The Magician
aka Ansiktet, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman
10 out of
10
Ingmar Bergman
might be the only genius that has been able to make so many masterpieces, from
Fanny and Alexander (which had been for quite a while the best film ever for
this viewer, and it is still in the top 10) to The Seventh Seal, from Virgin
Spring to Cries & Whispers – the list is long and some links to the notes
on these films will be posted below…
The Magician
is one of a brilliant series and the magnum opus has Albert Emanuel Vogler aka
the actor – titan Max von Sydow, who travels with his wife, Manda Vogler aka
fantastic Ingrid Thulin, and some other companions and members of the “Vogler’s
Magnetic Health Theater’ and offers to entertain the public in the towns they
pass through, but they are escorted and taken to the residence of the Consul
Egerman aka another of the regular, fabulous actors that appear in the chefs d’oeuvre
of spectacular Ingmar Bergman, Erland Josephson, where they face the local
authorities.
Warned about
their arrival, the Consul, Dr. Vergerus, minister of Health played by another
legend, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and the Police Superintendent Starbeck question the
theater company and their Porte parole is voluble, florid, Mephistopheles
Tubal, who claims that though the powers of Ansiktet are impressive, Doctor
Vogel is dumb and does not speak, therefore Tubal would answer any questions…
In short,
the consul and the rest of the locals explain that the visitors would have to
perform in front of them, Doctor Vergerus in particular would analyze the show
to see what is wrong within, and for this purpose they would stay at the
residence of the Consul, they will eat there, but when Tubal is pushing for the
main rooms, he is told by Egerman that they will eat in the kitchen, prompting
the speaker of the troupe to express the wish to move into town…this is not
possible, for the artists are apparently in some kind of house arrest…
A Series of
Unfortunate Events would follow, with Doctor Vergerus being influenced by
Albert Vogel, though he claims he does not feel anything, only to visit his
rooms later and come across…his wife, for the one who had initially claimed to
be Mr. Aman, wearing men’s clothes and some makeup, is in fact Manda Vogler…
Meanwhile,
Tubal would offer the ‘love potion’ which Aphrodite herself has prepared and
employees of the house are keen to buy some, though he first says that the
magic product is only accessible to princesses, it is so luxuriant,
sacramental, splendorous and effective…
Charmed and
attracted by Sofia Garp, the head cook, Tubal changes the offer and for
something like thirteen krona for the bottle and twenty for two, he would offer
the rare concoction, which he gets from the old granny Vogler, the woman that
may have some supernatural powers, though she says at one point that there is only
some rat poison left, which the Machiavelli Tubal sells for love solution
anyway…
In front of
the special audience, Ansiktet and his team perform some well-known tricks,
like the levitation of a body from the ground, which is exposed by the
Superintendent when he pulls the curtains apart and we see one assistant
lifting the body with ‘invisible’ ropes, but this interference in the hidden
side of the show would be paid by the foolish simpleton.
A man would
be tied with invisible chains and this time, there is something they do, be
that ‘magic’ or just a strong will and an overpowering of the mind of a weaker
character, but one climax would be reached when the wife of the police
representative, Henrietta Starbeck, comes in front of the Magician and when
asked, she spills all the possible beans…that the children do not have the
Superintendent as their father, except perhaps the stupid ones, and many awful,
embarrassing, humiliating revelations that stun all present, especially the
cuckold, diminished if not destroyed spouse…Mrs. Starbeck will have no idea
about what she has just said under hypnosis…
Albert Vogler
apparently dies, though he has before his departure a confrontation with Doctor
Vergerus, when the latter is in the room where Manda Vogler and her husband
would spend the night and he now sees that she is a woman dressed as a man, who
is forced to explain this cover, saying they had been wanted…indeed, we would
learn that in one instance, another rich potentate falls for her and when
Vogler defends the honor of his spouse and kicks the aristocrat, they end up in
jail for two months, at the end of which, the noble would free them and
furthermore, he would recommend them to the Royal family of Sweden, where they
may still perform in the near future…
The Magician
is a sublime motion picture for the complex manner in which it addresses the
main theme, though it is evidently a tour de force in every single department,
acting, costumes…everything else, that of Magic, which is presented with the
easy tricks that are used to confuse, distract the attention of the public, but
there is also the component that is the opposite of charlatanism and the power
of the mind of Ansiktet is evident and immense, many of the things that happen
are the consequence of the mindset, the force of suggestion and…the indefinable,
the…Magic.
Notes on
other masterpieces by divine Ingmar Bergman are available here: http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/05/fanny-and-alexander-by-ingmar-bergman.html
And more
at:
http://realini.blogspot.com/
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