Cast: Josef Köstlinger, Irma Urrila, Håkan Hagegård, Ulrik Cold, Birgit Nordin, Ragnar Ulfung, Britt-Marie Aruhn, Kirsten Vaupel, Birgitta Smiding, Erik Sædén. Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman, based on an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder translated by Alf Henrikson. Cinematography: Sven Nykvist. Produ. tion design: Henny Noremark. Film editing: Siv Lundgren. Costume design: Karin Erskine, Henny Noremark.
For me, Ingmar Bergman's The Magic Flute is a kind of linguistic palimpsest, with the English subtitles* superimposed on the Swedish translation of the German original. Not that I know Swedish, but I've picked up enough of the sound of the language from watching movies that I can recognize a word or two. And I do know the German libretto fairly well from following along on recordings, so that when a singer begins a familiar aria, I hear the German in my mind's ear along with the Swedish being sung and then refracted through the words on screen. You'd think this would be distracting, but it isn't -- in fact, it only helps me appreciate the care Bergman took in making the film. Opera is not designed for the movies: It has moments of tightly choreographed action after which people stand still to sing, and you want more out of a movie than starts and stops. But what Bergman does so brilliantly is to supply close-ups and cuts that give the film an energy, often following the rhythms of Mozart's music. We don't get close-ups in the opera house -- thank god, because singing opera does unfortunate things to the singers' faces -- but Bergman has wisely chosen good-looking singers and had them speak-sing along with a previously recorded version, so there's little facial distortion. The Magic Flute is a problematic opera: Emanuel Schikaneder's libretto is a mess that never quite resolves the relationship between Sarastro, the Queen of the Night, and Pamina. Bergman solves this by creating one: In his version, Pamina (Irma Urrila) is the daughter of Sarastro (Ulrik Cold) and the Queen (Birgit Nordin), and he has abducted the girl because he doesn't trust his ex to raise her right. There's no justification for this in Schikaneder's text, and even Bergman hasn't quite resolved the problem of why Sarastro lets Pamina be guarded by Monastatos (Ragnar Ulfung), whose chief aim seems to be to sleep with the young woman. Nor has Bergman solved the misogyny and racism of Schikaneder's libretto. Women come in for a good deal of disapproval in the opera, and Bergman hasn't eliminated that. Monastatos is tormented by the fact that he's black -- a Moor -- although he is given a kind of Shylockian moment of self-justification, and even Papageno (Håkan Hagegård), who is the pragmatic, commonsense type, reflects that there are black birds, so why not black people. (I'm not entirely sure that line of Papageno's even makes it into the Bergman film.) Most productions today gloss over these antique prejudices as best they can, however, turning The Magic Flute into a kind of fairy tale for the kids, with colorful sets and cute forest animals dancing to Tamino's flute. Bergman is no exception in this regard: The film is set in the theater, and he opens with a close-up of a lovely young girl** with a kind of Mona Lisa smile, and follows her eye line as she gazes at the images painted on the curtain, then scans the other faces in the audience, old and young and of various ethnicities. The film, which like his other childhood-centered classic, Fanny and Alexander (1982), was made originally for television, is certainly one of Bergman's warmest.
*I don't know who did the English version, but it's a very good singing translation, not just a literal prose version of the original.
**She has been identified as Helene Friberg, who had bit parts in other Bergman films.
NORDIC NOIR: Walter Present announces season 2 of Rig 45: Murder At Sea
Season 2 of Rig 45: Murder At Sea is on its way back. Following the bloodshed from the first story, the police finally uncover the truth about what really happened on board and serial killer Petra (Lisa Henni) is arrested. The murderer is sentenced to 20 years for avenging her brother Fredrik’s death. While in […]NORDIC NOIR: Walter Present announces season 2 of Rig 45: Murder At Sea
This week, @acquavellagalleries opens 'Unnatural Nature: Post-Pop Landscapes,' a group exhibition presented concurrently at both its NYC and Palm Beach locations from April 21–June 10 and April 15–May 25, respectively. The exhibitions are curated by @tbradway — editor of @landscape_painting_now and feature works by 28 contemporary artists. Artists in the New York City exhibition include Henni Alftan, Hurvin Anderson, Gideon Appah, Jules de Balincourt, Hayley Barker, Adrian Berg, Jennifer Coates, Ann Craven, Lois Dodd, Maureen Gallace, Sky Glabush, Isca Greenfield-Sanders, Daniel Heidkamp, David Hockney, Yvonne Jacquette, Jon Joanis, Yuka Kashihara, Alex Katz, Makiko Kudo, Patricia Leite, John McAllister, William Monk, Laurie Nye, Nicolas Party, Lisa Sanditz, Wayne Thiebaud, Nicole Wittenberg and Matthew Wong. Artists in the Palm Beach exhibition include Jennifer Coates, Lois Dodd, Isca Greenfield-Sanders, Daniel Heidkamp, Jon Joanis, Yuka Kashihara, Makiko Kudo, Lisa Sanditz, Wayne Thiebaud and Nicole Wittenberg. Read more about the exhibition via linkinbio! #unnaturalnature #postpoplandscapes #landscapepaintingnow #landscapepainting #contemporarylandscape #contemporaryart #contemporarypainting #landscape #acquavellagalleries #davidhockney #waynethiebaud #loisdodd #alexkatz #yvonnejacquette #nature #art #painting @blue_medium #toddbradway https://www.instagram.com/p/CcYJsBurDzS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
Simen Alsvik and Lisa Henni attend the closing ceremony and Golden Nymph awards of the 58th Monte Carlo TV Festival on June 19, 2018 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco
What's in the Swedish Rainwater?: 'The Unthinkable' Review
What’s in the Swedish Rainwater?: ‘The Unthinkable’ Review
The Unthinkable (CREDIT: Magnet Releasing)
Starring: Christoffer Nordenrot, Lisa Henni, Jesper Barkselius, Pia Halvorsen
Director: Crazy Pictures
Running Time: 129 Minutes
Rating: Unrated, But PG-13-Level for General Disaster Movie Energy
Release Date: May 7, 2021 (Theaters and On Demand)
If you’ve ever seen M. Night Shyamalan’s 2008 eco-thriller The Happening and thought, “I like this, but I…
From the Studio that Brought you Disaster Classics THE WAVE and THE QUAKE, Magnet Releasing has released this official trailer for THE UNTHINKABLE which arrives in theaters and on demand May 7th, 2021
Written and Directed by Crazy Pictures
Starring Christoffer Nordenrot, Lisa Henni, Jesper Barkselius, Pia Halvorsen
It’s midsummer and Sweden wakes up to a state of emergency. TV, internet, and…