tombs of the blind dead is a 1972 spanish-portuguese horror film written and directed by amando de ossorio .

its original spanish title is la noche del terror ciego , which means " the night of the blind terror " .

the film was the first in ossorio 's " blind dead " series , spawning three official sequels : return of the blind dead ( 1973 ) , the ghost galleon ( 1974 ) and night of the seagulls ( 1975 ) .

ossorio has stated that gustavo adolfo bécquer 's gothic horror legend el monte de las ánimas ( 1862 ) and george romero 's night of the living dead ( 1968 ) both influenced the creation of his film .

tombs of the blind dead

legendary spanish horror actress lone fleming on her role in tombs of the blind dead and its sequel attack of the blind dead .
unfortunately , the soundtrack to ‘tombs of the blind dead’ has never had a proper release .
tombs of the blind dead ( 1971 ) aka night of the blind dead . knights templar zombies . director - amando de ossario . moria - the science - fiction , horror and fantasy film review .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing tombs of the blind dead near you .
forget don ' t breathe . . . here ' s the blind dead !
tombs of the blind dead is a spanish horror film directed by amando de ossorio – its spanish title is la noche del terror ciego .
tombs of the blind dead is a fantastically atmospheric film and the soundtrack does a wonderful job of heightening the feelings of suspense and terror created by the environments and cinematography that is used in the film .
tombs of the blind dead is a 1972 spanish - portuguese horror film written and directed by amando de ossorio . its original spanish title is la noche del terror ciego , which means
the night of the blind terror
.
is probably the most difficult movie of the blind dead series to find . it was available on us video as
shock : so you were in the second blind dead film – attack of the blind dead – which is not as good as the first , but still an interesting , fun film and a great templar picture .
tombs of the blind dead
is a classic of its genre and also one of ossorio ' s best films . the gloomy atmosphere and the well fitting music easily make up for minor plot flaws .
what we do know for certain is that tombs of the blind dead a damn fine horror film that should be tracked down by any fan of the genre , whether a devotee of ‘eurohorror’ or not .
fog plumes across the ruins of a desolate medieval town… a skeletal hand claws forth from under a stone crypt… a horde of hideous cloaked corpses rise from their tombs… these are some of the quintessential images that elevate amando de ossorio’s grisly zombie film quartet of tombs of the blind dead , return of the evil dead , the ghost galleon and night of the seagulls to the upper - echelons of the euro - horror canon .
it is noteworthy that the us version shows the scene with the sacrifice of the virgin at the beginning of the film ( analogous to the sequel
return of the blind dead
) .
in 2015 , emma dark and merlyn roberts co - directed an unofficial short film sequel , island of the blind dead .
ossorios signature magnum macabre opus would spawn three more templar companion films  1973s attack of the blind dead ( aka return of the evil dead ) , 1974s the ghost galleon ( aka horror of the zombies ) and 1975s night of the seagulls  but none would reach the heights of fright that tombs offers in its finest hour .
shock : he was creating a new mythology with that film , whether he knew it at the time or not . was tombs of the blind dead a big hit in spain when it came out ?
the film was the first in ossorio ' s
blind dead
series , spawning three official sequels : return of the blind dead ( 1973 ) , the ghost galleon ( 1974 ) and night of the seagulls ( 1975 ) . its success helped kickstart the spanish horror film boom of the early 1970s .
this album is a reinterpretation and a homage to the blind dead films by amando de ossorio . rather than being straight covers of the tracks from the movies , this album is a new piece of work , that kind of acts as a modern soundtrack for the four films in the blind dead series .
at the center of tombs of the blind deads humanity is a compelling turn by actress lone fleming as betty , a strong woman whose love for her murdered friend spurs her on to solve the mystery of the blind monsters . and fleming is no stranger to horror . along with tombs , she would star in ossorios attack of the blind dead and his 1975 exorcist clone , demon witch child as well other shockers like mario sicilanos black candles and 1973s it happened at nightmare inn directed by her husband of many years , horror express legend eugenio martin .
the film became the first in a series that became known as ‘the blind dead’ films , and the soundtrack was created by antón garcía abril .
the soundtrack has however has been influential on other musicians and a band called ‘zoltan’ , which is comprised of andy thompson , matt thompson , and andrew prestidge , have released a mini - album called ‘ tombs of the blind dead ‘ .
the blind dead ( knights templar ) villains were unofficially resurrected in the 1975 entry la cruz del diablo , directed by john gilling .
the blind dead films feature the knights templar as the zombies in the film – their corpses are rotten and eyeless , and they hunt by sound .
vol . 15 : n . de g . davies , the rock tombs of el amarna , part iii : the tombs of huya and ahmes , london , 1905 , 41 pp . , 39 pls
in director amando de ossorio’s beloved 1972 cult zombie horror film tombs of the blind dead ( aka the blind dead ) , unlucky wanderers end up in a crumbling templar crypt , only to awake the moldering , skeletal and blind ghouls that sleep within . armed with swords and riding spectral horses , this horde of horrible , bearded and blinded monsters stalk their victims , following the rasp of their breathing and the pitch of their screams , then cut them to pieces and drink their blood .
few horror series make it as far as the third installment without a significant decline in quality . the blind dead series was no exception .
often dismissed as a latin redux of george a . romero’s groundbreaking zombie shocker night of the living dead , tombs of the blind dead is something richer , darker and ripe with atmosphere . ossorio’s signature opus would spawn three more templar companion films : 1973’s return of the evil dead ( aka attack of the blind dea d ) , 1974’s the ghost galleon ( aka horror of the zombies ) and 1975’s night of the seagulls . this unholy quartet were anomalies at the time , due to their loose mythology stemming from the real life templar knights and the fact that the track their victims audibly .
an excellent review franco , and an excellent little film . tombs of the blind dead has a genuine atmosphere of evil , the sexploitation elements and soft focus photography at times undermine the sense of dread , but this film figures prominently in any history of spanish - the rest in the series are forgettable dross though .
the child is holding on to his dead mother while one of the templars is approaching .
antón garcía abril’s background in chamber and vocal music is apparent in the soundtrack for ‘ tombs of the blind dead ‘ – the main theme throughout the film features haunting gregorian chants , all dark vocals with a twang of echo . it is genuinely disturbing and really fits with the overall atmosphere of the film .
in 1979 , and ossorio with his
blind dead
tetralogy ( 1971 - 75 ) . yet i think it ' s highly unlikely that ossosio will ever achieve the posthumous regard that fulci has been given , in spite of the obvious talent he displayed in the
blind dead
series .
vol . 16 : n . de g . davies , the rock tombs of el amarna , part iv : tombs of penthu , mahu , and others , london , 1906 , 36 pp . , 45 pls
vol . 18 : n . de g . davies , the rock tombs of el amarna , part vi : tombs of parennefer , tutu , and aÿ , london , 1908 , 44 pp . , 44 pls
this week at the b - movie clubhouse we have a special guest . it’s rod barnett from the bloody pit and naschy cast podcasts ! rod’s pick this week is a spanish horror film tombs of the blind dead from 1972 . the film was directed by amando de ossorio .
, it seemed as though the blind dead series had nowhere else to go . that ' s why it ' s such a pleasant surprise that the last film of the series ,
fleming : exactly . i loved that . amando said to me , lone i would very much like you to do this but of course its not as big a role as tombs of the blind dead . i said dont worry  i would love to do it .
vol . 14 : n . de g . davies , the rock tombs of el amarna , part i : the tomb of meryra - part ii : the tombs of panehesy and merira ii , london , 1905 . viii , 48 pp . , 47 pls
atmospherically directed by amando de ossorio , tombs of the blind dead is chilling , down to the bone . the beautiful shots of the templars slowly galloping across the portuguese plains are terrifying in their simplicity . these guys are coming for you , and there ' s nothing you can do about it . i ' m encouraged to seek out ossorio ' s other work , including all 3 sequels to tombs .
the short comic story
ascension of the blind dead
appeared in the 2010 asylum press graphic novel zombie terrors volume 1 , , written by david zuzelo with artwork by william skaar .
vol . 17 : n . de g . davies , the rock tombs of el amarna , part v : smaller tombs and boundary stelae , london , 1908 , 37 pp . , 1 frontispiece , 44 pls
kemp barry :
the rock tombs of amarna
, , 19 , 2 , p . 8 - 17 , 2013
outside , there ' s movement in the nearby cemetery . the dead begin to slowly rise out of the graves and tombs . virginia is oblivious as the hooded , skeletal figures make their way towards her on horseback .
the film was an influence on mansion of the living dead , a 1982 film directed by jesús franco .
right now i’m playing catch up with all these european horror films i never got around to seeing , and it’s been an interesting journey ! i recently had a chance to check out burial ground : nights of terror ( 1980 ) ( which by the way had zombie monks in it as well ! ) and some of the coffin joe movies which i will be reviewing in the coming weeks . but with tombs of the blind dead i got my first taste at the “blind dead” series of films . this zombie franchise from the 70’s consists of the following films :
it was in the month of april , april 10 , 1972 to be exact , when writer and director amando de ossorio introduced the world to the creation that made him famous . this would of course be the blind dead .
were pushing at them from below . stone slabs and the heavy lids of great sarcophagi begin to shift , and from outside the cemetery comes the echoing sound of hoof - beats . the blind dead have awakened from their graves !
there ' s also a ten minute interview with the director titled
unearthing the blind dead
, which is prefaced by a disclaimer about the poor sound quality . since the interview is in spanish and is helpfully subtitled , that ' s really not a concern . he discusses the course of his career , the economics of having to shoot a movie in 4 weeks , each of the blind dead movies ( going into the most detail for
the
blind dead
series are among the best and most famous spanish horror films of their time . they are surprisingly well - made , and in spite of some major shortcomings , have aged better than many of the other spanish movies of the period . the best feature of the films is their title menace : the blind dead , withered cadavers which rise from their graves to drink the blood of their victims . part zombie and part vampire , they are brought to un - life by a combination of very convincing costumes and puppetry . unlike other movie monsters , particularly monsters that travel in groups , the blind dead never seem to be merely extras in suits . they look
it’s while they’re making short work of our main characters that we see the first sign of the blind dead actually being… well… blind . they enter into a room and only realize a potential victim is there when she screams at the top of her lungs . we also see them locate a smarter victim by tracking her heartbeat .
