7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina. 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.
Starring: Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Elisabeth Erikson, Britt-Marie AruhnForeign | 100% |
Romance | 15% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Musical | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Swedish: LPCM 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
One of the great if perhaps subliminal ironies in Ingmar Bergman’s long and legendary career is that while he was arguably among the most “cinematic” of directors, never shying away from presentational ingenuities that the medium of film offered to him, he was also a very successful theater director as well. The two skill sets don’t necessarily mix, and for anyone questioning that assertion, I’d point them to the evisceration of some guy named Vincente Minnelli or something like that in William Goldman’s wonderful (if occasionally un-PC) account of the 1967-68 year on Broadway, The Season. Goldman spends a chapter on a megaflop musical no one (or at least very few) remembers nowadays, Mata Hari, laying much of the blame on directorial missteps by Minnelli, who, according to Goldman anyway, simply didn’t understand the difference between directing a stage show and directing a film. Perhaps because Bergman managed to be successful in both idioms, his film of The Magic Flute is a kind of fascinating “combo platter” that combines elements of a “filmed stage show” along with more “meta” aspects that clearly belong more firmly to the film world. In that respect, The Magic Flute brought to mind a comment by Mel Brooks in the recently reviewed The Great Buster: A Celebration, where Brooks states that one of the most notable things about Buster Keaton’s films, and something that Brooks himself sought to emulate in his films, is how Keaton repeatedly draws attention to the fact that an audience is watching a film. Bergman does much the same in The Magic Flute, but quite interestingly he also draws attention to the fact that two audiences (one in the film and any “outside” viewer) are also watching a play (or opera, to be perfectly accurate).
The Magic Flute is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. The insert leaflet included with this release contains the following information on the transfer:
The Magic Flute is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. On widescreen televisions, black bars will appear on the left and right of the image to maintain the proper screen format. This new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Scanity film scanner from a 35mm interpositive and restored by the Swedish Film Institute. The stereo soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm optical track.Fans of the film will know that Bergman and cinematographer Sven Nykvist shot the opera on 16mm, with theatrical exhibitions subsequent to the initial television broadcast offering 35mm blowups. I'm kind of curious about what might have happened to the negative, but I haven't been able to find any authoritative data. One way or the other, the IP utilized was either in great condition or has been restored to appear so, as there are no real evident signs of age related wear or tear. The film's almost honey colored stage lighting is beautifully recreated here, and fine detail on elements like costumes and props is consistently engaging. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation and I noticed absolutely no compression issues.
The Magic Flute made history of a kind by being, according to Peter Cowie, the very first made for television production with a stereo soundtrack. The LPCM 2.0 rendering on this disc is beautifully burnished, with a really warm, inviting sound from the orchestra, and excellent balance between soloists and the massed orchestral forces. Even the densest choral sections have a distinctive and beautiful clarity. It's kind of fun to hear this piece in Swedish, which may provide some "sidebar" entertainment for fans of the original German language version.
In his interview included on this disc as a supplement, Bergman laments how people seem to think that opera is boring. That's perhaps one reason by Bergman approaches The Magic Flute from a number of different perspectives, letting the audience (of the film, that is) view the property through a number of different prisms, including the "simple" aspect of just enjoying the stage performance unfold, but also seeing actors goofing off backstage and the like. That very approach may subliminally suggest the layers of meaning that The Magic Flute has always offered, but it may also have been a "mere" efficacious attempt to keep things from getting stale. This is certainly one of the most unique offerings in Bergman's monolithic output, and even those who wouldn't know an aria from a recitative may find a lot to enjoy here. Criterion provides a release with its typically excellent technical merits, and while supplements are incredibly bountiful, they're extremely enjoyable. Highly recommended.
Fårödokument
1970
Fårödokument 1979
1979
För att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor
1964
Kris
1946
2003
Sommarnattens leende
1955
En passion
1969
En lektion i kärlek
1954
Efter repetitionen
1984
Riten / The Ritual
1969
Djävulens öga
1960
Hamnstad
1948
Till glädje
1950
Törst
1949
Skepp till Indialand / A Ship Bound for India
1947
Nära livet
1958
Kvinnodröm
1955
Gycklarnas afton
1953
Sommarlek
1951
Tystnaden
1963