Acclaimed young Austrian Filmmaker Werner Boote
examines the curse of the mysterious flying dutchman
and finds the sailor Henk de Velde
from the Netherlands in the arctic ice.
He is the flying dutchman of today!
VIENNA TV AWARD 2004, IMZ
"Best Of Input", San Francisco 2005
With: Henk de Velde, Seiji Ozawa, Christine Mielitz, Ioan Holender and many others.
Buy the DVD (Amazon)
It seems the «Flying Dutchman», the mysterious seafarer from Richard Wagner's opera, has found someone worthy to carry on his legacy. Real-life Dutchman and modern-day adventurer Henk de Velde who has already circumnavigated the globe solo in his sailboat five times.
Henk de Velde and his boat in Tiksi, Siberia
In a modern approach to this extraordinary historical material this opera documentary weaves together de Velde's adventures on the icy seas and Christine Mielitz's production of «The Flying Dutchman» at the Vienna State Opera.
In Wagner´s opera, providence condemned the Dutchman to roam the seas until he found the true meaning of love. Once every seven years he is allowed ashore for six months to search for a woman who will love him enough to die for him, releasing him from his curse, and he finds her in Pandora.
Seafarer Henk de Velde falls in love with Genia, a shopgirl from Siberia
"The Flying Dutchman" is generally considered to be Richard Wagner's most accessible work and has had an enduring resonance even beyond the circle of die-hard Wagner fans for over 150 years. The spooky legend of the seafarer who is damned to travel the oceans of the world eternally, and a range of musical highlights such as the «Sailor's Song», have ensured that the work has enjoyed lasting, unbroken popularity.
Opera by Richard Wagner
Libretto by Richard Wagner
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Seiji Ozawa
Choir: Vienna State Opera Choir
Cast: Falk Struckmann, Matti Salminen, Nina Stemme, Torsten Kerl, Margareta Hintermeier, John Dickie
Directed by Christina Mielitz
"The Flying Dutchman - fire and Ice" is a film about the "flying Dutchman of today" and the spectacular new production at the Vienna State Opera in December 2003 with the most beautiful and important experts from "The Flying Dutchman" sung by an all-star cast (Falk Struckmann as the Dutchman, conductor: Seiji Ozawa), with backstage shots of sessions at rehearsals with Director Christine Mielitz.
Christine Mielitz during rehearsals at the Vienna State Opera
Details of the DVD:
Shooting locations: Wiener Staatsoper, Tiksi
Cameramann Dominik Spritzendorfer shot Werner Boote in heavy storm
ORIGINALTITLE: Der fliegende Holländer - Feuer und Eis
GENRE: Documentary
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Neue Sentimental Film EntertainmentGmbH (Austria)
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY: ORF (Austria)
PRODUCER: Florian Brandt
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Thomas Bogner
TVDIRECTOR: Werner Boote
CAMERA: Thomas Kirschner
EDITOR: Thomas Pohanka
AUTHOR: Werner Boote
RECORDED: 2003
DURATION: 52’
DISTRIBUTION TV: ORF (Austria)
DVD DISTRIBUTION: Neue Sentimental Film EntertainmentGmbH (Austria)
TECHNICAL DATA: Beta SP / Stereo
COMPOSER: Richard Wagner
ORCHESTRA: Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Austria)
CONDUCTOR: Seiji Ozawa
CHOIR: Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Austria)
STAGE DIRECTOR: Christine Mielitz
COSTUMES: Reinhilde Condin
SOLOIST: Falk Struckmann
