Mozart's "The Magic Flute," has enjoyed huge popular appeal and captivated audiences of all ages since it was first performed in 1791.  This visually breathtaking cinematic experience, with an English libretto written by Stephen Fry, conducted by James Conlon and astonishingly realized by director Kenneth Branagh, weaves drama and comedy in an egaging way while focusing on a compelling story populated by extraordinary characters.

On the eve of the first global war a magical drama unfolds as Tamino sets forth on a perilous journey in pursuit of love, light and peace in a world afflicted by darkness, death and destruction. An eerie quiet descends over a landscape still untouched by conflict as Tamino waits anxiously with his fellow recruits for the command to go into battle. In the ensuing chaos he is transported to a twilight world caught between dream and nightmare where he is rescued from certain death by a trio of field nurses.

When Papageno (keeper of the canaries employed to detect the presence of gas in the trenches) stumbles onto the scene and attempts to take credit for saving Tamino, the Sisters dispatch the two soldiers on a deadly mission. The duo must rescue Pamina, the lovely daughter of the Queen of the Night, who has been kidnapped by the dark lord, Sarastro. What follows is a spectacular musical adventure in which the destiny of a pair of young lovers may help determine the fate of nations and the lives of millions.

RT: 135 minutes, 35mm color, aspect ratio 2.35 scope, Dolby Digital, digital exhibition format: HD-Cam or Digital Betacam, aspect ratio 16x9 anamorphic (2.35), sound: stereo, sung entirely in English, not rated by the MPAA

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Lyubov Petrova - Queen of the Night  |  Rene Pape - Sarastro
Tom Randle - Monostatos  |  Joseph Kaiser - Tamino
Amy Carson - Pamnia  |  Benjamin Jay Davis - Papageno
Silvia Moi - YOUNG Papagena