' the tombs of the blind dead ' is not strictly a zombie movie , but involves the resurrected dead ( in this case blind heretics from the 13th century ) . while not as explicit as romero or fulci it should appeal to fans of the living dead genre . the movie is strong on atmosphere and style , similar in some ways to jean rollin , but without the sex or pretension . the
blind dead
themselves are one of the creepiest and most effective concepts in any horror movie . slow moving , relentless and deadly , with a penchant for flesh eating . the scenes where the dead ride horses to hunt their prey are classic horror . my only small criticism of this movie is that there were so few scenes of them . modern horror fans who require wall to wall fx and a killing every 15 minutes will probably find this slow going , but true buffs will be mesmerized . highly recommended .
awkward lovers - - betty and virginia unexpectedly bump into one another again . virginia introduces bet to her friend roger , and the ensuing love triangle boils over during a train ride , compelling virginia to leap off the slow - moving locomotive and spend the night in the abandoned village of berzano . this being a movie titled
tombs of the blind dead
and all , i ' ll leave it up to you to guess what happens next . after a morning of ominous inquiries , roger and bet set out to find their friend , stumbling upon a police investigation at the ruins . after learning of her murder , roger and bet enlist the help of a local smuggler and his moll , and the four of them find the grisly answers to their questions among the tombs of the blind dead .
an elegiac counter - vision that is much more fanciful than night of the living dead dand wholly continental .
oh , it ' s not perfect . there are a few things that bug me . for example , where do the templars get their horses ? is there a horse graveyard somewhere ? also , the whole bit where the dead girl comes back to life . it ' s wonderfully creepy , but it feels like padding . but these things are minor in comparison with everything that works in tombs of the blind dead .
there are aactually several different
blind dead
films to enjoy , this is the first one that i saw . the actual
blind dead
creatures are kinda cool and very creepy ( in an old school sort of way ) the other eliments of these films are just horrible . several minutes of woman screaming as the creature slowly approach . . . bad dubbing . . . i could go on . but a fun late night film none the less .
and it wasn’t just goblin that had their worked used without permission for ‘ hell of the living dead ‘ .
legend has that in the abandoned medieval town of berzano , at the border between spain and portugal , the knights templar ( a fictionalized version of the real - life order that was dissolved in the 14th century following charges of witchcraft and heresy ) leave their tombs at night and come back from the dead as revenants . the reanimated corpses are blind , because their eyes were pecked out by birds while their hanged bodies rotted on the gallows .
while nearly all of the italian zombie films were one shade of awful or another , tombs is a good film , even a great one : one of the highlights of 1970s spanish cinema and among the very best examples of its oft - indefensible genre .
- - a fairly lengthy examination of the blind dead movies and the story of the knights templar - - can also be found inside the coffin - shaped box . a large number of black and white stills are interspersed throughout the forty - page booklet along with burrell ' s detailed synopses and reviews .
this film has it all ! pervy templar knights killed for dodgy acts return as the blind dead , who unsurprisingly hunt by sound . the best thing is that they can hear their victims ' heart beating , so there is no escape . i am not sure whether the blind dead are really zombies or vampires , as they tend to suck their victims rather than eat them , but the victims come back to life to continue the good work . the blind dead have horses and swords , so they are very hard to escape from , however how they have the strength to ride or hold a sword with their withered , spindly arms is amazing ! the film , as well as having some quite nice creepy scenes , has the obligatory 70s lesbian sequence which fits perfectly with the rest of the action . i suppose a film maker can only do his best to please all of his viewers . the blind dead are nicely made up , there is some gore , one of the characters , pedro , has the sweatiest armpits in film history and makes the mistake of taking on a whole army of the blind dead with a small knife . the end sequence is really good , as the zombie / vampire knights take on a train full of passengers , and literally suck the life out of them ! very highly recommended to 70s horror fans , but please don ' t answer any history exam questions with any of the films ' plot . i intend to enjoy the next episode in the blind dead saga asap .
‘ hell of the living dead ‘ is a low - budget italian zombie movie that was directed by bruno mattei .
in this final installment of the blind dead series , a doctor and his wife move to a small inhospitable coastal village where he plans to start a practice only to discover that undead demon - worshiping templar knights haunt the place .
in the middle of that wild wave came spanish director amando de ossorios terrifying and surreal 1971 shocker la noche del terror ciego or as it was known in the us and other english language territories , tombs of the blind dead ( or in the truncated aip version , simply the blind dead ) . often dismissed as a latin redux of romeros groundbreaking zombie shocker night of the living dead , tombs is something richer , darker and ripe with mythology . in it , three friends – macho roger , his girlfriend virginia and her college friend betty – go for a pleasant train ride into the portuguese countryside . however , as the ride progresses , we learn in flashback that virginia and betty had a lesbian relationship in school and now , as roger and betty appear to be getting a little chummier that shed like , virginia has a momentary breakdown , jumps from the moving train and wanders to the ruined nearby abbey nestled at the foot of the hill .
the rest of the soundtrack is a suffocating and jarring score , lots of droning sounds , punctuated with bangs and clanks , and the odd scream . it is very effective and totally unlike many of the other horror soundtracks from the same era . the soundtrack really managed to give a distinctive ‘sonic - signature’ to the blind dead films .
shock : lets flash back to tombs of the blind dead , to that scene , the flashback love scene between you and virginia ( played by actress maria elena arpon ) . its not an explicit scene at all , its very romantic and gentle , but its still a very early lesbian scene in a horror film . can you talk about that ?
. the plot is fairly simple , with a trio of young thrill seekers going camping . when one of their number turns up dead after a huge argument , the other two go off to investigate who could have done it . spoilers : it was the blind dead , a group of 14th century knights templar executed for witchcraft and now risen from the grave on horseback to seek their revenge .
a reporter and a psychic race to close the gates of hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open , allowing the dead to rise from their graves .
the blind dead are never referred to as
templar knights
or
caballeros templarios
in the original spanish language version . they are referred to as
los guerreros de oriente
(
the warriors from the orient
) .
captures at least a little of the apocalyptic horror of the original . we ' re left with the uncomfortable knowledge that the blind dead are no longer in their own , otherworldly dimension - - they ' re here , in broad daylight , and nothing will stop them now . . .
out of night of the living dead ) . after a strong opening , the script collapses into tired convention : it holes everybody up in a building , again
amando de ossorio ' s series of films about the
blind dead
has finally gotten the deluxe package that cult movie fans have been waiting for , thanks to blue underground . this lavish package presents all four of these films letterboxed in their original theatrical ratios . tombs of the blind dead and return of the evil dead also offer the viewer the option of watching the film in their full - length european cuts or the shortened , dubbed american versions . the other two titles , the ghost galleon and night of the seagulls , are uncut and offer viewers the option of english or spanish soundtracks ( the latter tracks featuring english subtitles ) . each disc features mono soundtracks , all of them in nice condition regardless of which language option is chosen . the film discs are rounded out by trailers as well as ad and still galleries . tombs of the blind dead also offers an amusing bonus called
revenge of planet ape ,
which is an alternative title sequence that tries to pitch the film as a sequel to the planet of the apes . also included is a fifth disc that pays tribute to the deceased de ossorio . it includes a featurette about the director ' s career , a short interview with de ossorio , and a text piece that is accessible via a dvd - rom drive . the package is rounded out by knights of terror , a short but content - rich digest - sized magazine that synopsizes and reviews each film . the final touch is provided by amusing packaging , which houses the discs and booklet in an oblong black leather coffin - shaped carrying case . all in all , the blind dead collection is an excellent package , both in terms of transfers and extras , and a must for euro - horror buffs .
stands as one of the strongest testaments the genre has to the strength of originality .
