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The Magic Flute

G Released Nov 11, 1975 2h 14m Musical List
92% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 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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The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute

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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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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review Audience Member A near perfect rendition of Mozart's near perfect operetta. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Audience Member bergmen brings mozart's opera to the big screen. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Audience Member My first actual full Opera experience. I think I want to see more. I was surprised at the comedy in the Opera. That's just my own ignorance. Lots of fun. I'll watch this again someday with my children. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

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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