Trollflöjten (1975)

During the overture, we see the faces of people in the theater audience. The camera moves from one face to another in time with the music: old and young, men and women. They all seem to be enjoying the overture. The camera returns several times to a girl with a slightly enigmatic, Mona Lisa-like smile. The girl’s name was not listed in the cast. But the day after the film was first broadcast on television, the headline on the front page of Dagens Nyheter read: “THE GIRL FROM THE MAGIC FLUTE—HER NAME IS HELENE.” The story takes place in “fairy-tale times,” in an imaginary kingdom. Prince Tamino has lost his way while hunting and wandered into a strange forest, where a terrible dragon pursues him and threatens to eat him. Just as he faints, Three Ladies—servants of the Queen of the Night, ruler of the kingdom—come to his aid and kill the dragon. All three fall in love with him, and each wants to be left alone with him. But they all refuse, so the three of them set off to tell the queen. Papageno—a bird-catcher with a panpipe on his chest and a large birdcage on his back—happens to come onstage just as Tamino comes to. Tamino thinks Papageno saved his life, and Papageno is quite happy to take the credit. The Three Ladies reprimand Papageno and put a padlock on his mouth as punishment. They then explain to Tamino that the Queen of the Night sent them to ask him to free her daughter Pamina from Sarastro, who is alleged to have abducted her. In the film—but not in the opera—Sarastro is Pamina’s father. They give Tamino a picture of Pamina, and he falls in love with her at once. The Queen of the Night then appears in the sky, expresses her great sorrow that Pamina has been abducted, and promises Tamino that if he can free Pamina, he may have her as his wife. She gives Tamino a magic flute to save him from danger. Tamino swears by the salvation of his soul that he will free Pamina. After further reprimands, the Three Ladies release Papageno from his mouth-lock and order him to accompany Tamino on his rescue mission. Papageno is very reluctant, but is persuaded—though unwillingly—by a gift from the Three Ladies: a magic glockenspiel that can make even the angriest man “good and kind.” Neither Tamino nor Papageno knows where Sarastro’s castle is. Just as the Three Ladies are about to explain, an air balloon carrying three boys descends from the sky. They say they will guide Tamino and Papageno if the two of them are “fearless, patient, and silent.” Tamino and Papageno follow the boys’ balloon, but get separated on the way to Sarastro’s palace. In the next scene, we see Monostatos, a Moorish servant of Sarastro, in a palace courtyard at night with Pamina. Monostatos tries to force his love on Pamina, but she resists. Papageno catches sight of her and gets into an argument with Monostatos. Monostatos locks them both up and leaves. Papageno tells Pamina that he and Tamino have come to rescue her, sent by the Queen of the Night. Pamina sees a picture of Tamino and falls in love with him. Papageno says Tamino is a prince who has been charged with freeing her, and that Tamino is in love with Pamina. After singing a duet about how sweet love is, they hurry away. Scene change. We now see Tamino, led by the three boys, in another temple courtyard with three large gates. When Tamino asks when Pamina will be rescued, the boys again urge him to be fearless, patient, and silent. They leave him, and after summoning his courage he knocks on the temple gates. At the first two gates he is told to turn back, but the third is opened by the Speaker, a priest in the Temple of the Sacred. When asked what he wants, Tamino explains that he has come to free Pamina from Sarastro, whom he considers “a scoundrel, a tyrant.” The Speaker explains that Sarastro is a great and wise leader of the order whose temple they are in, and that Tamino has been deceived by the Queen of the Night. He says that Tamino can only get answers to his questions about Pamina “as soon as you are bound by the bonds of friendship, into the temple’s service by the hand of a brother.” The Speaker then withdraws. The answer leaves Tamino distraught, and he calls out into the night, pleading to know when he will understand the truth. A chorus answers from the darkness, “Soon, soon, or never again.” Tamino demands to know whether Pamina is alive, and the chorus says that she is. Tamino is immediately relieved and takes out his magic flute, playing it in gratitude. As he plays, the wild animals of the forest gather around him and listen. He then hears Papageno’s panpipe answering his own flute. Convinced that Pamina must be with Papageno, he hurries off. In the next scene, we see Papageno and Pamina hurrying through Sarastro’s palace, fleeing Monostatos. Monostatos catches up with them and wants to throw them into prison. Papageno saves the situation by playing his glockenspiel. Monostatos and his slaves are immediately tamed by the music, like lambs, and dance away. Suddenly, a trumpet fanfare sounds: Sarastro is returning from the hunt. Papageno is terrified and wishes he could sink into the earth like a worm, but Pamina persuades both him and herself that they must tell the truth. A large crowd welcomes Sarastro as a good ruler who makes his subjects happy, and Papageno and Pamina kneel before him. Pamina explains that she was trying to escape Monostatos’s assault and that she is in love with Tamino. Sarastro says he knows all about it and knows Tamino as well, but that he cannot set her free. Pamina pleads that her mother will grieve for her, but Sarastro dismisses