i absolutely love love love these seventies eurohorror - flicks ! and amando de ossorio ' s tomb of the blind dead is one of the purest efforts this sub - genre brought forward you may expect foxy ladies , raw cinematography , creepy musical guidance and some slightly perverted undertones . the basic plot involves a creepy spanish myth of devil - worshiping templars who leave their tombs at night and dwell around the ruins of a deserted ghost town . the zombies look very filthy and they move in terrifying slow motion ! the few sequences in which the blind dead ( blind because their eyes were pecked out by crows ) chase their victims on their doomed horses are brilliant and some of the most effective horror ever shown . prepare yourself for a genuinely apocalyptic ending as well , one that ' ll leave you speechless ! of course , the film is filled with improbabilities and some immense structure holes , but de ossorio ' s ingenious visions are so surprising that you easily forgive him for this . highly recommended ! ! tombs of the blind dead may very well the best exploitation film i ' ve seen so far , along with ` mark of the devil ' ( german ) and ` cannibal man ' ( spanish as well ) . three sequels followed , but so far i haven ' t had the luck of tracking them down
this film is worth watching for the fantastic scenes of the blind dead riding about the spainish countryside on horseback dressed in their long , totally black robes . the seqeuences are all slowed right down and set to weird choral music giving a very effective gothic touch that makes the rest of the film look a bit pants .
london based zoltan capture the eerie spine - chiiling terror of the decomposed ghoulish knights templar with this four track ep , by paying homage to the tombs of the blind dead series of movies created by spanish director amando d’ossorio . each track relates to one of the four movies from this cult underground series , which are regarded by many as absolute highlights of the euro horror underground horror scene of the early 70’s . slow motion doomed imagery comes to life in full analogue glory , making this a must for any dark minded music lovers and soundtrack collectors out there .
london based zoltan capture the eerie spine - chiiling terror of the decomposed ghoulish knights templar with this four track ep , by paying homage to the tombs of the blind dead series of movies created by spanish director amando d’ossorio . . each track relates to one of the four movies from this cult underground series , which are regarded by many as absolute highlights of the euro horror underground horror scene of the early 70’s . slow motion doomed imagery comes to life in full analogue glory , making this a must for any dark minded music lovers and soundtrack collectors out there .
let’s look at ossorio’s wonderful blind dead films and pay respect to the sound - driven killers that arrived a good 45 years before stephen lang used his ears to help enable harm those that dare cross his path .
a young woman stumbles upon an abandoned monastery and thinks it might make a good place to spend the night . she settles herself in beside a fireplace and gets ready for bed . but a strange noise keeps her from sleeping . unknown to her , the graves in the monastery ' s courtyard are rumbling . the templars have risen from their long sleep to find another blood sacrifice . can the girl escape from the tombs of the blind dead ?
i thinks that ' s all the specifics i need to reveal about the story . the rest you ' ll have to see yourself . i will , however , spend a little time on the back story of the blind dead , and some of their powers and attributes as they ' re shown in this film .
the dead are the vengeful corpses of the knights templar , who returned from the crusades with forbidden knowledge from the east . thay had discovered secret rites to keep them alive forever - - rites which involved drinking the blood of innocent victims . then ( anachronistically ) , the local peasantry of berzano rebelled against the templars , and killed them all . after the rebellion , crows came and pecked out the eyes of the dead knights .
although cheekily repurposing resurrection footage from tombs and slightly lacking that film’s brooding atmosphere , return’s moredirect , action - horror style offers a faster pace , more gore and better performances than its forebear . the blind dead are far more numerous in this film , enjoying more screen time and looking just as imposing , especially in the accomplished village massacre sequence and the film’s climactic church siege .
tombs of the blind dead was the first one , and it’s about a threesome of friends who are going out on a pleasure trip . the threesome consists of two girls named virginia and betty and a dude named roger . roger invites both girls on a train ride to the country for some r & r . smart dude ! two girls for one guy , that’s a sweet deal any way you look at it . everyone is having fun and having a great time when suddenly , disaster strikes ! one of the girls turns jealous when roger pays more attention to the other . the jealous girl decides she doesn’t want to play fifth wheel so she jumps off the train in the middle of nowhere ! she begins to wonder through the countryside until she stumbles upon an ancient citadel . what she doesn’t know is that these ruins are inhabited by the blind dead ! these undead blood drinkers pop out of their graves and suck her blood ! it isn’t long before her friends decide to the ancient ruins to try and find her . will they find their friend ? will they escape the terror of the blind dead ?
located at the end of the royal wadi , 6 km in the desert east of the city , it has five tombs , all unfinished . the tomb of akhenaten is the only one decorated . the king , his mother tyi and three of his daughters were buried there . we will devote a special study to it : .
this is a good thing too . amando de ossorio was a very visual director . he had a flair for creating stylized imagery on film , and he does that here in spades . the blind dead themselves are an amazingly creepy creation – looking like death not quite warmed over and just crawled out of the grave after a 100 - year dirt nap – and ossorio finds ways to film them to create beautiful , haunting visuals . the scenes of the blind dead riding undead horses through the swirling mist of the night are almost worth the price of the film alone . these scenes are also helped greatly by the genuinely creepy soundtrack .
you can still find tombs of the blind dead / la noche del terror ciego in specialty outlets , but your best bet is the internet . at the time of this writing the dvd can be found on amazon for around $ 8 new as a single disc or in the still available box set containing all four films plus a bonus features disc for around $ 30 . there’s also a 4 disc collection ( minus the bonus disc ) for the same price as their more recent release .
the big draw with this movie is of course seeing the blind dead , which were a treat to look at in my book . we actually get to see a flashback as to who these templar knights used to be when they were alive . we get to see them performing a satanic ritual that involves whipping a young girl until she starts to bleed so they could feed on said girls blood and live forever ! these creatures are deadly in numbers , and if they manage to corner you , you are screwed , as one of the girls in the film discovers . there is this awesome sequence in which the blind dead manage to corner a girl in a room . she realizes that the zombies are blind , so she tries to keep her mouth shut and the noise she makes to a minimum as she hides in a corner . problem comes when the blind dead zero in on the beating of her heart ! so during the scene , while she is trying to be as quiet as possible , we hear her heart beating ! boom boom , boom boom , boom boom ! the camara zooms in and out with every one of her heartbeats as the blind dead slowly creep up towards her . great sequence !
the aten is the creator of all things in the universe and provides for the needs of his creation .
from the onset of the attack on the train to the almost night of the living dead styled still frame sequence as the film ends ; this is another sequence where you see a lot of differences in the two cuts of the film . again , the spanish cut is noticeably more violent and extreme with its depictions of the slaughter on the train as well as with showing just who some of the victims are .
there ' s only one reason to watch tombs of the blind dead : zombies on horseback in slow - motion . . . look cool as hell ! ! the make - up department made the templar ' s the scariest looking zombies i ' ve seen in a while . other than that , we ' ve got an overrated spanish bore . the pacing is slower than the blind dead themselves . if you ' re going to have a slow movie , you have to make it interesting . there are times in the movie when nothing is said or happens for 7 minutes at a time . there are some serious believability issues as well . i mean , for a bunch of slow , blind dead guys , they sure are hard to get away from . all in all , tombs is not half as bad as i remember it being . i believe the dvd transfer can be thanked for that though . a clear , crisp picture can make any flick better . this film has a large cult following , however , there ' s just not enough action to keep me satisfied .
in the tombs of huya and meryre ii a depiction is known as the scene of receiving tributes , or hosting foreign people , which took place in year 12 , second month of peret , day 8 , a date that can be considered as the apogee of the reign of akhenaten . the scene was grandiose and brought together three distinct protagonists .
those of you expecting a fast paced splatter fest of a zombie movie should be warned , this is not that kind of a movie . tombs of the blind dead is a film that gives more importance to suspense and atmosphere than fast paced thrills or the ever popular gore . the blind dead themselves are extremely slow moving , and you almost get the idea that you could simply run past them and you’d be alright . but still , there is something spooky and haunting about these knights . the image of these walking skeletons , with their black hole eyes and their rotting beards is quite striking , seeing them move in the night , with the wind blowing in their beards and cloaks makes for some truly satasfying atmospheric imagery . even those scenes shot in the day time have this spooky vibe to them because the localizations were so lonely .
‘ hell of the living dead ‘ did not get a good reception , and the entire film basically borrows as much as it can from ‘ dawn of the dead ‘ and ‘ zombie 2 ‘ . the plot revolves around a group of soldiers who are sent to investigate a chemical leak at a lab that is causing an outbreak of zombies , the soldiers subsequently team up with a group of journalists to try and get to the source of the chaos .
