In THE MAGICIAN, Ingmar Bergman takes two favorite motifs--masks and magic--and explores them on a number of different levels. Albert Emanuel Vogler (Max von Sydow), a 19-century magician, brings a troupe of traveling illusionists to a small Swedish town where the people don't believe in
magic. Led by Vogler, the troupe proceeds to play with the townspeople's minds, and director Bergman, in turn, makes imaginative use of editing, lighting, and special effects to toy with audience expectations. Things are never quite what they seem, either narratively or cinematically. The film's
mysterious nature is further enhanced by the dark, rich, gothic look of Bergman's
mi...
Released:
1958
Rated:
NR
Length:
102 mins