Genres

Visitors Review

sol- 2012-05-24 19:41:18

My brief review of the film

An appropriately mysterious Gothic tale with fascinating characters,who may or may not actually possess certain powers, the material isenvisioned well by Ingmar Bergman, with careful attention to lightingdesign, and the acting is superb. Max Von Sydow is given the mostintriguing part to play, and he pulls it off well, but Ingrid Thulinand Naima Wifstrand both deserve mentions for breathing life into theirfey characters too. The film is about illusions ultimately, and thosewho are too critical to suspend their disbelief. It is a bit hardthough interpreting exactly what Bergman intended by some of theoddities that he has placed in, such as dispersing poison to a youngman. Are these attempts to add humour to the tale? Even with these oddinclusions and rushed ending that is a let down, it is quite asatisfying film overall. The music is great, the acting is excellent,and the interesting characters help make this film one of Bergman'smost intriguing pieces.

pontus-13 2012-05-24 01:27:01

Magical cinema

A wonderful film about Emanuel Vogler and his Magnetic health theater thatare forced to put up a magical show in front of a sceptical crowd lead bythe scientist Vergérus (another member of the Vergérus family, known fromother Bergman films). Max von Sydow plays Emanuel Vogler, the tormentedartist putting his faith in art and Gunnar Björnstrand the dissecting,denying scientist Vergérus.It's said that Emanuel Vogler is based on Bergman himself, Vergérus on theSwedish film critic Harry Schein and Manda Vogler on Inrid Thulin.Still waiting for this and other Bergman films to be released onDVD.10/10

ian_harris 2012-05-22 19:16:54

Surprisingly Superb

I didn't expect to like this movie, given its period, headline subjectmatter etc. But don't let those factors put you off, there is real depthand some top notch scenes in this surprisingly superb movie. Max von Sydow, Gunner Bjornstrand and Ingrid Thulin are three of Bergman'smost consistent quality performers and all three have major roles in thisfilm. There are a fair number of stereotypical character parts, mostlyperformed by ensemble quality character actors. Bibi Andersson is capableof far more than her giggly girl part enables her to show in this film. Indeed, there is some comedic material in this film reminiscent of Smiles ofa Summer Night, but don't mistake this movie for one of Bergman's lessmasterful light pieces, this has real depth and substance.There are some amazing bits of cinematography, especially the early scenes. The pacing of the movie is masterful, as is the clever use of parallels inthe story - the failed actor "dying" and then reviving is a prelude to thepivotal incident around Vogler's "demise".Top notch scenes include Mrs Egerman opening up to Vogler - she seems solost - also both scenes in which Bjornstrand's character (Vergerus) insiststhat he was not taken in by the "magic".This is now in my Bergman top 5, which makes it a "must see" in mybook.

John 2012-05-22 01:09:34

definitely not bergman's best and a hypocritical message, but still great

ingmar bergman is, to me at least, one of the greatest directors of alltime, but the ending of this one crushed me. obviously he's trying tomakea comment on reality/illusion, as in all his films, but why take a shot atthe aesthetic irrationality and maybe uncritical nature of the artist whenbergman was himself an artist of first rank? that may sound likecategorical complacency on my part, but i couldn't believe that bergmanfinished the movie by unmasking sydow's character as a money grubbingcharlatan and the scientist as 'the wise one', who saw through it (for themost part) the entire time. of course all this is only my interpretation,but i pretty much sense bergman meant something like what i'm saying, anditis both puzzling and frustrating. most great artists may be lacking in theanalytical faculty as sydow's 'magician' clearly is (while he ispretending)in this one, but without that passion for the imaginative and theirrationalthere really can't be art at all. the dissecting scientist is, no matterhow much more intellectual integrity or 'noble' skepticism he may havethanthe artist, the antithesis of inspiring and affirmative (and there is asense in which even pessimistic and despairing art can be affirmative, asnietzsche said many times)which all art should aspire, in one form oranother, to be. the whole thing seems like a pretentious house of cards,considering that the considerable and undeniable appeal of bergman's worklies for the most part in his flair for the unspoken, the unconscious, the*irrational*. don't get me wrong, you might even call me an orthodox'bergmanian' in that i find most of his work beyond criticism andabsolutelymasterful, but i just can't get behind 'the magician', although i may beintellectualizing too much. and to the movie's credit,it maintains astrongatmosphere and becomes impossible to stop watching halfway through, likenearly every film bergman made. don't watch it, buy it, but be a *little*wary of the veeeery contradictory message the movie tries to convey.

runamokprods 2012-05-21 17:56:51

Imperfect Bergman is still better than almost anyone else's best

An outstanding looking, very odd mix of somewhat broad comedy, horrorfilm, and (of course) Bergman's metaphysical musings. A band of traveling magicians, wanted by the law as charlatans, arepulled in for questioning and forced to perform for some upper classnon-believers. The 'nothing-in-life is-what-it- seems' theme is strong,but does get repetitive, and at times you can see it coming. Also, on first viewing the elements didn't really feel like they fittogether, and I found it a bit of a bumpy ride. The comedy made thedark side hard to take seriously, and the serious, creepy elements madethe comedy feel all the more wedged in.That said they are a some amazing sequences that I know will stick withme, and I do feel haunted by the film. Many call it a masterpiece orclose, and I'll certainly see it again.