‘ hell of the living dead ‘ was also released under the alternative titles : ‘ virus – l’inferno dei morti viventi ‘ , ‘ zombie creeping flesh ‘ and ‘ night of the zombies ‘ .
johnson george b :
norman de garis davies and the rock tombs of el - amarna
, amarna letters , vol 2 , p . 56 - 69 , kmt communications , 1992
the choir of blind men , clapping their hands and accompanied by a drum is only found in the amarna period . only akhenaten had the right to communicate with the aten , but these musicians can participate in the ritual because they are blind naturally or because they are blindfolded . women musicians , on the other hand , on the model of nefertiti , were allowed to see the king and sing for him .
yet another example of the perception of a film being superior to the reality of actually sitting and watching it . there is no argument from me that the blind dead ( the templar knights ) are fantastic creations and director / writer amando de ossorio is to be revered for their birth . the scenes of the templars stalking their victims and chasing them on horseback are striking and haunting and now occupy a special place in the pantheon of fantastique cinema . unfortunately ,
tombs of the blind dead
is also a slow , boring , illogical mess . the performances are terrible , the
suspense
scenes are hit - and - miss , and the day - for - night photography , though effective in parts , is not believable . the film ' s bloody climax is a good one and the final freeze frame has some power , but it ' s sad to see such a wonderful concept handicapped by mediocre scripting and appalling acting . still , there are defining moments of horror within the frames of this spanish potboiler .
in 1971 , director amando de ossorio created what horror fans worldwide consider to be spain ' s night of the living dead . in ossorio ' s nightmare vision , a legion of knights templar - executed horsemen whose eyes had been pecked out by crows - rise rotting from their graves , hunting only by sound in a quest for human flesh . the blind dead saga begins here , as a modern - day tourist trip to the ruins of the templar monastery unleashes a frenzy of lesbian desire , sexual violence and the unholy onslaught of the eyeless undead !
at dawn , the rays of the aten , the uncreated creator , fill the earth , animate beings and manifest the sovereignty of the god .
it would be a mistake to disregard the importance of de ossorio ' s distinctive zombies themselves , however . the blind dead are some of the most intimidating zombies in the business . part of it is their unique character design , realized by an unexpected combination of extras in full - face masks and simple but impressive puppetry . because the undead templars are portrayed as desiccated and mummified , the immobility and awkwardness imparted to the zombies by the use of masks and puppets actually makes them more believable than would probably have been the case had more conventional makeup been used . but beyond all of that , it is the mythos behind them that enables the blind dead to stand out from the hordes of interchangeable gut - munching corpses that populate most zombie films . and somehow it’s the smallest detail— their blindness— that is the most disturbing thing about them . knowing that the templars wouldn’t be able to find their prey if it would just shut the fuck up ought to make the zombies less scary , and yet it does just the opposite by allowing the undead knights’ victims an advantage that isn’t worth nearly as much as it might seem . after all , there are some sounds a person can’t control— the frantic beating of a terror - stricken heart , for example . it’s no wonder that de ossorio would direct three sequels to tombs of the blind dead over the following four years . what’s surprising is that the templar series didn’t spawn a plague of knockoffs the way romero’s movies did .
the discs in blue underground’s blind dead releases are pretty barren when it comes to bonus features . the first film has no commentary tracks , has no looking back on features or making of features . it does however include the alternate opening ( with explanation ) created by a fly by night distributor as a part of a campaign to fool movie goers into believing the film was connected to the planet of the apes film series . if you’re both scratching your head at that last bit and you missed the decades of horror podcast devoted to the blind dead , go back and give it a listen . we covered that . there’s also a poster and photo stills gallery as well as the original theatrical trailer .
few films in the wildly variable annals of eurohorror enjoy a cult following quite like amando de ossorio’s inaugural blind dead offering . aside from getting three sequels of their own , the sinister , visually - impaired knights templar have been the subject of a number of unofficial low - budget sequels , homages , and comic books , and live on as the malefic mascots of doom metal bands the world over . but does the film itself warrant this ? indeed it does .
are so soft and grainy that they look like they were shot through gauze , although the interiors in this 1 . 85 : 1 anamorphic widescreen presentation are generally sharper and better defined . colors tend to be lifeless throughout . this all could be a factor of the original photography , but this is visually the weakest of the four blind dead films .
the year was 1971 , the country was spain , the film , “tombs of the blind dead” . writer / director amando de ossorio’s first in a series of “blind dead” films is flying towards my face , eyes and nose out of a portable dvd player , and all thanks to another lovely release from blue underground . i am faced with the decision of whether i want to watch it in english , or in spanish . lovelock hates to read , but everyone unanimously hates bad dubbing , except for special cases like “aces go places” a . k . a . “mad mission” . but that ' s a whole other discussion . from what i understand , there are huge differences between the english and spanish versions , more than just language . since we’re purists , let’s go original . moving right along , let’s get this show on the road .
this theme is always in the first room , in the tombs of meryre , huya , ahmose , and of pentu . until the reign of akhenaten , the deceased , sometimes with his wife , is represented rigid and static before a table of offerings , but he never consumes it . during the amarna period , everything changes : on the walls of tombs , the king is shown - and sometimes members of the royal family - seated or standing , eating and drinking . the seemingly trivial nature of these scenes should not mislead one : akhenaten eating is akhenaten making an offering to the aten ! as for the dead person , if he participates in these scenes it is as a servant , and is represented on a very small scale compared to members of the royal family . thus , in the tomb of huya there are two representations of the royal couple eating and drinking with the queen mother tiy ; huya is represented as miniscule by the feet of akhenaten ( see opposite ) .
to provide the blind dead with their nifty new location , ossorio had to scramble . the back story of the blind dead puts their execution somewhere in the late 1400 ' s ( though actually , the order of the templars was dissolved in 1312 ) ; it ' s never really explained what they ' re doing on a late 16th century galleon . but the explanation for the galleon itself , and its otherworldly fog , is hooey of the highest order . we have a meteorologist , a scientist so credulous he makes fox mulder seem like thomas huxley , tell us that the ship isn ' t real ; that it exists in another dimension , and that once aboard , our characters too have ceased to exist .
damned good . the audio track doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles options for your sound system settings , but both the original spanish and the english dub are clear with no moments of sound fading or of having the volume bounce from low to high and back again . the music , from incidental bits to the theme used for the blind dead’s best moments on film , is crisp and clean with no noticeable pops or glitches .
parts of the soundtrack are directly stolen from goblin’s score for george a . romero’s ‘ dawn of the dead ‘ and also from a soundtrack that they did for a film called ‘ alien contagion ‘ .
underneath that ground and soon to emerge from their tombs are the knights , who appear as a dank , rotted zombie , but probably could be more succinctly described as mummies . they wear cloaks and hoods that have absorbed hundreds of years worth of filth and have sunken in , skeletal features with facial hair , but are strong enough to move the stone covers of their own tombs . they move slowly like a zombie horde but unlike the typical living dead , they use ancient horses as a method of transportation , cloaked in the same dingy clothing that covers their bodies , much like in f . w . murnau’s
in return of the blind dead , a village celebrates a centuries old centennial of the templars destruction ( 100 years , 500 years , i forget ) . they show up to crash the party . at one point , the templars even knock loudly on the door of potential victims . in horror of the zombies , the templars travel around in a ghost ship enshrouded in a supernatural fog . whether carpenter saw the movies , or not , the similarities are to obvious to ignore , at least for me .
in an interview segment appended to the nifty - as - usual severin dvd of mansion of the living dead , jesus franco describes this movie as a freeform meditation on themes drawn from the work of poet and novelist gustavo adolfo bécquer . bécquer isn’t an author i’ve read , and i know almost nothing about him beyond that he lived during the 19th century and that he’s greatly respected in his native spain— the kind of writer whom you can’t escape from the spanish school system without encountering at least once . my ignorance of bécquer and his writing means that i can’t confidently guess what franco might have had in mind by linking him to mansion of the living dead . just the same , though , i also can’t shake the suspicion that he was having us on at least a little , because for a film supposedly rooted in the classics of 19th - century literature , mansion of the living dead sure does look like a shitty rip - off of tombs of the blind dead and its sequels . i mean , i guess it can be both— and if anybody was going to pull a stunt that ridiculous , jesus franco would be the one . even if it’s true , though , i’m not sure the highbrow connection adds much to the sometimes hilarious , often excruciating , and always baffling experience of watching this film .


the magic flute ( swedish : trollflöjten ) is ingmar bergman 's 1975 film version of mozart 's opera die zauberflöte .

it was intended as a television production and was first shown on swedish television on 1 january 1975 , but was followed by a cinema release later that year .

the work is widely viewed as one of the most successful films of an opera ever made , and as an unusual item in the director 's oeuvre .

the magic flute ( 1975 film )

mozart / bergman , ' trollflöjten ' , 1975 [ en . subtitles , ' the magic flute ' ]
he remained popular throughout the 1970s , celebrating his love of musical theatre in 1975 in his film of mozart ' s magic flute .
mozart / bergman , ' trollflöjten ' , 1975 [ en . subtitles , ' the magic flute ' ] - youtube
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the magic flute ( 1975 ) near you .
donya feuer on the set of the magic flute . sweden . 1975 . directed by ingmar bergman . 135 min . courtesy of mark franko
the intelligence and clarity of bergman ' s the magic flute is a marvel .
john updike , a children ' s book based on the magic flute , 1962 .
