Hailed by many as the "finest screen version of an opera ever produced", Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute is something that is guaranteed to hold through several viewings. Cinematic master Sven Nykvist and only the finest Nordic singers of its time contribute to this fabulous production of Mozart's opera. Bergman, an accomplished organist and musicologist, lovingly brings one of the most intimate and joyful operas to life... as his personal peahen to classical music. Some 25 years ago, Bergman had the idea to evoke the original 1791 production of The Magic Flute in an anniversary of the Swedish Radio. Having originally planned to shoot it at the theatre in Drottingholm Palace, he had found that the delicate sets could in no way accommodate a film crew. He then decided to move production to the studios of the Swedish Film Institute. Henny Noremark and her team replicated the original theatre to the most innocuous stage device. Meanwhile, Bergman and conductor Eric Ericson, using what is known as the playback method, pre-recorded the audio, later to be played over the visual. The actors concentrated more then on acting, etc.. Bergman spent many hours carefully editing so that the sung words would be in perfect time with the actor's mouth. He made sure that all of the dynamics and tempi were perfect.

could go on about this movie for a long time. Rarely does one see a movie that has such visual flair and sincere emotions that it fills the viewer with so much excitement. It is Excellent in that way. However, as any movie, it has its own shortcomings. The Overture, though different from any I've seen, becomes tedious, and Bergman's message in that sequence becomes immediately obvious. This edition is Not for Mozart purists. It is performed in Swedish, with many bits of dialogue filtered out, as I have heard. There are some sing-along moments that take away from the film's energy, but it is, for the most part, charming.