Die Zauberflöte-Trollflöjten (1975)

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman | 129 minutes | drama, music, adventure, romance, fantasy | Actors: Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Elisabeth Erikson, Britt-Marie Aruhn, Kirsten Vaupel, Birgitta Smiding, Ulrik Cold, Birgit Nordin, Ragnar Ulfung, Erik Sædén, Ulf Johansson, Gösta Prüzelius, Jerker Arvidson, Hans Johansson

“Opera”. Pronounce this word and many people go into a cramp and get associations of weightiness, inaccessibility, or elitism. The same happens when the name of the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman is mentioned, known for heavy, dramatic films such as ‘The Seventh Seal’ or ‘Persona’. The idea of ​​a Bergman adaptation of an opera will therefore not sound equally appealing to everyone. But with ‘Trollflöjten’, Bergman’s version of Mozart’s ‘Die Zauberflöte’, all these prejudices can go out the window, because ‘Die Zauberflöte’ is not only one of Mozart’s best works with many beautiful, immortalized melodies, it is also his most light-footed opera. , in which there are indeed dark elements, but in which love triumphs and Good triumphs over Evil. And Bergman approaches the whole thing just as lightly, with cheerful actors and decorations and a regular insertion of reaction shots of his daughter watching the performance, who watches the whole thing with amazement, often with a smile on her face.

Because ‘Trollflöjten’ is actually one big party for the spectator. Mozart’s beloved music obviously makes a big impression and is what carries the film performance, but Bergman certainly knows how to add something personal to the production. Firstly, it is striking that, daringly enough, there is spoken and sung in Swedish instead of the original German. However, there is no question of standing out in the sense of disturbing or out of tune. The Swedish words and style of singing integrate beautifully with the music and people who didn’t know any better might just think this was the original. As far as musical experience is concerned, nothing is lost in power with this translation.

The voices are also of a high standard, as evidenced by the performance of virtuoso arias such as those of the Queen of the Night (Birgit Nordin), in which she urges her daughter to kill Sarastro, and those of Papageno (Håkan Hagegård) and Papagena (Elisabeth Erikson) in which they cheerfully express their love for each other. Perhaps a single role could have been played by an even more impressive singer, but in this case the actors are also believable in their playing, which is worth a lot. The viewer is really taken into the story and to a certain extent empathizes with the characters. To a certain extent, because that it is an illusion and that it is a stage performance, is almost constantly apparent from the way in which the whole is portrayed.

Bergman doesn’t try to hide the obvious interplay between audience and performance and the construction of the story by putting everything in a cinematic context with realistic sets or locations and a seamless montage. He immediately starts, with the overture, with the mere showing of the audience watching the performance. Not only does Bergman show that he intends to more or less equate the viewer of the film with the viewer of the opera performance in the film and simply provide him with a few hours of entertainment, but also – through the diversity of the audience and the smiling and interested faces – that Opera is for everyone and that it doesn’t always have to be weighty or distant. After the overture and at the beginning of the first act, the film viewer is made aware of what is happening on stage, although during the performance there is still a regular switch to a reaction from the audience, usually from the same young girl, who is always very attentive and amused. This opera fairy tale is apparently suitable for children. And well, it features fantasy creatures and fun costumes, and the music is often upbeat, so there’s really no reason kids won’t enjoy themselves. In order to keep the artificiality of the performance, very Brechtian, visible, the (film) viewer also occasionally sees images from behind the scenes, just before the actors have to appear, and in addition, the sets are usually clearly as flat as a dime. .

This does not mean, however, that Bergman has nothing to add cinematically. Some stage sets and stage sets are very realistic, such as in the case of a snow-covered outdoor location near an iron gate, and editing and strategically positioning the camera allow for effects that a theater audience cannot experience, such as altering the appearance of the Queen of the Night in seconds, and making the likeness of Tamino (Josef Köstlinger) and Pamina (Irma Urrila) “alive” in their mutual amulets-with-photo. In addition, the camera work and editing are very lively, so that the film viewer does not have to miss a single visual detail.

‘Trollflöjten’ by Ingmar Bergman is a fantastic opera adaptation. At the same time authentic and innovative and as much a film as an opera. Moreover, it is a fun adventure for young and old in which the power of love conquers all and, what is just as important, whose music is magnificent. Pure enjoyment, so…