. he finally got the opportunity in 1975 , when he staged the opera for swedish television .
is there a more crowd - pleasing opera than the magic flute , asks sameer rahim .
arctic magic flute is an english - language adaptation of the opera , set in rural alaska .
ingmar bergman ' s the magic flute ( 1975 - . . . is in my opinion , one of the best productions of ' the magic flute ' . , with subtitles in english . the whole production is truly ' magic ' and the watcher is held under it ' s spell for the whole programme . the dvd is also good value . thank you .
ingmar bergman ' s ' the magic flute ' ( 1975 - a . k . a . trollflöjten ) all region dvd ( region 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6…
mozart ' s brilliantly melodic
magic flute
given richly entertaining & poignant cinematic life by ingmar bergman .
eduardo paolozzi , a screenprint illustrating the arrival of “queen of the night″ in act ii , magic flute ii , 1994 .
there is a film antecedent , of course , to this magic flute , one that goes deep into characterization : ingmar bergman’s 1975 take with a young håkan hagegård as birdman papageno . that version was all about close - ups that peer into motives and emotion .
anita grede’s tapestry the magic flute on fårö , the only decoration inside the cinema , depicting a mix of mythological and local landscape .
yoshitaka amano , mateki : the magic flute , an adaptation of the opera illustrated by himself and retold using classic japanese elements .
the nijinsky films : a life and requiem for a dancer . 1975 . sweden . 55 min . courtesy of mark franko
as seen in 2013 , los angeles opera’s presentation of the production of mozart’s “the magic flute” currently at the academy of music in philadelphia .
the conductor bruno walter once suggested that “the magic flute , ” rather than the unfinished “requiem , ” was mozart’s true valedictory work . while there have been many great recordings of “the magic flute , ” wilhelm furtwangler’s famous performance stands out for its pronounced mysticism , which justifies walter’s claim .
ingmar bergman ' s ' the magic flute ' ( 1975 - a . k . a . trollflöjten ) all region dvd ( region 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 compatible ) starring josef köstlinger , irma urrila , ulrik cold . . .
pioneering guitarist and composer fernando sor transcribed
six airs from the magic flute
, op . 19 , for solo guitar around 1820–1821 .
pamina devi is the cambodian classical dance adaptation of the magic flute . however , it is not entirely based on the same plot and includes elements foreign to the original .
the magic flute is kenneth branagh ' s english - language film version of wolfgang amadeus mozart ' s singspiel die zauberflöte . the film is a co - production between france & the uk , produced by idéale audience and in association with uk ' s the peter moores foundation .
the magic flute # 71 bergman ' s film on mozart ' s opera is a delight to watch . even though he films the opera on stage , he films it in such a way you… | pinteres…
oon january 1 , 1975 , swedes huddled around their television sets . the overture of
the magic flute
began , and the camera panned across the audience of a baroque theater , finally landing on a child . hundreds of thousands of hearts were warmed on that cold nordic night as the camera periodically returned to the little girl documenting her involvement in mozart ' s opera . since then , countless more hearts have been warmed by ingmar bergman ' s
the magic flute ,
commonly considered the greatest opera film of all time .
what bergman does is to convey the actual magic of theater at its best .
the queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino , but he has to bring her back from her father and priest sarastro . she gives a magic flute to tamino and magic bells to the bird . . . see full summary »
the film has mostly received unusually good reviews in europe for a branagh film – his films generally receive better reviews in the us .
. set in the middle ages , the movie focuses on a court jester who discovers a magic flute that , when played , makes the townspeople dance uncontrollably . sounds innocent enough - - until a thief snatches away the flute and uses its powers to rob people of their gold . it ' s not quite the same adventure as in mozart ' s opera , but it ' s a magic flute nonetheless !
. set in the middle ages , the movie’s central character is a court jester who discovers a magic flute whose music makes the townspeople dance uncontrollably . innocent enough , until a thief snatches away the flute , intending to use its powers to rob people of their gold . it may not be exactly the same adventure as in mozart ' s opera , but it ' s a magic flute all the same . . .
chailley , jacques ( 1992 ) the magic flute unveiled : esoteric symbolism in mozart ' s masonic opera , an analysis of masonic and esoteric symbolism of the opera .
twenty - five years after its first appearance , bergman’s film of the magic flute remains the finest screen version of an opera ever produced . shot in sumptuous color by sven nykvist , and featuring some of the finest nordic singers of the day , the fi
he wrote his biography , the magic lantern in 1988 , and a book of memoirs , images : my life in film , in 1993 .
this weekend , the gold town nickelodeon in juneau , alaska , will be showing one of ingmar bergman’s most fascinating films , the magic flute . in the film , which is an exquisite reimagining of mozart’s 1791 opera of the same title , bergman adeptly m…
bergman uses a scene from
the magic flute
in his film
the hour of the wolf
that starts right around 5 : 30 in this youtube clip . it has a nice little explanation of at least one interpretation of the scene . urltoken
now , i am at a loss to understand why this film has been marginalized . branagh ' s
flute
is a joy .
ingmar bergman ' s ' the magic flute ' 1975 - a . k . a . trollflöjten all region dvd region 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 compatible starring josef köstlinger , irma urrila , ulrik cold . . . : urltoken josef köstlinger , irma urrila , ulrik cold : dvd & blu - ray
( 1984 ) , mozart ( tom hulce ) dismisses “the magic flute” as vaudeville . the jealous but perceptive salieri corrects mozart : “it is sublime . ” although “the marriage of figaro” and “don giovanni” represent mozart’s greatest achievements in opera , “the magic flute” is nearly an equal masterpiece that transcends its “vaudeville” genre . as with audio - only recorded performances , there have been numerous excellent filmed performances . both david mcvicar’s imaginative , yet traditional “flute” for the covent garden and
all requests to license audio or video footage produced by moma should be addressed to scala archives at firenze @ urltoken . motion picture film stills or motion picture footage from films in moma ' s film collection cannot be licensed by moma / scala . for licensing motion picture film footage it is advised to apply directly to the copyright holders . for access to motion picture film stills please contact the film study center . more information is also available about the film collection and the circulating film and video library .
i don’t think it’s possible to overstate the influence of ingmar bergman’s magic flute on just about every flute incarnation that’s appeared since . it’s arguably the most famous screen version of an opera ever made , though of course it has stiff competition from rosi’s carmen and zeffirelli’s traviata . when i overview the various non - stage adaptations of flute that i know of ( film , ballet , novel , comic book , etc . ) , they all seem to be based just as much on the bergman film as on the original libretto .
letting his hair down never came easily . in his only operatic film , a 1975 version of mozart’s magic flute staged in a studio mock - up of stockholm’s drottningholm palace , the true theme ( music’s power to soothe the soul ) was subordinated to a dramatically irrelevant survey of the war between the sexes , with sarastro and the queen of the night as “old flames” , bickering over their love - child , pamina — something mozart and his librettist , schikaneder , scarcely envisaged .
this article is licensed under the gnu free documentation license . it uses material from the wikipedia article
the _ magic _ flute
. allthough most wikipedia articles provide accurate information accuracy can not be guaranteed .
bergman has given life to the magic flute at the same time as presenting a theatre performance , yet since he is so at one with the theatre , the atmosphere is not broken but intensified . [ . . . ]
ingmar bergman ' s version of mozart ' s the magic flute isn ' t his most cinematic work - it ' s a film version of an opera and was originally shown on swedish tv . nonetheless , there are elements here which echo his other films .
in this film , mozart ' s opera the magic flute is brought to the screen . sung in swedish , the libretto remains as ever : a gentle parody of the initiation ceremonies of the masons , offered as an other - worldly fantasy involving a kidnapped princess , a vengeful queen of the night , and a carefree wanderer .
s john boorman once said , the making of a film turns money into light .
the greatest trick ingmar bergman pulls off is starting this off as an obviously stage bound opera and then slowly using all of his filmic gifts to turn
the magic flute
into pure cinema without the audience ever noticing .
the goethe institute and lieder alive ! were delighted to screen ingmar bergman’s famous 1975 film adaptation of mozart’s the magic flute as part of the goethe lnstitut film and exhibition series . hailed by many as the ‘finest screen version of an opera ever produced , ’ ingmar bergman puts his indelible stamp on mozart’s exquisite opera in this sublime rendering of one of the composer ' s best - loved works : a celebration of love , forgiveness , and the brotherhood of man . swedish baritone håkan hagegård , who was catapulted to world renown playing papageno in this bergman film , was present for an onstage interview with ruth felt , founder and president of san francisco performances , prior to the screening .
the queen of the night offers her daughter pamina to tamino , but he has to bring her back from her father and priest sarastro . she gives a magic flute to tamino and magic bells to the bird hunter papageno , who follows tamino and wants to find a wife . the duo travels in a journey of love and knowledge .
