The Magic Flute (2006)

During World War I, in an unnamed country, a soldier named Tamino is sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the supposedly evil Sarastro. But all is not as it seems.

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

Emanuel Schikaneder (libretto), Kenneth Branagh (adapted for the screen by)

Stars:

Joseph Kaiser, Amy Carson, Ben Davis

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Joseph Kaiser	...	Tamino
Amy Carson	...	Pamina
Ben Davis	...	Papageno (as Benjamin Jay Davis)
Silvia Moi	...	Papagena
René Pape	...	Sarastro
Lyubov Petrova	...	Queen of the Night
Tom Randle	...	Monostatos
Liz Smith	...	The Old Papagena
Teuta Koço	...	First Lady
Louise Callinan	...	Second Lady
Kim-Marie Woodhouse	...	Third Lady
William Dutton	...	First Boy
Luke Lampard	...	Second Boy
Jamie Manton	...	Third Boy
Rodney Clarke	...	First Officer

Storyline

During World War I, in an unnamed country, a soldier named Tamino is sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the supposedly evil Sarastro. But all is not as it seems.

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Plot Keywords:

reference to horace | evil | queen | based on opera | mozart | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The second Sir Kenneth Branagh-directed full-length movie for which Patrick Doyle did not compose the score. Peter's Friends (1992) was the first, which consisted entirely of songs from the 1980s and early 1990s.

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Quotes

First Officer: [spoken to Sarastro, about Tamino and Pamina] He's doing this for her.
Second Officer: [spoken] You are using him.
First Officer: [spoken] We are asking him to risk his life!
Second Officer: [spoken] Do you know what you're doing?
Sarastro: [spoken] I hope so. Tamino must succeed. This slaughter must end.

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Crazy Credits

The overture to the opera is played both at the beginning and the end, but only at the end is it played over the film's credits.

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Connections

Version of Mozart's The Magic Flute (1978)

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Soundtracks

The Magic Flute
Based on the opera ("Die Zauberflöte") by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
Musical Direction by James Conlon
English libretto and dialogue written by Stephen Fry
Performed by Joseph Kaiser, Amy Carson, Ben Davis, Silvia Moi,
René Pape, Lyubov Petrova, Tom Randle, Teuta Koço, Louise Callinan,
, Kim-Marie Woodhouse, Charne Rochford and many others, with Chamber Orchestra of Europe

User Reviews

Too many tricks, Mr. Branagh.

Ingmar Bergman had the right idea -- present 'The Magic Flute' as a filmed stage presentation, complete with audience, intermission and a certain amount of behind-the-scenes byplay. Branagh's version suffers from being a straight movie, more-or-less realistically filmed, though with an overabundance of Art Direction and Set Design, and cheap CGI for the magical effects. The stage gives the distance that allows enchantment, the film's realism negates that. The letter killeth, the spirit giveth life. Would it have been better if the budget had been bigger? Possibly, but maybe not. The story is sweet, but, in fact, rather silly - Schickaneder was, after all, not Goethe. In the post-'Lord of the Rings' era we expect our heroes to undergo rather tougher trials in pursuit of the Magic Dingus, and we expect our villains to be more effectual. Dramatic conflict is on the low side of gripping. That said, the movie was generally pretty to look at, the singers were good-looking and svelte, their acting was pretty decent, ***** the MUSIC WAS GLORIOUS *****, and they sang it well. I sat the whole time with a smile on my face, my soul vibrating along with the singers' vocal cords. Somebody, I hope, will tell Kenneth Branagh that the circling-camera trick is corny. And tell Mr. Frye that double (feminine) rhymes, though all right in an inflected language like German, sound goofy in English.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2006 (France)

Also Known As:

The Magic Flute

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,965,713

Company Credits

Production Co:

Idéale Audience, Peter Moores Foundation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1