THE MAGIC FLUTE (1975)

Mozart's opera is filmed by Ingmar Bergman as a staged performance in a theater, with occasional glimpses of an audience and, during the intermission, backstage activities. Young handsome Tamino is chased by a dragon (a big, furry, non-threatening puppet). Three ladies, sent by the Queen of the Night, slay the beast (though happy-go-lucky passerby Papageno tries to claim credit) and ask Tamino to rescue the Queen's daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil Sarastro, promising Tamino that he can claim Pamina for his own. Tamino, accompanied by the sweet-natured but simple Papageno, accepts the quest, but they soon discover the truth: Sarastro, the head of a brotherhood that follows rationality, is actually Pamina's father, and he is trying to save her from her mother's dark irrationality—and desire for power.

I'm not a fan of opera, and had only seen one opera on film before this—the 1982 La Traviata with Placido Domingo, which I enjoyed. But whereas that film was opened up for the camera, shot on large sets and exteriors, Bergman chooses to shoot this as though it was being performed in an opera house, with costumes and sets that highlight the artificiality of the proceedings. Mostly, it works, though there are more close-ups than one might wish for, and the combination of the borders of the stage and the square (non-widescreen) aspect ratio give a claustrophobic air to many of the scenes. The camera cuts frequently to the face of a young girl in the audience who is pretty but static—with her big eyes and half-smile, she reminded me of the 2001 Starchild. But generally, the staginess of the production feels right given the amorphous feel of the fairy-tale narrative. I'm no judge of opera, but the singing sounds fine to me (it was pre-recorded and lip-synched by the actors), and the acting is, appropriately, more naturalistic than you would typically find on an opera stage. Josef Kostlinger is sturdy and coldly handsome as Tamino, Irma Urrila is OK as Pamina—not as magically beautiful as I would have imagined the character. My favorite performer is Hakan Hagegard (pictured) who is perfectly suited for the cuddly comic relief of Papageno—and ultimately, it feels he has almost as much screen time as Tamino, and we have as much if not more invested in his storyline (he is looking a true love as well) as in the main narrative. A lovely film with a unique fantasy feel to it. [DVD]