the magic flute became my companion through life . [ . . . ] sometime later i went to the malmö city theater . on the main stage , at least two operas were produced each season , and i voted ardently for us to stage the magic flute . i was eager to direct it myself . that could probably hava happened , had the therater not contracted with a german opera director of the old school for a whole year . he was around sixty years old and had directed during his legthy career most operas in existence . it was natural that he direct the magic flute , a monumental mastodon of a performance with heavy sets . for me , the disappointment was twofold .
hello ! yes , you ' re right about bergman ' s great version , which was a made - for - television film . what we should have said was the branagh ' s
magic flute
is the first time a film version of the opera was made specifically for the big screen . we ' ll re - word our blog post to reflect this - - thanks so much for the feedback !
future learning and skills – giving everyone the opportunity to build a lifelong relationship with film .
kenneth branagh ' s movie of the magic flute will outrage mozart purists by recasting the opera as an extravagant spiritual adventure set against a backdrop of the first world war . peter conrad , the first journalist on the set , reports on myth , mortar fire and coloratura
' s music that has been referenced in film and tv over the years . several movies , for example , have featured plot lines involving magical flutes - - like the 1976 animated film
the magic flute : arguably mozart ' s most famous opera , and a wondrous explosion of sound and feeling . who better to bring it to the screen than the filmmaker who understands human emotion and psychology better than any other : ingmar bergman .
without attempting to replicate exactly the theatre style of the day , bergman has brought the 18th century to life so effectively that it becomes the present , and the opera relevant to our own lives . with the magic flute he gives us a glimpse of eternal human concerns and emotional richness .
bergman’s decision to abandon film - making was taken after completing fanny and alexander .
the film , with a soundtrack performed by the chamber orchestra of europe conducted by james conlon , is the first motion picture version of the opera specifically intended for cinemas . ingmar bergman ' s 1975 film version was made for swedish television and only later released to theatres . branagh ' s version was shot in super 35 and released in anamorphic widescreen , while bergman ' s was filmed in academy ratio for television sets of the 1970s .
cameron dokey , sunlight and shadow , ( part of the once upon a time series ) , 2004 , a retelling of the magic flute for teen readers ; dokey ' s novel also states that sarastro is pamina ' s father .
papageno appears with pamina , following the distant sound of tamino ' s flute . the two are suddenly captured by monostatos and his slaves . papageno then works an enchantment on the slaves using his magic bells , and they dance , mesmerised by the music of the bells , off the stage .
my enjoyment of the magic flute was much enhanced by watching ingmar bergman’s marvellous film adaptation . made for swedish television in 1975 and filmed as though in a theatre , the whole performance is imbued bergman ' s delight in all aspects of mozart’s opera . as the overture plays the camera focuses on the reactions of different audience members . some are thoughtful , some smiling and others in tears – perfectly in keeping with the music’s nervous energy , oscillating between sadness and joy . we keep returning to one cherubic girl , whose features resemble that of the child mozart : she becomes an emblem of our inner child .
played the toronto international film festival , but there’s no u . s . edition of the dvd yet . you
bergman clearly felt an uncontrollable lust for each mode of expression and also tried his hand at composing a number of times . one of his hero ' s was mozart and a longstanding passion project of his was to stage a rendition of mozart ' s most famous opera the magic flute . bergman attacked this project with a gusto and enthusiasm that i have not seen in any of his movies . his joy and desire at finally given the chance to film a dream project for swedish tv shines through all of bergman ' s edition of the magic flute .
his
magic flute
is directed with a cheerful relish for its fairy - tale adventures , its young lovers and sinister sorcerers and improbable special effects . to film it , he decided to stay in the period , to approach the work head on and in its own spirit as a sort of spooky , funny bedtime story .
theatre and film offered an escape from a home life where personal feelings were suppressed .
in mozart , there’s often this sense that the rules are for everyone else . in the composer’s most popular opera , the music seems to go where it wants when it wants , laws of man and nature be damned . it’s not for nothing that it’s called the magic flute .
production country : sweden swedish distributor ( 35 mm ) : svensk filmindustri , svenska filminstitutet laboratory : filmteknik ab production company : cinematograph ab , tv2 , sveriges radio ab . ljudradion original work : die zauberflöte ( opera ) aspect ratio : 1 , 37 : 1 colour system : eastman color sound system : magnetisk stereo original length ( minutes ) : 135 censorship : 114 . 973 date : 1975 - 09 - 26 age limit : 11 years and over length : 3705 metres censorship : 115 . 104 date : 1975 - 10 - 30 age limit : general length : 3705 metres release date : 1975 - 10 - 04 röda kvarn , stockholm , sweden , 135 minutes
one of history’s great composers meets one of history’s great directors as ingmar bergman presents wolfgang amadeus mozart’s the magic flute , where brave tamino ( josef köstlinger ) and foolhardy papageno ( håken hagegård ) face three divine trials for love armed with their magical musical instruments . colourful and taken from a comical opera , this is some steps away from the monochromatic and joyless world that bergman is unfairly labelled with and provides a thorough and definitive take on the magic flute , albeit in bergman’s swedish rather than the native german .
sorry , but i must take issue with the statement
in 2006 , kenneth branagh brought the magic flute to movie theater screens for the first time
i remember very well my first introduction to this opera , bergman ' s
trollflöjten
. ( see : urltoken
this film is the only time in animation that johan appears with dotted eyes , which is based on his comic book appearance . the hanna - barbara cartoon series released several years after the film depicted him with larger eyes .
due to the liberties it takes with the score and text , i wouldn’t call trollflöjten an ideal introduction to the magic flute , but it’s definitely a must - see for lovers of mozart’s final masterpiece . its creativity , richly varying atmosphere , and perfect combination of fairy - tale charm and genuine depth make it worthy of its status as possibly the world’s most revered opera film .
marion zimmer bradley , night ' s daughter , a novel based on the magic flute , 1985 . it sets the story in an atlantis - like world with human - animal hybrid creatures . bradley enthusiastically agrees with bergman that sarastro is pamina ' s father .
the sense of place is as pervasive as a character in “moss , ” a film by daniel peddle .
shown at the toronto and venice film festivals four months later , branagh ' s
flute
was not disliked , but it failed to generate much enthusiasm . since then the film has had limited release in parts of europe , asia and south america and has been moderately well received . french and british dvd versions have been released . but the film has never been shown in the united states , and there is no word about a domestic dvd .
the concerns , as in the previous cases , turned out to be unfounded . through sales to several foreign tv networks , tv2 made a tidy profit from the magic flute – a couple of million . also internationally , the film garnered acclaim . and as recently as during the 250th anniversary of mozart ' s birth in 2006 , bergman ' s interpretation was one the most frequently named and requested ' mozart works ' .
mozart ' s magic flute is one of the world ' s best loved operas . the first ever performance took place on 30 september 1791 at the theater auf der wieden in vienna , where librettist emanuel schikaneder was the theatre manager . the first performance in sweden took place on 30 march 1812 at the royal opera in stockholm .
the star , though , is the animation . the magic flute can withstand great manipulation and still come through with its spirit intact . this one does that much , and often much more . if it’s the mozart you come for , though , put on a recording , and just sit still . the music does the rest .
it might just be because i don ' t like musicals but this film just doesn ' t do anything for me . bergman was very fond of this film but i am not .
, directing a new version of mozart ' s opera the magic flute , has just begun turning money - exactly £15 . 4m of it , supplied by the peter moores foundation - into both light and sound . during a dank winter , the draughty hangars at shepperton studios resounded with the music of spheres : the high - pitched hysteria of a soprano and the patriarchal rumbling of a bass , the consoling lilt of the flute and the inane tinkling of the glockenspiel . heaven had bumped down to earth on the ragged outskirts of london .
because the film has not played in los angeles yet , it still has not qualified for any academy awards .
this hungarian film is a careful , compassionate and beautifully acted character drama with a social conscience .
the movies enjoyed by my father , ingmar bergman , every day at three o’clock in his private cinema on the island of fårö were often old black - and - white classics , well - remembered ones as well as forgotten ones . stepping through the rust - coloured door of the barn – leaving the blinding fårö light for the embracing gloom of the cinema – is a special experience . at first , the darkness seems compact . you grope your way to your seat , sit down and let your eyes adjust to the sparse light . now the huge tapestry depicting the magic flute on fårö slowly emerges . one august evening in 1974 , beneath a full moon , ingmar’s opera film the magic flute had its very first screening in the old barn , whose transformation into a cinema had just been completed .
every director has problems with the symbolism at the end of
the magic flute ,
especially with making the trials by water and fire feel meaningful . branagh offers nice touches . the couple are caught in a battlefield and flood . but opera is opera , and branagh knows better than to artificially tie up all loose ends .
any novices expecting a witty romantic comedy in the vein of the mozart - da ponte collaborations like le nozze di figaro or cosi fan tutte will be surprised . the plot of the magic flute is more akin to a fairy tale : a noble prince is ordered by the mysterious queen of the night to rescue a beautiful princess who has been kidnapped .
revolver entertainment is giving the film a theatrical release in the united states in june 2013 , seven years after its premiere in europe .
there is another line that merges with my love for the magic flute . as a boy i loved roam around . one october day i set out fot drottningholm ( in stockholm ) to see its unique court theater from the eighteenth century . for some reason the stage door was unlocked . i walked inside and saw for the first time the carefully restored baroque theater . i remember distinctly what a bewitching experience it was : the effect of chiaroscuro , the silence , the stage . in my imagination i have always seen the magic flute living inside that old theater , in that keenly acoustical wooden box , with its slanted stage floor , its backdrops and wings . here lies the noble , magical illusion of theater . nothing is ; everything represents . the moment the curtain is raised , an agreement between stage and audience manifest itself . and now , together , we ' ll create ! in other words , it is obvious that the drama of the magic flute should unfold in a baroque theater .
