The Magic Flute
Seen it?2003 | 185 min | Music
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Right up the alley of music lovers.
- The mood
- Easygoing.
- The pace
- A big, patient story, at 3 hr 5 min.
- What might put you off
- It's long: 3 hr 5 min.
- It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
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, leading to the evil Sarastro's temple where Pamina is held captive. The internationally renowned Mozart interpreter Sir Colin Davis conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House and a glittering cast in David McVicar's 2003 production of the opera Mozart wrote in the final year of his life, recorded live at Covent Garden.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
92% on Rotten Tomatoes
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 18K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
Behind the scenes
A few things you might not know about the making of The Magic Flute.
The origin of his filmed version was in the 1960s, when Magnus Enhörning, head of the Swedish Radio, asked him for possible projects and he replied "I want to do The Magic Flute for television".
BackgroundBergman asked his friend Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt to conduct the opera, but he flatly refused.
ProductionChoir conductor Eric Ericson also declined at first but was later persuaded by Bergman to take it on.
Production
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Cast & crew
Directed by Sue Judd, David McVicar
- Will HartmannTamino
- Dorothea RöschmannPamina
- Diana DamrauQueen of the Night
- Franz-Josef SeligSarastro
- Ailish TynanPapagena
- Adrian ThompsonMonostatos
- Simon KeenlysidePapageno
- Gillian WebsterFirst Lady
- Christine RiceSecond Lady
- Yvonne HowardThird Lady