Parsifal (1982) review

Opera is certainly something for the 'refined' palette - I'm hardly a fan - and, like certain beers, the music of Deerhoof and cigar smoking a decidedly acquired taste, but I must give Syberberg credit for giving it dimension, taking liberties with Wagner's opera (using Wagner's death mask as a set piece, including puppets, abundant topless ladies, elaborate color schemes and amazing set pieces) and making the four hours visually resplendent. That said, I can't 'recommend' this film because of the fact that I had to turn the TV on mute to avoid listening to the earth-shattering voices belting out every single line (it was destroying my nerves), and had to take numerous breaks to wander around my house and drink tea and pick from the bags of candy laying around just to clear my head (I also frequently checked on what my Mom was watching, which was QVC ... and no surprise, they were selling junk). I was thoroughly engrossed by the masterpiece Hitler: A Film From Germany and Syberberg's version of Ludwig, so it can't be his style that irked me ... it's the nature of opera itself.