*** Welcome to piglix ***

The Magician (1958 film)

The Magician
The-Magician-poster.jpg
Film poster
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
Music by Erik Nordgren
Cinematography Gunnar Fischer
Edited by Oscar Rosander
Distributed by AB Svensk Filmindustri
Release date
26 December 1958
Running time
107 minutes
Country Sweden
Language Swedish

The Magician is a 1958 film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Its original Swedish title is Ansiktet, which means "The Face", and it was released theatrically as The Face in the United Kingdom, although video releases have used the U.S. title.

The film 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 Vogler's troupe provide them a sample of their act, before allowing them public audiences. The scientifically minded disbelievers try to expose them as charlatans, but Vogler has a few tricks up his sleeve.

The film was distantly inspired by G. K. Chesterton's play Magic, which Bergman numbered among his favourites. Bergman staged a theatre production of "Magic" in Swedish at one point. The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 31st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

The Magician has a unanimous approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Don Druker of the Chicago Reader called it "one of Bergman's most tightly structured and frightening films."


...
Wikipedia

...