The Magician

1958

1h 42m

Comedy

Drama

List

100%

13 Reviews

Tomatometer

85%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. Vogler (Max von Sydow) is a hypnotist, a magician and the leader of "Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater," a traveling performance troupe known for their apparently supernatural abilities. When Vogler's show arrives in Stockholm, the skeptical townspeople form a committee determined to disprove the supposedly magical abilities of the troupe. The locals, headed by a cruel medical official (Gunnar Björnstrand), fail to rationally explain Vogler's feats -- and events take a disturbing turn.

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Jonathan I

If the movie ended with Vogler coming back to life to haunt Dr Vergerus and left the audience with some unanswered questions it would have been perfect

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Taylor L

Bergman's unusually lighthearted and seldom-mentioned reflection on the role of truth - truth with respect to our own personal nature, and with respect to the personas that we show to others. At first a mesmerizing Gothic horror, Max von Sydow slaps on a couple pieces of silly facial hair and at once becomes the mysterious Dr. Vogler, a mute of unknown past and potentially stunning power; his manipulation of a group of doubting aristocrats is a masterful excerise in not only tone but visual design and delivery, with swirling shadow and carefully chosen words leaving more questions than answers. And the physical play between light and dark is actually thematically relevant here, as the effectiveness of Vogler's performance not only reveals hypocrisy among his haughty audience members but begins to cause cracks in his own psyche as well, showing a fine line between the master of the macabre and a pitiful charlatan. But the film's most distinctive choice is its cross-genre design, one of the more extreme comedy-dramas that the director ever took on. Scenes of lust and frolic that are intended not only as superficial jokes but plays on the public-facing personas that the characters usually put on, a testament to the multifaceted nature that every person hides with mixed success. Late rug-pulls may make The Magician less of an easily digestible watch, and may even alienate potential viewers that are invested in Bergman's hypnotic powers, but they only serve to add to his unique take on deception and the role that it plays in everyday interactions, whether as a snake-oil salesman or a respected member of the community. A seldom-mentioned masterpiece that gets overlooked simply by virtue of the number of high quality films that Bergman put out for so many years. Definitely hornier than your average Bergman film, too. (4/5)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

dave s

For some reason, The Magician seems to get lost in the vast body of Ingmar Bergman's films, existing in the shadows of The Seventh Seal, his ‘faith' trilogy, and his later masterworks like Cries and Whispers and Persona. Albert Vogler (Max von Sydow) and his troupe, all with supernatural abilities of some sort, travel Europe as part of Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater, mystifying audiences. It's a story about illusion and reality, filled with the philosophical insights Bergman is known for. It's compelling viewing featuring some intelligent dialogue and great cinematography courtesy of Gunnar Fischer, a regular in Bergman's crew in the early years. The only possible fault with the film is what feels like a tacked on final scene that doesn't seem to be inconsistent with all that came before it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A masterpiece that by any other director would be more widely seen, it is a magical work of art about the magic of how art works, how an audience is as much a part of the fiction, giving the performance its effective power, as the artists. In that, it serves as a thesis for Bergman's oeuvre at large: "The author presumes there's a great general thing called truth somewhere out there. That theory is pure illusion. One goes step by step by step by step into the darkness. The movement [re: the performance] itself is the only truth."

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

Full Review

andrey k

Complex and masterly production of the famed director from Sweden. It can be a confusing movie which explores human beliefs and misconceptions. The word "truth" is used so many times that at some point you can't tell a lie from the truth; the characters fall under each other's influence so many times that you can't tell a magician from those who are being bewitched; the magic and science switch places so many times that you can't tell who believes in what and what the truth is. The two girls, Sanna and Sarah, is a striking example of such dubious attitudes: one is afraid of thunder but embraces the lust of man while the other totally dreads the lust being a believer but absolutely impenetrable to thunder. The film is beautifully constructed, the beginning is haunting as the carriage drives through the forest to the home of a police commissioner. The scene where Vogler puts into question Dr. Vergerus beliefs is particularly awesome.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Though not considered one of Ingmar Bergman's masterpieces, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It's part drama/romance/horror/comedy, he really covers the gamut in this one. It also features almost his entire stable of actors from that time period, it was nice seeing so many familiar faces in one film. I also loved the cinematography which is outstanding, especially earlier in the film when they are in the woods. This is a very rewarding Bergman film and I found it an easy watch. Give it a try!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Max von Sydow

Albert Emanuel Vogler

Ingrid Thulin

Manda Vogler

Gunnar Björnstrand

Dr. Vergerus

Naima Wifstrand

Granny Vogler

Bengt Ekerot

Johan Spegel

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John Monaghan

Detroit Free Press

The movie has elements of Gothic horror and philosophy, along with lusty, low comedy rolls.

Rated: 3/4

Dec 7, 2007

Full Review

Don Druker

Chicago Reader

It is one of Bergman's most tightly structured and frightening films.

Jul 30, 2007

Full Review

Penelope Gilliatt

Observer (UK)

If you can stand its cloudy sentiments the film is brilliantly directed, including an uncharacteristically funny love scene between two pastoral comics in what one takes to be the Swedish equivalent of Mummerset.

Feb 20, 2024

Full Review

Vernon Young

Film Quarterly

[The Magician], written by Bergman himself, is quite the richest of the Swedish director’s achievements -- which is not necessarily to call it the greatest.

Jan 11, 2024

Full Review

CJ Sheu

Review Film Review

It is, quite literally at times, a romp.

Jul 1, 2020

Full Review

David Keyes

Cinemaphile.org

Like the subject it portrays, it is a movie that genuinely seems to sense the guilty delight of life's unending irony.

Nov 15, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Dr. Vogler (Max von Sydow) is a hypnotist, a magician and the leader of "Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater," a traveling performance troupe known for their apparently supernatural abilities. When Vogler's show arrives in Stockholm, the skeptical townspeople form a committee determined to disprove the supposedly magical abilities of the troupe. The locals, headed by a cruel medical official (Gunnar Björnstrand), fail to rationally explain Vogler's feats -- and events take a disturbing turn.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman
Production Co: Svensk Filmindustri
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Swedish
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2015
Runtime: 1h 42m

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