, who saw the film at the venice film festival , gave it a mixed review . however , he confused the characters sarastro ( the wise and kindly enemy of the queen of the night ) and monostatos ( his lecherous henchman , who tries to rape pamina and eventually defects to the queen ' s side ) .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
ingmar bergman puts his indelible stamp on mozart’s exquisite opera in this sublime rendering of one of the composer’s best - loved works : a celebration of love , forgiveness , and the brotherhood of man . the magic flute ( trollflöjten ) stars josef köstlinger as tamino , the young man determined to rescue a beautiful princess from the clutches of parental evil .
this film is not currently playing on mubi but 30 other great films are . see what’s now showing
the program included martha graham at 100 : a personal birthday message from donya feuer ( 1994 ) ; ett spel om f örem ål och m änniskor ( a play for objects and chorus ) ( 1967 ) ; and the nijinsky films : a life and requiem for a dancer ( 1975 ) .
on 11 june 2013 , seven years after its premiere , the film was finally released on a region 1 dvd in the united states .
criticised elley and others for apparently not informing themselves more about the original opera before they began to write their reviews of the branagh film .
another sjöström film – his first hollywood production – was the last film i watched in the cinema with ingmar , at easter in 2006 . he who gets slapped ( 1924 ) , starring the wonderful lon chaney , is set in the world of the circus . this was mgm’s first production , and the roaring , ravenous circus lion doesn’t just appear in the film , but also makes its debut in mgm’s famous production logo . it’s a film with connections to [ bergman’s own ] sawdust and tinsel ( gycklarnas afton , 1953 ) . shame and humiliation , the pain of the white clown , the tension between bourgeois life and the life of the artist , the clown and the rage – it’s all there in this masterful silent film , made by the director most dear to ingmar .
opera is hard to present as a movie , particularly an opera like the magic flute where the mixture of fairy - tale fantasy , serious concept risk at lesser hands to present a hodgepodge with no real idea what the director has in mind . alternatively , others may strive to stress the imagery to the detriment of the substance . losey ' s don giovanni is a case in point , where the sheer beauty of the surroundings averted attention from the music . there can be no better magic flute than bergman ' s . the gradual movement of the story from the initial sight of the obviously fake scenery to the sublime ending where we are really transposed in the realm of sarastro is incredible . the occasional pictures of members of the audience listening raptly is a marvelous touch . no words can do justice to this masterpiece . watch it .
this film was not produced by hanna - barbera , the makers of the 1980s saturday morning tv series the smurfs ( 1981 ) . it was originally made in belgium ( the native country of
smurfs
creator peyo ) by the animation studio belvision in 1975 . the film was brought to the united states by stuart r . ross , and his company first performance pictures . ross acquired the north american rights to the film for us $ 1 million , and produced the dubbed english language version for the us market , with a non - union voice cast who frequently worked on english dubs for japanese animation . ( there was an earlier english dubbed version of this film done for release in the uk , dubbed by british actors . ) the rights were then sold to three different american companies : atlantic releasing ( for the us theatrical release ) , tribune entertainment ( for television ) , and vestron video ( for home video ) .
this film was not produced by hanna - barbera , the makers of the 1980s saturday morning tv series the smurfs ( 1981 ) . it was originally made in belgium ( the native country of
smurfs
creator peyo ) by the animation studio belvision in 1975 . the film was brought to the united states by stuart r . ross , and his company first performance pictures . ross acquired the north american rights to the film for us $ 1 million , and produced the dubbed english language version for the us market , with a non - union voice cast who frequently worked on english dubs for japanese animation . ( there was an earlier english dubbed version of this film done for release in the uk , dubbed by british actors . ) the rights were then sold to three different american companies : atlantic releasing ( for the us theatrical release ) , tribune entertainment ( for television ) , and vestron video ( for home video ) .
the reason that smurfette does not appear in this film adaptation is that the original comic book story this film was based upon was published several years before she made her debut (
la schtroumpfette
/
the smurfette
) in 1966 . similarly , the evil sorcerer gargamel ( along with his pet cat azrael ) does not appear in this film , because he made his debut in an early story (
le voleur de schtroumpfs
/
the smurfnapper
) in the smurfs ' own comic series in 1959 , a year after
the smurfs and the magic flute
( although he did appear in some of t . v . a . dupuis ' b & w ; animated tv shorts from the early 60s ) .
i was twelve years old when i saw the magic flute for the first time at the royal opera house in stockholm . [ . . . ] i already had my puppet theater . i mainly performed whatever stories i could find in the collections of children ' s fairy tales . there were four of us about the same age who were involved with the theater . [ . . . ] we made everything ourselves : the puppets , the costumes for each puppet , the scenary , and the lights . we had a revolving stage , a set that could be lowered , and a curved panoramic backdrop . we become increasingly sophisticated in our choice of plays . more and more , i began to look for plays that required complicated lighting and frequent changes of scenary . therefore , it seemed rather natural that the magic flute began to occupy a large place in the imagination of the head of this theater . one evening the director saw the magic flute performed and decided to do a production of the play . unfortunately , the project fell through because it was too expensive for us to purchase a complete recording of the opera .
his parents’ courtship and early life together formed the subject of the film the best intentions , which bille august directed in 1992 from a script by ingmar bergman .
with production design by henny normak ( who also assisted karen erskine in costume design ) and sets by anna lee - hansen and emilio moliner , bergman solves most of the problems with filmed opera . he emphasizes “the magic flute”‘s artificiality , wittily elevating us past the banality of hyperrealism . by utilizing the malleability of film as a medium , bergman avoids the traps of limited action in the opera’s “real time , ” employing inviting close - ups which , for once , are not gimmicky .
the magic flute , with its mixture of solemn ritual and nonsensical pantomime , usually takes place in an exotic fantasyland . when ingmar bergman filmed the opera in 1975 , he surrendered to the artifice by setting it in a theatre , with an audience of enraptured , unquestioning children . branagh , who is writing the screenplay himself , wants his version to be tougher , harsher ; he is also keen to give mozart ' s story about two courting couples an epic breadth , so he set the opera in a combat zone during the first world war . the queen of the night , mozart ' s villain , enters astride a tank , and sarastro , the humane conscience of the story , shelters refugees in a field hospital .
as a moviegoer , ingmar was practically childish . and a professional . and excited . he didn’t indulge in intellectual analysis or the reflections of a cineaste . the greatest praise that could be bestowed on a film was : “the best flick of the summer – a real fårö film . ”
the film has also been released on dvd in the netherlands ( in a three - disc set ) , finland , argentina , and japan .
in film after film , bergman put the knife into matrimony , culminating in the harrowing scenes from a marriage ( 1973 ) , shot originally for television but subsequently condensed into a shorter ( but still exceptionally long ) 168 - minute version for cinemas .
* ken wlaschin is author of
opera on screen
and several other books on opera and film .
next week i ' ll be looking at the film that ( at last ) brings together the talents of bergman and david carradine , the serpent ' s egg .
the queen of the night ( birgit nordin ) offers his daughter pamina ( irma urrila ) to tamino ( josef köstlinger ) , but he has to bring her back from her father and priest sarastro ( ulrik cold ) . she gives a magic flute to tamino and magic bells to the bird hunter papageno ( håkan hagegård ) , who follows tamino and wants to find a wife . the duo travels in a journey of love and knowledge . ingmar bergman ' s adaptation of the last opera of mozart to the cinema is a homage of the master to the opera and theater . sang in swedish and divided in three parts , bergman shows faces of the audience in the overture ( i particularly did not like this part ) ; the first act ; the intermission , showing the backstage ; and the second and last act . the cast in general is very beautiful , highlighting the singer irma urrila . my vote is seven . title ( brazil ) :
a flauta mágica
(
the magic flute
)
productions are dominated by just one of these qualities – which one depends on the director , set designer , etc . – but this film , like mozart’s music , contains them all . in my opinion this multilayered atmosphere is what makes the film outstanding .
as i have not seen the original production of the magic flute i cannot comment on what bergman has changed , but what he presents . the film follows prince tamino ( josef kostlinger ) and his bumbling friend papageno ( hakan hagegard ) as they journey to save the life of pamina ( irma urrila ) . they are given this task shortly after prince tamino ' s life is saved by the rather voluptuous three ladies ( britt - marie aruhn , birgitta smiding , kirsten vaupel ) who are under the employ of the queen of the night ( birgit nordin ) . prince tamino and papageno are given a magical flute , some bells , and are sent off on their merry quest .
