how blatantly theatrical it is in virtually every imaginable respect.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 11, 2020

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Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

The film doesn't offer much. It's a true version, with some glimmers of irony and good humor, always in between cinema and theater. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 17, 2019

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S R

I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list and because Bergman always is intriguing. I love the opera having seen it in Vienna and always listened to the music over time. Although the singers weren't always up to snuff and the Swedish lyrics were odd, it was a first rate production and I enjoyed it. SLC DVD.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

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Audience Member

These great reviews are really outlandish. One star for being Mozart and another for being Bergman. Yes it sounds great. But Bergman is completely wrong for this. Shot almost entirely in closeups with no scope or any of the good things live opera, or cinema, can offer. This is just a bunch of TV show closeups. Good as a recording to listen to only. There is no reason to look at the screen at all.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/21/20

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Audience Member

A near perfect rendition of Mozart's near perfect operetta.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

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Carina W

I recently revisited The Magic Flute, having seen it as a child. So much passed over my head then; it is a masterpiece of filmatised opera.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/18

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Audience Member

So what happens when you mix the best of both mediums, Bergman and Mozart? Well, the result is disappointing and improvable, but enjoyable nevertheless.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/14/23

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Audience Member

bergmen brings mozart's opera to the big screen.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Ulrik Cold

Sarastro

Josef Köstlinger

Tamino

Irma Urrila

Pamina

Erik Sædén

Talaren

Birgit Nordin

Nattens Drottning

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Synopsis

The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino (Josef Köstlinger) to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina (Irma Urrila), 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 (Ulrik Cold) temple where Pamina is held captive.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Production Co: Sveriges Radio
Rating: G
Genre: Musical
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1975, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2018
Runtime: 2h 14m

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