The Magician
Ansiktet
Max von Sydow stars as Dr Vogler, a nineteenth-century traveling mesmerist and peddler of potions and magic lantern performances whose methods are put to the test in Stockholm by the cruel, eminently rational royal medical adviser Dr Vergérus (Gunnar Bjornstrand). The interrogation turns into a nightmare for the scientist, who finds that old reason and logic are no match for the authentic mysteries of life. The character of Vogler, who makes his living from diverting his public yet stands at the mercy of their ridicule and disdain, can be seen as being illustrative of Bergman’s anxieties as a director.
Director
Language
Swedish
Country
Sweden