he became director of the helsingborg city theatre in 1944 , the same year that saw his first film script , frenzy , brought to the big screen by alf sjoberg .
an interview with writer / director boots riley about his incendiary new film ,
sorry to bother you .
an oddity . feels like a pet project as when burton made ' charlie & the chocolate factory ' or jackson ' king kong ' . of course , ' the magic flute ' is not risible like those two wrong - headed indulgences , but the enthusiasm belongs to bergman to be glimpsed by the audience . this giddiness however makes it the only truly * * cute * * bergman film i ' ve ever seen ! it ' s pretty darling . švankmajer went further with ' faust ' , though .
in 1920 cambridge philosopher goldsworthy lowes dickinson wrote a literary epilogue to the magic flute which oddly anticipates branagh ' s scenario . in the aftermath of the first world war , dickinson sends the hero , tamino , on a search for faith , during which he experiments with christianity and buddhism . we are now living in the new age , so for branagh the spiritual quest has become a matter of personal growth . as the producer pierre - olivier bardet told me : ' it is a film about becoming an adult , becoming a true human . '
barbara trapido , temples of delight , 1990 . a novel which , though set in contemporary england , takes its structure very loosely from the magic flute . characters in the novel are analogous to pamina , tamino , papageno and sarastro although the novel strays heavily from the original plot with the ' pamina ' character ultimately rejecting ' tamino ' in favour of a romantic relationship with ' sarastro ' .
bergman was the archetypal auteur — a phrase reserved for film - makers who stamped their own personality on their work both through the script and in the way their movies looked .
the comedy in the magic flute is retained faithfully in the film . as in the opera , the beautiful young papagena pretends to be an old woman as part of one of the tests that papageno must undergo before winning her and , again as in the original work , the film audience sees her only as an old woman until near the end ( except in a two - paged spread that papageno reads ) . however , because this is possible on film , the old papagena is played by a genuine elderly woman ( liz smith in a non - singing role ) , not by soprano silvia moi , who plays the young papagena , while in stage versions of the opera , both characters are always played by the same singer , who , as the old woman , either covers her face and speaks with a cackle , or dons an
old woman
mask which she conveniently throws off when she turns into the young version of herself .
despite negative reviews , this film was a major success at the box - office , grossing us $ 11 million from 432 theaters . at the time , this was the highest on record for a non - disney film , only to be surpassed by the care bears movie ( 1985 ) in 1985 . this film was also among atlantic releasing ' s all - time top five movies at the box office , and upon its success , atlantic established their new ( but short - lived ) children ' s film label , clubhouse pictures , to release more animated features .
back to le clézio : “film is always now . ” though , in fact , everything is over – the actors are somewhere else . or , as ingmar often exclaimed while watching an old film , “to think that everyone we see is dead ! ”
feuer’s collection stamps a paramount moment for dance on film that encouraged curiosity and provoked deep contemplation about captured movement . this series at moma allows us to peek into the marriage of dance and film that is expressive , archival , experimental , and visually captivating .
even so , branagh ' s final image - to be filled in by computer graphics - will hark back to the rational 18th century , when music symbolised harmony and promised to restore paradise . as the last chords die away , the flute twirls weightlessly in mid - air , turned to radiant gold by the sun . it may be too late for mozart to save our hell - bent world . even so , it ' s pleasing to think that , thanks to voyager , the magic flute may one day entertain the angels , or convert extra - terrestrials to opera .
peter cowie is the author of ingmar bergman : a critical biography ( limelight ) , and the editor of the annual international film guide . he is international publishing director of variety .
greatest example of opera on film . rather than present this most stagy and fantastical of operas as “real , ” bergman frames the film as a stage performance at sweden’s historic drottningholm court theatre , from the viewpoint of a little girl in the audience to whom the camera constantly returns . throughout act i the opera’s pastel - colored fairy - tale setting
that set the story during world war i , with the german libretto translated to english by stephen fry , and music conducted by james conlon . branagh ' s film is the first time
, setting the story during world war i , with the german libretto translated to english by stephen fry , and music conducted by james conlon . branagh ' s film is the first time
this has the unfortunate effect of shattering the illusion from both ends . film , for the most part , requires a greater degree of realism and suspension of disbelief from the audience in order for it to function properly . the stage is a place for big emotion and can get away with a larger degree of artificiality that just doesn ' t work in film ( see dogville for a good reason about why stage ideas just don ' t always translate well to film ) .
bergman used to help a local projectionist with film screenings , and went on to train as an actor and director at the university of stockholm .
the cinematic version , cut down from a five - hour long tv mini - series , earned a third best foreign film oscar in 1982 .
with lengths of film purchased from a local photography shop , he began splicing together his own short dramas from “found” material .
everyone else is mental ! giving this film such high ratings . i am a fan of mozart and i have a high tolerance for lengthy foreign films and musicals , bu this was near unbearable . i usual enjoy the songs from this opera , but they are now banned for a year , because of the bad memories from this film . it ' s so long and for some reason the camera pans to members of the audience for the first four minutes of the film . and throughout the opera at random points the camera pans to some little girl in the audience watching the opera . i mean wtf ? ? i thought i was watching the opera . do not rent this film ! ! it
s so boring !
the critics shared bergman ' s enthusiasm .
an absolutely dazzling film entertainment , so full of beauty , intelligence , wit and fun ,
raved vincent canby of the
3 - parsifal - wagner dir . hans - jürgen syberberg , 1982 not just a film of the opera but a meditation on the tragic german history that followed it .
he entered the swedish film industry in 1941 , initially as a script doctor , and in 1944 he was asked to write the screenplay for alf sjöberg’s film frenzy . a tale of teenage angst , it starred the young mai zetterling and became a big international hit , paving the way for bergman to graduate to direction in 1946 with crisis .
is an odd mix of romantic fantasy and promotion of freemasonry , of which mozart was a member . but there ' s no need to support masonic ideals to enjoy both the sprightly story and the lilting melodies . the queen of the night asks the knight tamino to rescue her daughter pamina from the priest sarastro . in exchange , she offers tamino pamina ' s hand in marriage . to help tamino in his quest , she gives him a magic flute . the bird hunter papageno , who is looking for a wife , goes with tamino , and the queen gives him magic bells . but once they arrive at sarastro ' s temple , they find that the situation is not what the queen has described .
one of the taglines on the original us release poster says ,
it ' s the smurfs ' one and only full - length motion picture . . . ever !
in actuality , it was preceded in belgium by the 1965 b & w ; animated compilation film , the adventures of the smurfs ( 1965 ) ( which was forgotten and rarely seen since then , having been overshadowed by this film ' s success in belgium ) , and was later followed by the 2011 live - action film , the smurfs ( 2011 ) , produced by sony pictures animation .
' s classic arias that have been referenced on screens big and small over the years . several movies have had plot lines involving magical flutes - - like the 1976 animated film
told from the perspective of two children who suffer when their mother remarries a clergyman , the film is more warm - hearted and sentimental than bergman ' s austere earlier work .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
the film , currently back in cinemas to celebrate its 50th anniversary , was said to echo modern fears of a nuclear holocaust and became an arthouse classic .
he saw the films made by most of his younger colleagues . i was struck by the generosity of his comments . he was often genuinely sad and hurt if you didn’t like the film on offer .
to mark the occasion , the swedish film institute set up a prize in his name to be awarded annually for distinction in film - making . bergman’s last two films were from the life of the marionettes ( 1980 ) and fanny and alexander ( 1982 ) , the nostalgic and life - affirming evocation of his childhood days , which was universally acknowledged as a consummate swan - song .
i first saw ingmar bergman ' s version of w . a . mozart ' s ( 1756 - 1791 ) die zauberflote on betamax way back in the 90 ' s . i really fell in love with mozart ' s works after that . this terrific 1975 rendition is magical and stays true to what mozart probably intended it to be . a great opera singspiel .
what sets this film aside from bergman ' s many other productions is the aforementioned attempt at capturing the joy of multiple forms of performance art . from the first frame we see that bergman is intending this film to showcase his love of music , theater and film all in one go . the opening shots consist of crowd members young and old , male and female , of many races simply sitting in rapt attention of the overture that wafts through the theater . bergman constantly reminds us that this is a theatrical production by cutting back to the crowd and showing the myriad of set changes that take place throughout the show .
in syndicated televised versions of the movie , the smurfs ' party sequence , which originally took place after the completion of the flute and just before sir johan and peewit return back to homnibus , was shifted to the beginning of the movie , right after the jousting tournament and peewit ' s song of friendship , with some narration added .
at a time when filmmakers are being invited into the opera house in record numbers and when the metropolitan opera and other companies can sell out hd broadcasts to movie theaters , taking a chance on the
flute
hardly seems like taking a chance . lots of movies don ' t do well . they ' re junk , and everybody knows it from the start . this
flute ,
on the other hand , could be a surprise modest success .