this, saying that her mother is proud and weak and would ruin Pamina’s life if she were allowed to “steer the ship.” Sarastro, he says, is the one who must raise Pamina. This suggests a custody dispute following a “divorce” between the Queen of the Night and Sarastro. They are interrupted by Monostatos and his slaves, who have captured Tamino. Monostatos tries to ingratiate himself with Sarastro by emphasizing his loyalty and Tamino’s treachery, and asks for a reward for capturing Tamino. Sarastro replies, “Indeed, you shall have your reward,” but instead sentences Monostatos to 555 lashes—he has evidently seen through Monostatos’s “loyalty.” Sarastro then orders Tamino and Papageno to be taken to the House of Trials, so that their minds may be purified. The crowd sings another chorus in praise of Sarastro. End of Act One. Curtain. Act Two opens with entr’acte music usually called “The March of the Priests.” As this very calm, beautiful eighteenth-century music plays, we see images of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre and the park around Drottningholm Palace at spring dusk. Bergman mixes exteriors with interiors to create a very charming eighteenth-century atmosphere. But he has also amused himself by inserting a few anachronisms: the Queen of the Night (Birgit Nordin) sits at her dressing table and takes a puff on a cigarette; Sarastro (Ulrik Cold) studies the score of Wagner’s opera Parsifal; and one of the child extras is reading Donald Duck. Just before the entr’acte music ends, we return to the smiling girl’s face that we saw during the overture. The curtain rises, and we see Sarastro with his council of twelve priests from the order. Sarastro explains that he had Pamina taken away from her mother because she is an evil person, driven by pride and intent on destroying the brotherhood. But he has planned for Tamino and Pamina to marry—all of this is therefore one great plan on Sarastro’s part—and for the two of them to lead the order, because “in the true love between two people lies the beginning of wisdom.” First, however, they must undergo three trials to prove that they can face them bravely. Sarastro intends to retire. He asks the priests present whether they like and approve of his proposal. They all answer, “Yes!” Then they pray to the gods they worship that Tamino and Pamina will pass their trials. New scene: We see Tamino and Papageno enter the House of Trials, led by two guards. Their blindfolds are removed. The guard who has led Tamino asks whether he is ready to undergo his trials. Tamino replies with dignity that he is, and that the path to wisdom and Pamina’s love will be his reward. The other guard is far more blasé when he asks Papageno whether he wants to strive for wisdom. Papageno declines; having enough to eat and drink is all he needs. The guard then tempts him with the offer of a well-behaved wife, young and beautiful and like Papageno in both shape and dress, whom Sarastro has reserved especially for him. Papageno eagerly says yes and wants to meet her. The guard replies that he will, but Papageno must not say a word to her. Papageno promises, and the guard leaves, muttering, “Well, well, what kind of people are they sending us?” It grows dark, and the first guard says, “Soon you will face your first trial.” The first trial consists of Tamino and Papageno meeting the Three Ladies, servants of the Queen of the Night. They threaten them with all sorts of horrors Sarastro will inflict on them if they do not flee at once. As they sing, their faces turn into skulls: they are apparitions conjured up by Sarastro and the priests. Papageno is terrified and begs Tamino to obey the ladies and flee. Tamino tries to comfort Papageno and get him to resist the ladies’ alternating temptations and threats. At last, the priests intervene, hurling annihilating bolts of lightning at the ladies, who disappear. Papageno sinks to the ground, moaning. The second guard comes forward, tells Papageno to be a man, and urges him to come along. Papageno mutters, “As long as love doesn’t fly away because of all this endless walking,” and follows reluctantly. Scene change. We see a beautiful garden, where Pamina is lying asleep on a bed. This entire scene may be Pamina’s nightmare or half-dream—we do not know. We see Monostatos come forward and sing of his unrequited love for Pamina, which consumes his body and soul. He is just about to throw himself on her when the Queen of the Night emerges from the shadows with her ladies-in-waiting. She contemptuously dismisses Monostatos, who bows and slinks away. Pamina wakes and embraces her mother. She asks whether her mother has come to take her away. The Queen of the Night says nothing. Pamina becomes frightened. The Queen of the Night hands Pamina a dagger and sings her aria (No. 14), demanding that Pamina kill Sarastro. During the aria, the queen changes from a furious, vengeful woman into an insect-like monster—the embodiment of death. She disappears, and Monostatos comes forward obsequiously, demanding Pamina’s love. She refuses. Monostatos says, “Then you will die.” Monostatos disappears, and Pamina wakes up crying. Sarastro is now at her side. Pamina earnestly begs him not to take revenge on her mother. Sarastro tries to comfort her by telling her she has had an evil dream. He sings her to sleep (Aria No. 15), saying he harbors no evil designs. He strokes her cheek and leaves. Pamina pretends to be comforted, but her understanding is now greater than Sarastro’s, and she has seen through her mother. We return to the House of Trials, where the first guard