The Magician (1958 film)
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| The Magician | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Produced by | Allan Ekelund |
| Written by | Ingmar Bergman |
| Starring | Ingrid Thulin Max von Sydow Naima Wifstrand Gunnar Björnstrand Bengt Ekerot Bibi Andersson Erland Josephson |
| Cinematography | Gunnar Fischer |
| Release date(s) | December 26, 1958 |
| Running time | 107 min |
| Language | Swedish |
| IMDb profile | |
Ansiktet (The Face or The Magician) is a 1958 film directed and written by Ingmar Bergman. It stars Max von Sydow as a traveling magician named Albert Vogler. Reading reports of a variety of supernatural disturbances at Vogler's prior performances abroad, the leading townspeople request that their troupe provide them a sample of their act, before allowing them public audiences. The scientific-minded disbelievers try to expose them as charlatans, but Vogler has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Ansiktet is usually considered a minor masterpiece in the filmography of Ingmar Bergman although many consider it to be wrongly neglected.
The movie was partially inspired by a play by G.K. Chesterton called "Magic" which Bergman claimed to be a favourite of his. Bergman actually staged a theatre production of "Magic" in Swedish at one point. However, despite a few similarities between "Magic" and The Magician, they are not really comparable.
In Britain Ansiktet is known as The Face (Sw. Ansikte = face), in North America as The Magician.
| Films by Ingmar Bergman |
|---|
| 1940s: Crisis • A Ship to India • 1950s: Summer with Monika • A Lesson in Love • Smiles of a Summer Night • The Seventh Seal • Wild Strawberries • The Magician • 1960s: The Virgin Spring • Through a Glass Darkly • Winter Light • The Silence • All These Women • Persona • Hour of the Wolf • Shame • The Rite • The Passion of Anna • 1970s: The Touch • Cries and Whispers • Scenes from a Marriage • The Magic Flute • Face to Face • The Serpent's Egg • Autumn Sonata • 1980s: From the Life of the Marionettes • Fanny and Alexander • Karin's Face • After the Rehearsal • 1990s: In the Presence of a Clown • 2000s: Saraband |
