Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6460 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-03-31
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 133 minutes

Synopsis
On the eve of World War I, a young soldier goes off in search of love but finds himself caught in a twilight dream world. Kenneth Branagh directs this English adaptation of Motzart's opera DIE ZAUBERFLOTE (aka THE MAGIC FLUTE) with a libretto written by Stephen Fry.

Customer Reviews

Visually stunning and sumptuous film: a wonderful "Magic Flute"!
My wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed this Kenneth Brannagh film of Mozart's "The Magic Flute".

We are keen opera goers and have seen the opera a number of times in the theatre, as well as having a CD recording at home. So, you might think, we were bound to like it....perhaps you're right, but Brannagh's adaptation is extremely modern and may not be to the taste of all traditional opera goers.

If you have ever seen a Matthew Bourne ballet then you will understand what I mean when I say that Brannagh has done for "The Magic Flute" what Bourne did for "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker".

If the comparison isn't appropriate for you then what Brannagh has done is to take an established opera and given it some modern zing by bringing the action into a reasonably modern setting (First World War trench warfare), procuring a sharp modern translation from Stephen Fry and taking full advantage of the gamut of modern film trickery.

The result is a rich visual and aural extravaganza: opera works best when it transcends just the singing and becomes a multi-media extravaganza. Brannagh has certainly created such a feast with this production: the settings and action are memorable so that, allied to some superb singing, the result is a wonderful, sumptuous opera film.

It will be interesting to see whether non-opera fans will enjoy the film. I'm not sure that they will: whilst the diction of the singers is near-perfect, so that you can follow the dialogue reasonably easily, the essential elements of "The Magic Flute" plot are still there...and therein lies the rub: the magical elements of the tale are easy to believe due to Brannagh's clever production and he has done well to create a meaningful relationship between The Queen of the Night and Sarastro but, even so, the plot retains some of its loopiness which may spoil the film for some who are expecting a coherent plot.

For everyone else who is just "happy to go with the flow" then the result should be a thoroughly enjoyable film!

Visually Spectacular & Stunning Vocals!
Even as a lover of opera and a keen cinema goer, I was totally unprepared for the visual and audio feast that greeted us when we attended a Preview of this film in Cambridge (followed by a question and answer session for the audience with Kenneth Branagh).

The opening scenes had me spellbound and the settings, acting and vocals were breathtaking. Any concerns I may have had about the First World War setting were unfounded and I would be surprised if Mozart purists have any issues when all the performances are so excellent!

I cannot wait to get my hands on the DVD.

The Magic Flute: The Movie
Why only 4 stars.

The truth is that we enjoyed the DVD of the Magic Flute filmed at the Drottningholm theatre in Sweden more. Title: Die Zauberflote - Mozart [1989]'

This is a movie, with lots of CGI and special effects, camera angles etc. etc.

In general the cinematic work detracts or distracts from the essential basis: the opera as written. Just placing a camera in front of the stage at Drottningholm was more effective - you can concentrate on the opera itself.

In some places it is obvious that the singing was not recorded at the same time as the action (not because the lips don't sync - but because the ambience is not right).

The libretto is reworked by Stephen Fry in English, but on a DVD it would have worked just as well (if not better) to have it sung in German and allow the viewer to use subtitles.

The idea of the WW1 background works.