JohnRouseMerriottChard 2012-05-21 11:34:23

I didn't die, but I haunt the living.

Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater rolls into town and is promptlysummoned for a meet with the town big wigs. Hoping to expose allinvolved in the theatre as charlatans, the disbelievers request apersonal show before allowing the show to go public. With veryinteresting results.There is a belief amongst many Ingmar Begman fans that Ansiktet {TheMagician} is far too accessible a piece to be considered one of hisgreatest pieces. And whilst it does find Bergman more easy tounderstand for the casual viewer, it's however still complex enough tothrill and niggle the mind in equal measure. Taking two factors that hevery much adored, masks and magic, Bergman threads them off intovarious directions, and in the process testing us the audience as tojust what to expect from the story. The mysterious wonder of it all isnaturally aided by Bergman's use of light and shadowy trickery, symbolsloom heavy without dampening the theme on offer, with nothing of courseactually quite being as it seems.As is normally the case under the master director, the cast areuniformally strong. With Gunnar Bjornstrand and Ingrid Thulinparticularly standing out. But really this is all about tricks andideas relating to magic and its blending in with reality. So much sothat with the end comes an awakening that we the audience are indeedprops in one of Bergman's shows, and that can never be a bad or even anaccessible thing.A fascinating picture from a very fascinating director. 8/10

cheese_cake 2012-05-19 12:41:24

what is art if not magic?

a group of people is touring the countryside in a coach. they include apurported magician (max van sydnow), his wife/assistant, an old cronewho they refer to as grandmother and who gives an impression ofpracticing witchcraft and a merry, complacently fat coachman. on theway they encounter a man who is dying of alcoholism, who stirs up somedeep feelings in the magician. when they reach a city, the man dies andthey fall in the clutches of the city magistrate on account of this andother matters. the elite of the city bands together to watch themagician's magic show. they mock the magician cruelly, accusing him ofbeing a charlatan, a fake. after the show, the magician plays a seriesof tricks on the parties, which scares the hell out of them, and makesit seem like supernatural forces are present among them. but, in theend, his tricks are revealed and in an astonishing moment, the magicianforgetting all his dignity and composure, grovels for a few kronor's(dollars). not getting even a single kronor, they are threatened withjail if they don't get out of town immediately and henceforth continueon their journey. many people do not get this movie, given that theartist/magician is shamed at the end. but that pivotal scene is totallymisunderstood...bergmann's movie's work on many levels and that whichis presented plainly is often the least plain, much like the magician'smagic. the magician/artist is correctly depicted as being unsure ofwhether he really is an artist or a fake. the conflict within him ispart of being a real artist. bergmann's point was that art and magicare similar. illusion is but a feint, a parry in a different direction,while the audience is lured unsuspecting into a bigger trap, which whenrevealed is devastatingly powerful in what it says about their psyche.the magician's magic is concerned not with tricks but with subtlepsychological manipulation. when the extent of his psychological graspis revealed in the end, he is immediately hated, because he understoodhis audience better than themselves. their whole mirage of being thesuperior scientific elite is shattered. about the only complaint onecould make about this movie is that the magician is overly tormented.as in other bergman movies, one wonders what is the source of thistorment. while it could be explained, it's best to enjoy thisadditional hue to the wonderful masterpiece, that is this movie, andlet it percolate in your psyche. it goes without saying that theperformance of the actors was superb, really exemplary. as was thecinematography. you will not see better cinema than this.

Galina 2012-05-19 01:04:31

"The Tortured Soul of an Artist or Smiles of a Summer Night meets Hour of the Wolf."

With the exception for the abrupt and somehow rushed and unsatisfyingending, "Magician" is a typical (in a good sense of the word) Bergman'sfilm that I liked a lot. I would call it "The Tortured Soul of anArtist or Smiles of a Summer Night meets Hour of the Wolf." I did notknow what to expect from the film and was pleasantly surprised by aninteresting story; impressive (especially in the earlier scenes in thewoods) black and white cinematography; perfect blend of humor, intensedrama, and mystery. Acting was perfect - not a big surprise with thecast like that: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, BibiAndersson, and Erland Josephson. I'd like to mention Naima Wifstrand asGranny Vogler - what a great actress and what a character - she steppedout from the pages of the fairy tales, the old witch, wise andpowerful; she also provides many comical scenes.7.5/10

planktonrules 2012-05-18 16:03:39

a Bergman film that's not depressing or about death!

