The Magic Flute

My reluctance toward opera was overwhelmed by how good this adaptation is. It isn't what is changed that is good, but how the opera was presented. Set on stage, the film opens with faces of children in the audience. They sit happily anticipating the beginning of the opera. The wonderful faces set the right tone to smile at the rest of the film. Bergman films the stage recreation. Through out the story, he mixes in shots of a specific young girl. As a child, she can understand the gist of the story but not the specifics of the art, but she's still entranced in the story. Her enchanchment becomes ours. Bergman hasn't been one to adapt specific plays to film, but he creates the right atmosphere to make The Magic Flute both faithful to the original and something more than a typical adaptation. Bergman uses the right elements to make it grand entertainment.