Product Description
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This 1975 film version of Wagner's opera stars Donald McIntyre,
Catherina Ligendza, Bengt Rundgren, Hermann Winkler, Ruth Hesse,
and Herald Ek, with Wolfgang Sawallisch conducting the Bavarian
State Orchestra.
.com
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Heres a filmed Dutchman soaked in the sea from which the doomed
figure of legend emerges into an atmospheric production enhanced
by a powerful rendition of the title role and effective
conducting by Wolfgang Sawallisch, an experienced Wagnerian. The
story of a sinner condemned to sail the seas until Judgment Day,
thirsting for a death that can only come through the redemption
of a womans selfless love, is, in Wagners hands, a searing
drama. The Overture is here illustrated with painted scenes that
encapsulate the narrative. The opera itself offers traditional
costuming and sets with a realism a stage production cant
capture. When the Dutchman emerges from his gnarled, threatening
ship he tramples through the shallow water of the harbor and we
hear the splashes made by his boots. His ship of doom has
blood-red sails, but, less happily, his ghostly crew seems left
over from a B horror flick. Václav Kaslíks film direction
captures the operas atmosphere well, with expressionist touches
like the mists that shroud the vessel of doom, and the spiders
web of fishing nets that symbolize the way the characters are
trapped in their situations. But too-busy camera work and a
penchant for closeups more revealing of singers tonsils than
necessary sometimes distracts. Lip-synching, often a problem in
filming operas to pre-recorded music, is reasonably well done
here. The musical side of the production is successful, with a
towering Dutchman in Donald McIntyre whose anguish is clear from
his very first appearance and whose singing is exemplary, the
voice firm, the interpretation nuanced. Daland, the greedy ship
captain seduced by the Dutchmans wealth to promise his daughter,
Senta, in marriage is well done by Bengt Rundgren. Senta is a bit
more problematic, as soprano Catarina Ligendza tends to be
blank-faced as an actress, and with her thin, sometimes ugly high
notes and scooping, some distance from the Senta of ones dreams.
Her frustrated suitor, Erik, is sung by Hermann Winkler, who
brings intensity but also a burly tenor voice to the role. His
aria recalling how he met and fell in love with Senta is bawled
as if tenderness had no role in a love song. Harald Eks colorful
tenor is ideal for the Steersman and Ruth Hesse is an effective
Mary. The Bavarian Opera chorus and orchestra are fine and
Sawallischs excellent conducting keeps the tension high and the
narrative swift-moving. Some small cuts, common to stage
productions of the period, dont compromise a recommendation
firmly based on the conducting and McIntyres first-rate
Dutchman. --Dan Davis
The Flying Dutchman is an all-regions disc in 4:3 ratio. Sound
options include PCM Stereo and DTS 5.1 Surround. Sung in German,
subtitles include English, French, Spanish, and Chinese.
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Review
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First release in any format! This 1975 film version of
Wagner s romantic legend opera presented as a ghost
thriller, incredibly gripping, densely atmospheric.
--(Saarbrücker Zeitung)
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