Review of The Magician (1958) by Conner R — 19 Apr 2011

Sort've a similar set-up to The Seventh Seal. There's another great ensemble cast led by the towering Scandinavian known as Max Von Sydow. This isn't so much a historical commentary, but rather a specific look at the effects of science on professions like magicians. The doubt and suspense concerning the legitimacy of Vogler's act is really such a nice aspect. It?M)s been later used in movies like The Illusionist and The Prestige, but nothing since has quite the same authenticity of mysticism and rich storytelling.

Ingmar Bergman's vision is so unbelievably present in this and I feel that it's one of his more overlooked works. I think that it's not so filled with subjective imagery is probably what makes it so unique. This manages to have the same feeling, but at the same time a completely different way of achieving it. It's not really part of any genre, which is what is my favorite thing. Bergman kind've is a genre in itself and a great one at that.