The Magician
Composite Score: 84.27
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Bibi Andersson, Gertrud Fridh, Lars Ekborg, Toivo Pawlo, Erland Josephson, Åke Fridell, and Sif Ruud
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Writer: Ingmar Bergman
Genres: Comedy, Drama
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Box Office: N/A
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Magician is Ingmar Bergman’s film about a group of traveling entertainers and the troubles they get into with the local consul and other officials when they come to a bigger town in Sweden. The film follows Max von Sydow’s Albert Emanuel Vogler and his motley crew of side-shows, swindlers, and misfits as they are apprehended by a consul, his chief of police, and the Swedish minister of health and forced to put on their show to determine how real Vogler’s act really is and how much of a fuss it will cause if performed in public. The group’s interactions with the nobility and the servants make up the majority of the film’s runtime, exploring class differences, the supernatural vs. science, and the nature of entertainment. It’s one of Bergman’s most approachable films and has a BAFTA nomination for Best Film from Any Source, making it an easily consumed meditation on our perceptions.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
The Magician’s accessibility also happens to be its biggest drawback. Because it plays in so many familiar genres, it never fully establishes itself in any of them. Its moments of bawdy comedy keep you chuckling, its dramatic story of tormented artists compels to some extent, and its ruminations on the supernatural vs. the scientific scratch an itch that may or may not have actually been there. Unfortunately, none of its pieces are strong enough to stand on their own, forcing the film to stand on some rather disjointed legs. While there’s no denying its entertainment value and even its intellectual engagement, it’s just good at each thing it does, not great.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
Ultimately, The Magician makes its name known by embracing its disjointedness in a way that reminds the audience of the very sideshow that features in its story. It starts with a dramatic and mystical introduction to our main characters before distracting us from the reality of their hardships with comedy and sexual intrigues and then brings it all home with a feeling of satisfaction and surprise – allowing the audience to feel like they know what’s going on before yanking the rug out from under them with one more twist at the end. It’s a well-written film that also has some excellent visuals, doing enough to entertain the audience through its showmanship and the questions it makes them ask.
In The Magician, Bergman has crafted his own sideshow, blending genres and subplots and skillful camerawork together into a singularly unique and entertaining piece of film, deserving of mention among the greats. Its many genres keep it from delving too deeply into any single style or theme, but the film works as a fairly lighthearted whole that’ll keep your attention. It’s currently available to stream via the Criterion Collection for those of you looking to watch it.
