Richard Wagner's last opera has remained controversial since its first performance for its unique, and, for some, unsavory blending of religious and erotic themes and imagery. Based on one of the medieval epic romances of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail (the chalice touched by the lips of Christ at the last supper), it recounts over three, long acts how a "wild child" unwittingly invades the sacred precincts of the grail, fulfilling a prophecy that only such a one can save the grail's protectors from a curse fallen upon them. Interpreters of the work have found everything from mystical revelation to proto-fascist propaganda in it. Hans-Jurgen Syberberg's production doesn't avoid either aspect, but tries synthesize them by seeking their roots in the divided soul of Wagner himself. The action unfolds on a craggy landscape, which turns out to be a gigantic enlargement of the composer's death mask, among deliberately tatty theatrical devices: puppets, scale models, etc. 

Die Handlung beginnt vor der riesigen Nachbildung einer Totenmaske. König Amfortas verfügt über den Gral Christi, der in der Lage ist, Leben zu spenden. Als besagter König die Heilige Lanze an den abtrünnigen Klingsor verlor, ist er danach mit einer nicht heilenden Wunde gezeichnet. Nur ein Unschuldiger kann dem König helfen und muss durch Mitleid zur Erkenntnis gelangen. Dieser Unschuldige wird vom jungen Parsifal verkörpert, der sich nun ins Reich von Klingsor und seiner Helferin Kundry begibt.

DVD-R is in German with hard-encoded English subtitles.  Approx. 181 mins. See film sample for audio and video quality!