PARSIFAL
Over seven years in the making, this new film of Richard Wagner's Parsifal merges animation, painting, and live action performance into a new cinematic vision, set to Sir Georg Solti's legendary 1972 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic.
"SHE RAISED HIM IN FEAR" - EXCERPT FROM PARSIFAL
This sequence is set to the mysterious Kundry's narration of the hero Parsifal's isolated forest upbringing in the hands of his young, widowed mother (a moment typically rendered as sung-only exposition in theatrical productions). This scene was shot deliberately using old and hazy videotape (as viewed, perhaps, through the hazy memory of the protagonist).
"TERRIBLE DISTRESS" - EXCERPT FROM PARSIFAL
This excerpt from Parsifal depicts a tense exchange between the self-castrated sorcerer Klingsor and Kundry (who, trapped under his spell, must submit to his wicked command). Klingsor reveals to her the source of his bitterness: the denial of his entry into the Knights of the Holy Grail, and his subsequent retreat into this distorted "mirror-realm" of his own magical creation. Live action, stop-motion techniques, and animation of fin de siècle works of art were used to visualize Klingsor's fall.
"CODA: THE WOUND THAT WILL NOT CLOSE" - EXCERPT FROM PARSIFAL
In this epilogue to the second act of Parsifal, Kundry suffers a ghastly disfigurement in the aftermath of the destruction of Klingsor's castle. As she is unable to succumb to her wounds because of curse, she remains awake as her regeneration begins once more. Here, I have opted to interpret the emotional weight of Wagner's stage directions rather than adhering to them literally by adding this scene as a "coda", of sorts, at the end of the second act.
CREDITS
Parsifal: Ein Bühnenweihfestspiel written and composed by Richard Wagner
Conducted by Sir Georg Solti with the Vienna Philharmonic
DIRECTION, EDITING, COLOR GRADING
Griffin Kaiser
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ashley Marzulla, Griffin Kaiser
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anthony Miksad
ADDITIONAL SOUND DESIGN
Aidan Wells
FEATURED PERFORMANCES
Kundry — Rachael Dimichino (vocal performance: Christa Ludwig)
Klingsor — Kevin Bapp (vocal performance: Zoltán Kelemen)
Young Klingsor — Connor Wilcoxen
English subtitles adapted from the translation by Derrick Everett, which can be viewed on his website, monsalvat.no
Minor alterations to this translation have been made here merely for subtitle flow and clarity.