This is Petr Weigl's open-air (so-to-put) version of Delius' fourth and greatest opera. I write "open air" in the sense that it's not simply a film vesion of a staged production, not that there's anything wrong with the best of those (e.g. DER FLIEGENDE HOLLAENDER, or Bergman's MAGICE FLUTE, reviewed by me elsewhere on LT). It is an original production akin to Syberberg's PARSIFAL (also reviewed by me on LT). Unlike the latter, it is in realistic style, with actors chosen to represent the characters as they would actually be in so-called real life. Indeed, the then-young actress Dana Moravkova, who plays Vreli, is of such aching loveliness that one could well understand why a young man -- in this case the young actpr Michal Dlouhy -- would accept death before separation from her. The voices are mostly overdubbed, with the notable exception of that incomparable artist Thomas Hampson, who sings and portrays the Dark Fiddler in one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in opera. The orchestral playing and choral singing are on a par with the breathtaking scenery and dramatic power of the rest of the film. ( )