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The Magic Flute [2006]


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Hmm...
Review date: 2008-08-27 Rating: 6 out of 10

Love Branagh. Hate opera. Thought I'd give this a shot and I quite enjoyed it but I am not converted. Helped that it was in English. However, what I don't like about Opera is the way, particularly the women sing, it is not a natural noise. I don't understand what they are trying to say and the plot is pretty mad in any case so it being unclear is not great. What would have REALLY helped is subtitles. There are none and I think that is really a missed opportunity.

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Sounds great and looks pretty but a little boring.
Review date: 2008-07-07 Rating: 6 out of 10

Let me say first that this production is beautifully sung - the soundtrack is truly fab. The Magic Flute is one of my all-time favourites. There are no sub-titles available which is a bit of a nuissance in places because of the new translation by Stephen Fry. It's not so much of a translation as new lyrics. The problem with new lyrics is that the music was written for the old ones. These don't scan quite so well.

The WW1 idea is a good one and the film is beautifully shot. It is, perhaps a bit too beautiful. The soldiers and the trenches are immaculate and the grass is lovely green with wild flowers blooming around the edges of the trenches. It's all quite bright, clean and cheerily coloured which takes away from the drama quite seriously on occasion. The use of CGI effects was ill advised at best. He should have spent the money making the combat scenes more effective. The CGI doesn't add to the drama or story. It seems to be an attempt to fill up the screen with something imaginative but succeds only in creating a diversion from the real action, which is missing.

I like Mr Branagh's Shakespeare productions (apart from the musical one) which is why I gave this a look, but he doesn't bring the same expertise to opera. The drama doesn't rise out of the music, nor does the music rise from the drama. They just seem to be coincidental. The Magic Flute has comedy in it but also some very dark moments. In this production much of the drama is glossed over and the lighter moments are more silly and slapstick.

If you like fantasy, CGI and very broad humour, and don't mind listening to opera at the same time, maybe this is for you. If you're really interested in The Magic Flute, get one of the very excellent filmed stage productions. This one is a little boring.

The Magic Flute: The Movie
Review date: 2008-04-23 Rating: 8 out of 10

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.

Visually stunning and sumptuous film: a wonderful "Magic Flute"!
Review date: 2008-04-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

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!

Superb production
Review date: 2008-04-09 Rating: 10 out of 10

A very well directed version sung in English. As part of the plot our heroes have to end World War One (makes more sense than the original Mason undertones). It's well sung and the sets are stunning. The World War One battlefields (complete with a version of the Angel of Mons) make far more sense than Branagh's As You Like It in Japan. It's a nice intimate opera, which avoids the proscenium arch view. And there's a cameo performance from Liz Smith as the crone-Papagena. I don't know the opera exhaustively so I don't know if there is anything that would offend the purists, but I found it very entertaining.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Rene Pape
Lyubov Petrova
Stephen Fry
Joseph Kaiser
Amy Carson

Creators:
Joseph Kaiser (Primary Contributor)
Amy Carson (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Revolver Entertainment
Manufacturer: Revolver Entertainment
EAN: 5060018489384
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-03-31
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 133 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2006

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