The Magic Flute (1975 film) singers, Håkan Hagegård went on to a prominent international career in opera and recitals. The film was reviewed from a musical perspective by Richard Evidon, who paid Bergman the compliment of praising the film as a realization of Mozart's own vision (cf. Kael's comment above on the "bewilderment" of previous directors): "Only Ingmar Bergman could have made this "Magic Flute"; but part of his achievement is in letting us forget the director's hand as we watch and are drawn closer to Mozart's sublime work." Following re-mastering by the Swedish Film Institute, a blu-ray edition was published by the BFI in
The Magic Flute (1975 film) arrival of the Three Boys by descent in a charmingly decorated 18th-century hot-air balloon represents a faithful reflection by Bergman of Schikaneder's original libretto; Schikaneder's theater abounded in mechanical devices of this kind. Throughout the performance and during the intermission, we get backstage views of the theatre. Tamino plays his flute while, through the wings, we catch sight of Papageno (responding to Tamino's flute) and Pamina. At this stage in the plot, Pamina and Tamino have not yet met. The opposite happens when Pamina and Papageno are on stage and, this time, it is Tamino who is seen sitting on