I've seen a lot of Ingmar Bergman films and sometimes I don't want tosee one of his films about death or mental illness. Well, starting inthe 1960s to the 1980s, these were the main themes of his movies, butin some of his earlier films, these are not so pervasive--such as themovies The Devil's Eye (a comedy) and The Magician ("Ansiktet").Because of this, they may be more approachable to the average viewerwho would balk at the much more serious tone of such classics asThrough a Glass Darkly (deep depression), Persona (mental illness),Autumn Sonata (repressed anger and abandonment), The Seventh Seal(death and the plague) or Fanny and Alexander (child abuse andemotional neglect).The story is about a traveling group of hoaxters who put on a showcombining magic and "animal magnetism" (i.e., an early name given tohypnosis). When they arrive at a Swedish town, they are forced to cometo an audience with the local official and his cronies who want toprove that the act is a fraud. Bergman really doesn't try to resolvethis issue, but instead shows how the town officials are really ratherpetty and mean people. How this traveling group deftly survives thisencounter is the main focus of the movie. I especially liked theportion of the movie about the autopsy. It sounds gross, but I thoughtit was actually kind of funny. One of the officials is a cold andrather nasty doctor who longs for a chance to do an autopsy on thehypnotist. He gets far more than he bargains for--that's all I reallywant to say--otherwise it might ruin the suspense.So, overall I liked the movie. It was not great but well acted and notthe least bit depressing.

Tim Kidner 2012-05-17 21:48:22

"Light" Bergman?

Some reviewers have set themselves out to compare The Magician squarelyagainst Ingmar's previous two masterpieces, The Seventh Seal and WildStrawberries and mark The Magician down, unfairly. It almost cannot bepossible to attain the dizzy heights of adulation of those two and assuch, we are treated something lighter and possibly, more enjoyable.Mr Bergman, in his long illustrious career covered many types ofsubjects. Starting with straightforward and rather dull dramas, throughkitchen-sink (Ikea style?!!) and onto the darker shades of humanpsychology. And beyond, sometimes.The Seventh Seal succeeded due to its extraordinary storytelling andimagery - along with just about everything else. Wild Strawberries dueto its poignancy and leading performances that resonated with a senseof recognition and support in its audience. Other titles offer dark,deep blackly brooding death obsessed monologues that brush againstexquisite period dramas of superb detail and cinematography.The Magician, though has always been one of my favourites. Neithercomedy nor horror film but light, often humorous drama that touchesupon the Wonder in us all. We all want to see behind a master ofillusion and the mixture of nostalgia, set in the comparativelyfairytale setting of Scandinavia. I almost find it more akin to ConanDoyle than the witch- hunting or almost unfathomable symbolisms foundin many other Bergman's. As Bergman is one of my favourite directors of all time, warts and alland have 47 of his films I'd say this has much to offer, both to fanssuch as myself as well being good family entertainment that strengthenshis cinematic arsenal, not weakens it.

Django6924 2012-05-13 15:42:15

Weaker Bergman?

It's not Bergman as his most tormented or saturnine, but it'sthoroughly entertaining, more theatrical (in a good sense) than sayPersona or In a Glass, Darkly, and still an unqualified masterpiece ona level of artistry that no one making films today seems to be able toachieve. It makes me think in some ways of Shakespeare's plays like theHenry IV with their mix of tragedy and comedy--all done with tremendousshowmanship. I'll bet Orson Welles admired this film-- if he ever sawit.Bergman seems almost forgotten today. Films like this one, Naked Night,Hour of the Wolf, Persona, etc., hardly ever crop up on TV or filmfestivals. When Bergman is represented, it's usually by The SeventhSeal (not my favorite, and a film that begs for a parody), WildStrawberries, Smiles of a Summer Night (because of the musical version,no doubt), or Fanny and Alexander, which is more recent, and mostimportant, in color. What a pity. The man created a body of workvirtually unsurpassed in the second half of the 20th century.

buarque02 2012-05-13 01:09:16

Great film, but disappointing ending.

It is true that this is a great film, as many other users have stated,it has an original script and it is very stunning. It has a very goodmoral, that of the one that pulls others' legs and finally he is theobject of scorn. It shows us as well how anyone can be stubborn with nolimits and how people can be hypocritical. However, the end doesn'thelp to consider it a master's work. It is a very happy ending that itis not just possible to believe (suddenly, comedians are engaged by theking, after having suffered from the scorn of the bourgeois). Let melaugh! Mr Bergman should have made more attention to that cheesy happyending!