AllMovie

Acclaimed director Kenneth Branagh skillfully lifts one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's most beloved works from its original fairy-tale setting and places it against the backdrop of the First World War with this impassioned English-language adaptation staged to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the master composer's birth. Tamino (Joseph Kaiser) has been wounded in battle, but his life is saved when he is subsequently rescued by three kindly field nurses. Papageno (Benjamin Jay Davis) is a bird keeper whose mission it is to check the trenches for dangerous gasses. Upon seeing a picture of the lovely Pamina (Amy Carson) and instantly falling in love with the girl, Tamino makes it his mission in life to save his treasured beauty from the clutches of nefarious kidnapper Sarastro (Rene Pape). Tamino won't be alone on his dangerous mission, though, because the noble Papageno, who has determined to rescue his own true love, has vowed to fight alongside the smitten soldier right to the bitter end. An imaginative new adaptation of one of Mozart's most beloved operas, Branagh's variation on The Magic Flute features newly adapted libretto by Stephen Fry, musical direction by James Conlon, and an unforgettable score skillfully performed by the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.