The Magic Flute

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12/01/2020 In English!!! Very clear and easy to understand English! Great singing. Great orchestra playing, and great production values. See more s r @ScottR 07/19/2013 I thought that this was without music, but it was the opera set in a war setting, wwi ish setting. I enjoyed the clarification on the story because in seeing the opera the plot always seemed to elude me. It was an interesting twist on the original story though. After seeing this I now know what it is and am glad I saw it. The plot however still is vague, but the music is still great and the singers strong as well. See more 06/20/2013 In this adaptation of Mozart's classic opera, Tamino is fights for his love in World War I era trenches. Kenneth Brannagh, whose Shakespearean adaptations don't always use the advantages of film, makes up for it in this rendition of Mozart's opera. Visual effects abound in Brannagh's best imitation of Julie Taymor, and while some of them are effective, most of the visual stylings do little to advance the plot even though they're fun to look at. The acting and the singing are the real highlights of this film; many of the actors, particularly Benjamin Jay Davis, are able to satisfy the high demands of opera while focusing their work for the film. Overall, I enjoyed this film even though Brannagh is no Julie Taymor. See more 03/29/2013 Just watched Kenneth Branagh's film adaptation of the famous opera "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with the libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Combine all these great minds together and you get a splendid comedy drama about men and women and bird lovers and screeching queens and good-hearted villains and a menacing chicken and angelic nurses. Kenneth Branagh and his crew intelligently set the Classical era opera during the World War I era and have the libretto translated from German to English, while still making sure the new words fit the music by the Classical genius. Instead of starring film stars, Branagh starred real opera singers for the parts so that he would not have to dub the opera singers' voices over, which would make the film rather artificial. Overall, the film is a great orchestration of sound, effects, music, drama and comedy. This is a definite must-watch for all opera- and musical-lovers. See more 02/13/2013 Really excellent movie to watch. See more 02/13/2013 Ok, so the story is just a glorifying of the Masonic cult, and it is sexist like you wouldn't believe - though the Swedes have toned down the chauvinist tone of the original opera somewhat. But the music...glorious. Every soprano wants to sing "The Queen of the Night." If you've never heard it, be prepared to be blown away! Very fun that this is Swedish, and Papageno is adorable. See more Read all reviews

The Magic Flute

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