Overview
A mesmerizing blend of music and fantasy unfolds as a prince embarks on a quest for love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- whimsical
- witty
- uplifting
- opera night
- classical music listening
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Bergman’s adaptation as a blissful, musically faithful model for filming opera, praised for its visual imagination and unforced theatricality.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film alternates between visible stage production, audience reactions, backstage intermission routines, and cinematic movement beyond the stage.
Tamino discovers that the Queen of the Night and her attendants have not presented Sarastro and Pamina's situation truthfully.
Tamino's flute and Papageno's magic bells directly shape the quest and its encounters.
The film repeatedly shows audience members watching the opera, making reception and collective attention part of its world.
Films like The Magic Flute, and why
Don Giovanni
filmed opera adaptation blending theatrical performance with cinematic invention and fantasy imagery
Carmen
prestige opera cinema emphasizing music, spectacle, costumes, and ritualized performance
The Tales of Hoffmann
stylized filmed opera with a strong visual language and mythic romance
The Phantom of the Opera
fantastical musical storytelling shaped by theatrical artifice and elaborate production design
Movie Details
- Director
- Ingmar Bergman
- Release Date
- 1975-10-04
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (103)
Cast
- Josef Köstlinger
- Irma Urrila
- Håkan Hagegård
- Elisabeth Erikson
- Britt-Marie Aruhn
- Kirsten Vaupel
- Birgitta Smiding
- Ulrik Cold
- Birgit Nordin
- Ragnar Ulfung
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Magic Flute about?
- Bergman transforms Mozart’s enchanted opera into a playful, visually sumptuous passage between stage illusion and cinematic fantasy.
- What is The Magic Flute like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Magic Flute as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Magic Flute violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Magic Flute as mild.
- What did critics think of The Magic Flute?
- Critics broadly regard Bergman’s adaptation as a blissful, musically faithful model for filming opera, praised for its visual imagination and unforced theatricality.
- Which films are like The Magic Flute?
- Films with a similar feel include Don Giovanni, Carmen, The Tales of Hoffmann, and The Phantom of the Opera.
- How long is The Magic Flute?
- The Magic Flute runs 134 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Magic Flute?
- In United States, The Magic Flute streams on Criterion Channel.
