A Flauta Mágica

When a soldier is near-fatally wounded in battle, he is recovered by three women and wakes to find himself in a strange land. Here he sees a beautiful woman that he is instantly besotted with. However when he learns that the woman has been kidnapped by the evil Queen of the Night, he sets out with a new companion to rescue her.

OK so this flopped in the cinemas but did anyone expect otherwise? Branagh may have sold Shakespeare to the masses but opera is not as generally accepted as an art form; most of us see Shakespeare as of value (even if we never go to the theatre) but yet things like opera and ballet still have the air of snobbery about them. Despite this though I was interested in this enough to put it on my rental list. Coming to it to see what it offers me helped me I think because I was in the middle of two extremes that I think reject this film. On one hand we have those that reject the film for being opera and hard to follow. On the other hand are those that cannot believe the opera has been "sullied". The truth for me is somewhere in the middle because the film is not as good as it could have been but is not a failure either.

The music is the selling point of course and Mozart is treated well with really well delivered music throughout. To the untrained ear it contains recognisable emotion and beauty and it was this that held me. Juts as well really because the plot is hard to follow – something I found strange from the man who has delivered Shakespeare with such clarity and accessibility. The lyrics may be English but many of them are rendered almost indecipherable by the nature of the singing. This doesn't affect the music but it does affect the story-telling and makes it almost easier to listen to than watch at times. This isn't ever totally true though because Branagh does do the best he can with a limited budget. His sets and effects have a consistently "unreal" quality which feels like a cross between a film and a filmed opera. Sometimes it gets a bit tiresome (too many elevated/elevating shots) but mostly it works.

The cast are all OK: really good in regards giving "stage" performances but on film it doesn't totally work and mostly they add to the feeling of watching a stage performance through a camera. This isn't a fantastic film by any means then, but it is not a deserving flop either. Instead it is an interesting attempt at something different that has strengths in the music and creativity but never really engaged me beyond the superficial trimmings.

The most wonderful movie I've experienced in the past year. I was enthralled by the translation of the German lyrics into vernacular English; the Italians for once did not dub it away, but just provided Italian subtitles: Bravo! I was in awe of Mr. Fry's — I believe — ability to preserve the poetry while translating the language, and making it still fit the music. This opera is my very favorite and I loved the singing. The idea of setting the opera in a 20th century war scene gave the libretto story credibility and passion, something most opera lacks, except as the music imparts. I salute Mr. Branagh's genius. As usual in such musical movies it isn't clear who actually did the signing, but whoever did, did a wonderful job; the passages by The Queen of the Night gave me the usual chills up and down my spine, and Mozart is irrepressible! I have long savored Bergman's Magic Flute, and I do think Branagh's has earned at least an equal berth.

This is, if I counted correctly, the twelfth version of the Magic Flute to appear on film; this opera is now in the same category of classic as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. I enjoyed it; it's just not a great version of Mozart's most beautiful opera. Having to follow Bergman's classic version of 1975 when he doesn't have Bergman's genius must have been a little nightmarish for Branagh. The First World War setting does nothing for our understanding of the opera's meaning: Sarastro is turned into a kind of apostle of peace amid the chaos and destruction of war, sort of a New Age Jesus. The Masonic symbolism is missing, Monostatos's part becomes pointless, there is very little theatricality in the production (strange when you think of Branagh's Shakespeare films, especially Hamlet).

The singers are almost all young and fresh. Benjamin Jay Davis impressed me as Papageno, Silvia Moi was pert as Papagena, and Lyubov Petrova was really hard-edged and fierce looking as the Queen of the Night. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe under James Conlon provided much of my pleasure.

A man behind me commented at the end, 'What a bizarre idea', which I suppose it was, if he was expecting a filmed version of the staged opera. What we get, however, is a proper movie, with all the tricks and all the realism that can offer. The plot is - always was - nonsense, which suits this semi-fantastic treatment perfectly. Branaugh uses his CGI with drama and humour as well as the poignancy of the First World War to hold the story together. The principals were ideal - they looked right as well as sounding perfect. Papageno was a comic delight. Liz Smith - not a singing role - was enjoying herself as much as the audience where I saw the film enjoyed her. The singing would be enough to hold an audience on its own.

If The Lord Of The Rings trilogy has showed us anything, it showed that myth and fantasy have a place in modern cinema. I have long & will still firmly believe that my favorite Mozart piece, Die Zauberflöte, can & should receive a properly reverent modern cinematic treatment, while respecting the original Mozart vision, & adding fantasy aspects that could appeal to the modern masses.

This presentation however, is not that treatment I still hope for, primarily due to what I consider to be an unnecessary & unfitting portrayal, in an awkwardly placed period. Plus, The direction tends to be as misplaced as the screen adaptation itself, though still a thoroughly picturesque visage.

In & of itself, it's a very enjoyable film to watch. The English adaptation by Fry is suitable, the performances from the cast are wonderful, the casting itself was splendid, & of course, the music is beyond beautiful.

I can only criticize the film for being something I'd rather it not be, as I don't believe The Magic Flute belongs set in this way. Why wouldn't you just present this piece in a more reverent way, as an entity belonging purely to the fantasy realm, the way one would expect from A Midsummer Night's Dream or the like? I would expect that someone with such respectable Shakespearean credits to his name would be thoroughly capable of rising to that challenge. The intrusion of a WWI theme only steals from the wonder of a would be mythical experience, in my opinion

You get an A+ for effort, an A for execution, & a B- for intention, which would have been lower had you not tried so very well to make the style & period work. Nonetheless, an enjoyable view, that leaves me to still want for the version I desire, & believe we all deserve