tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post3180196320122884242..comments2023-10-11T03:42:59.033-07:00Comments on The Criterion Contraption: #71: The Magic FluteMatthew Dessemhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-50022947906196571812013-10-10T21:08:00.050-07:002013-10-10T21:08:00.050-07:00I am so glad this movie exists. I want to MST it s...I am so glad this movie exists. I want to MST it <i>so badly</i>.KinchStalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13554821394715134265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-19008048609658128512012-06-08T17:05:12.351-07:002012-06-08T17:05:12.351-07:00"But the truth is, no one sees The Magic Flut..."But the truth is, no one sees The Magic Flute on stage or on film because it's emotionally resonant, or frightening, or funny; Schikaneder's libretto is kind of a disaster."<br /><br />Love the review--and am delighted with the blog, which I've just discovered,and been reading backward in time(!)--but I have to exception with this. Whether you like Mozart or not, Barry Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-2555810509098345632011-09-10T19:34:47.676-07:002011-09-10T19:34:47.676-07:00Just came across this very interesting blog/review...Just came across this very interesting blog/review while watching (again) Bergman's Magic Flute. I was 12 years old in 1975 when it was aired on TV in Norway, where I'm from, and remember it made a huge impression on me. <br /><br />Today, it does of course seem dated in some aspects - but it transcends this with a depth to the characters that I have never experienced in any other opera, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-65294196088185060612011-02-23T21:50:57.096-08:002011-02-23T21:50:57.096-08:00Fredo,
We're going to have to agree to disagr...Fredo,<br /><br />We're going to have to agree to disagree on that; it didn't work for me. If that film is someone's only experience of <em>The Magic Flute</em>, they're not going to really get how amazing the music is.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-89387793841769843922011-02-23T19:00:04.568-08:002011-02-23T19:00:04.568-08:00I couldn't disagree with you more. I've b...I couldn't disagree with you more. I've been a fan of Bergman and opera all of my life and I think what he did with this film was totally brilliant. Yes, it's theatrical, but it's also mysteriously inventive and elemental. It's playful and humble. Yes, some of the vocal performances aren't great, but I have always considered that he made far more of the character than fredohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01568811846302712562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-45576270676534622552009-09-29T00:37:13.472-07:002009-09-29T00:37:13.472-07:00Anonymous,
I think the formal choices Bergman mak...Anonymous,<br /><br />I think the formal choices Bergman makes are interesting, as you say—and I didn't really think of the way you become more aware of the exterior of a play at times. That's really interesting, actually, because I don't think there's anything analogous in film, and I think you're right that that is part of what Bergman's changes in scale mean here.<br /Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-76113124624108324322009-09-28T09:52:46.986-07:002009-09-28T09:52:46.986-07:00I've seen the Magic Flute live three times, a ...I've seen the Magic Flute live three times, a couple of other videos of live performances, and several audio recordings. I think the way Bergman moves from the recording of a staged performance, to a cinematic approach for some scenes, reflects the way opera operates in a live setting; at times you're more aware of the "exterior" of the production and performance and then you&Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-10786298523843288602008-10-12T15:48:00.000-07:002008-10-12T15:48:00.000-07:00The plot of the opera is not weak. It is a Neoplat...The plot of the opera is not weak. It is a Neoplatonic allegory. it is probably the best libretto of any opera I've ever encountered (I've somewhere over a hundred).<BR/><BR/>Film is absolutely the best medium to view opera. Frankly, seeing a stage production is tedious now since we are so used to seeing cinematic editing(the editing in this film is a masterpiece). The evocation of 18th century Anebohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05865020806337781472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-22128236381755064792007-12-24T20:25:00.000-08:002007-12-24T20:25:00.000-08:00Another perceptive and brilliantly written review....Another perceptive and brilliantly written review. The main point of this opera is its music, but the musical performances in the movie are not first rate and the sound is disappointing. <BR/><BR/>One witty feature is the way Bergman mocks the moralizing of the libretto by holding up its lessons on painted signs. The intermission shots of singers playing chess and peeping out at the audience Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-56222545019411054602007-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:002007-11-16T15:58:00.000-08:00Well, I will say that I love the music! So it's S...Well, I will say that I love the music! So it's Schikaneder I've got a problem with.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-47082772602385761392007-10-30T09:37:00.000-07:002007-10-30T09:37:00.000-07:00[M]ess of a plot and paleolithic worldview. Don't ...<I>[M]ess of a plot and paleolithic worldview.</I> Don't hold back: what do you <B>really</B> think about <B>Mozart's K.620</B>? :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-70605374934457005022007-10-08T22:40:00.000-07:002007-10-08T22:40:00.000-07:00bg,Perhaps I'll put such a list together when I hi...bg,<BR/><BR/>Perhaps I'll put such a list together when I hit a milestone number like #100.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-46233458987941055262007-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:002007-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:00Interesting blog. Interesting comments on the film...Interesting blog. Interesting comments on the films you discuss. I'd like to see a list of films that you consider "must see".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-42387169441262535832007-08-04T03:13:00.000-07:002007-08-04T03:13:00.000-07:00Jimmy Doyle, Yes, that's right -- he says somethin...Jimmy Doyle, <BR/><BR/>Yes, that's right -- he says something about hostility and cruelty as well, if I remember correctly. Agreed on "Ach! ich fuhls."Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-22031106073233885252007-08-03T07:07:00.000-07:002007-08-03T07:07:00.000-07:00Herzog on the bear: boredom and the quest for food...Herzog on the bear: boredom and the quest for food, wasn't it? I thought that was the moment in Grizzly Man where, for all his admirable sympathy, he finally nailed the delusory part of Treadwell's worldview. <BR/><BR/>And I did think that Bergman's treatment of "Ach! ich fuhl's" was fantastic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-52327402992683708912007-07-05T12:29:00.000-07:002007-07-05T12:29:00.000-07:00Yeah, she is usually ok, but those sections, not s...Yeah, she is usually ok, but those sections, not so much. I'd been listening to the Klemperer recordings all week before seeing the film to get familiar with the music, though, so I was a little disappointed.Matthew Dessemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09288268335735601918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8796371.post-67246460377679229452007-06-23T18:05:00.000-07:002007-06-23T18:05:00.000-07:00I agree with you about the Queen of the Night bit....I agree with you about the Queen of the Night bit. I think the problem is that Nordin is a traditional dramatic coloratura, and the role is best performed by a lyric coloratura who can bit the high notes quickly and cleanly. Trouble is, for the rest of the opera the dramatic coloratura voice is fine.doctor Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02412567265725191440noreply@blogger.com