Magic Flute: Please share your favorite DVD of this

[Nestof3]

Thanks!

[chiguirre]

Ingmar Bergman made a movie version. It's a sweet fantasy, but it's sung in Swedish (instead of German, although I have it on VHS, a dvd might have both???). Monostatos is not in blackface (my personal pet peeve with many Zauberflote productions), but if you're using subtitles preview his aria because you might not want kids reading his lyrics.

 

Absolutely avoid the Zurich Opera's version directed by Franz Welser Most because the sets are very stylized and not a good choice for the first time you see the opera and it's got Monostatos issues.

[kiana]

I like this version:

http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Zauberfl%C3%B6te-Keenlyside-Roschmann-Hartmann/dp/B0000C5RQF

 

The Queen of the Night aria has been uploaded to youtube and is here:

 

[Already Gone]

Not that I've seen a lot of film versions, but we're fans here of the aforementioned Ingmar Bergman version. It's not what you might expect from other Bergman films--it's very kid-friendly, in my opinion, and charming. My kids are young and I worry a lot about the impact of frightening visual scenes, but (for instance) the dragon at the beginning is downright lovable. I wouldn't say some of the scenes wouldn't create issues in highly sensitive children, but it seems less likely to than many other treatments I've seen. I loved it as a kid and my kids love it.