Camden New Journal - Movies: The Magic Flute

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The Review - AT THE MOVIES with WILLIAM HALL
Published:29 November 2007

Ben Davis as Papageno in The Magic Flute

Flute goes just a little out of tune

THE MAGIC FLUTE
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Certificate 12a

KENNETH Branagh serves up a sumptuous version of Mozart’s magical musical opera, a heady cocktail of fun and fantasy that will rivet not only opera lovers, but anyone who wants a visual treat, even if the breathtaking spectacle is largely thanks to that other magic of CGI (Computer Generated Images).
The plot is as preposterous as ever – a fairy-tale story of two lovers seeking their path to enlightenment through a variety of trials.
Branagh’s stylised staging dilutes the horrors of the First World War, showing the soldiers in bright blue uniforms and helmets giving way to lusty young tenors Joseph Kaiser (as Tamino) and Ben Davis (as Papageno) singing their hearts out in the trenches.
Add to this the commanding presence of Rene Pape as Sarastro and seductive newcomer Amy Carson as Pamina, and you have a feast for eyes and ears – with the genius of Mozart’s score always there on the soundtrack if you just want to sit back and close your eyes!
Stephen Fry took on the task of adapting the libretto, and a fair job he makes of it. Apart, that is, from such odd lapses with lines like: “Don’t go weird on me!”
That, we don’t need.

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