explains to Tamino that he will soon see Pamina, but must not say a word to her. The second guard warns Papageno that whoever breaks the silence here will be punished by the gods. Tamino sits on a bench while Papageno wanders around the room. Papageno sings about wanting “a good and faithful wife,” but Tamino shushes him. A somewhat faded-looking woman arrives and offers Papageno a glass of water. Papageno immediately begins jokingly flirting with her. They laugh together, and Papageno pulls her onto his lap as they fool around. When Papageno asks her name, she answers, “My name is Papagena.” Her face changes into that of a very beautiful young woman, and her clothes resemble Papageno’s. She disappears. Papageno becomes hysterical and runs off screaming. Then comes Tamino and Pamina’s second trial. Pamina enters the room beaming with joy and speaks to Tamino, who keeps his promise not to answer. Pamina is distraught, believing that he no longer loves her. After declaring in Aria No. 17 that she will take her own life if that is the case, she rushes out. Tamino buries his face in his hands, devastated. Scene change: We see a palace courtyard at dawn. It is snowing. The three boys spot Pamina from their balloon and see that she is about to take her own life. They intervene and speak to her. They tell her that Tamino really does love her, and that he would be destroyed if she killed herself. At first she doubts them, but they convince her, and she goes with them. New scene: We see Papageno in an autumn forest. It is snowing. Papageno runs around calling for Papagena. He blows his panpipe three times. There is no answer. He decides to hang himself from a tree. He takes out a rope and is just about to throw it over a branch when the three boys appear in their balloon. They throw snowballs at him and urge him not to kill himself, because “if you die, your one and only life will be wasted.” They are now playful and mocking, unlike when they prevented Pamina’s suicide. They remind him of his glockenspiel, which is “an irresistible instrument of seduction.” Papageno brightens and begins to play. He calls for his Papagena. The boys tell him to turn around. There she is! Autumn immediately turns to spring. The snow disappears, and Papageno and Papagena embrace and tear off each other’s outer clothes. They sing of how happy they will be and how many children they will have: “First a little Pa-pa-pa-papagena, then a little Pa-pa-papageno.” They kiss. Scene change. We see the priests’ council and Sarastro. They watch with interest, as if from above, everything that has happened. We sense that the third—and decisive—trial is about to begin. The first priest from the council tells Pamina to go and find Tamino and give him his flute. He tells her to follow him to the House of Trials. The priests begin a hopeful hymn whose words say that dawn is now approaching. Soon Tamino will be worthy to enter their brotherhood. Sarastro tells Tamino that his third trial now remains. Tamino is in a wild, mountainous landscape, with threatening, savage shadows. Two guards in armor point toward the entrance to a cave and sing, in something like a Bach chorale, a threatening yet hopeful instruction: Tamino must pass through Fire and Water to become worthy. Tamino hears Pamina calling him and asks whether he may speak with her. He is allowed to, and they take each other’s hands before entering the cave together. Bergman writes in a comment: “Pamina at the beginning of the play: a young, dreamy, rather insignificant girl! Pamina at this moment: a mature, confident, loving woman. The same can be said of Tamino, who is now on his way to becoming a fully grown man, made worthy by his trials to continue Sarastro’s leadership of the kingdom and the order through his love for Pamina.” Tamino plays his magic flute as he and Pamina walk through the fire: first theatrical fire in the form of waving silk curtains, then real fire. In the flames we see charred, twisted, suffering human beings. We hear them scream. They then enter the water, which at first consists of theatrical waves at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre but turns into real water. There we see drowned bodies swaying like seaweed. As Tamino plays, Pamina follows him with her arm around his waist. They emerge from the water and thank the gods for their safe passage. A chorus praises them and declares that they have passed their trial. New scene: We see Monostatos, the Queen of the Night, and her ladies hurrying forward in front of an army of female soldiers. It is dark and threatening. Monostatos’s face is twisted with hatred as he begs the Queen of the Night to make Pamina his. The Queen of the Night confirms that once Sarastro’s entire kingdom has been crushed to the last man, Monostatos will have Pamina. Everything falls still for a moment—the calm before the storm. Then comes a flash of light and a rumble of thunder, followed by a downward motion: the Queen of the Night, Monostatos, the ladies, and the entire army fall into the underworld. New scene: We see a large field where the crowds celebrate Sarastro, Tamino, and Pamina. They thank Sarastro for everything he has done for them and say goodbye. Sarastro sets off on a long journey. In the final seconds, we see Papageno and Papagena surrounded by a large crowd of children. The children dance in a circle around Papageno and Papagena as they kiss. The film ends by showing us again the young girl from the overture, the one with the Mona Lisa smile. We have returned from the fiction of the fairy tale to our own time, our own world.