My introduction to classic foreign cinema began with three films you would suspect most anyone would begin with: Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 and Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal. It probably comes as no surprise I instantly fell in love with all three films as well as all three directors. So, when it was revealed a Bergman film I wasn’t at all familiar with was coming to Criterion Blu-ray it certainly was exciting. Not to mention it’s a Bergman film with Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot and Bibi Andersson. All of which are Bergman regulars, which only added to my anticipation.
The film centers on a traveling magic show referred to as ‘Vogler’s Magnetic Health Theater’. Max von Sydow plays the magician Vogler who’s brought under question by a small town police chief and medical examiner, disbelieving they are true magicians.
The film runs a brisk 101 minutes and is set, for the most part, in one location. Even though it’s titled The Magician I don’t want effects fanatics thinking this is loaded with wand waving and Patronus charms. For the most part this is a talky film of discovery and exploration, not magic tricks. The fascination is in the interpretation and what you take away from it. As straight forward as it may seem, it’s a film that’s more than meets the eye.
On this Blu-ray, there are only three bonus features included, two of which are interviews with Bergman, one an audio only interview and the other is a video interview I actually referenced in recent editorial. The other feature is a video essay from Bergman scholar Peter Cowie, whom can be heard on most (perhaps all?) Criterion Bergman-related releases and he gives us an interpretation on the film from a much more informed perspective than I’ll be able to offer here, but I do have a bit of a different take.
Knowing Bergman the way Cowie does, he looks at the film as a “confrontation between the entertainer and his audience”. He sees it as “an act of revenge” on Bergman’s part toward his critics. He details character names and their meanings when looking at Bergman’s oeuvre on a whole and goes on from there. While Cowie makes his points, I couldn’t help but see something else.
Vogler’s doubters approach his magic show from a scientific perspective and I saw the film as a comparison between scientific fact and faith-based beliefs. At one point the Minister of Health, Dr. Vergerus (Björnstrand) says to Vogler’s wife (Thulin), “You represent what I hate most of all, the inexplicable.” At another point in the film Tubal (Ake Fridell), Vogler’s assistant, says to Vogler’s grandmother (Naima Wifstrand), “Granny’s tricks are out of date. They’re not amusing as they can’t be explained. Granny ought to be dead.”
It’s this idea of the inexplicable and things that can’t be explained that work in direct contradiction to the scientific approach of Vogler’s doubters, and speak squarely to those who doubt faith-based religions. Cowie does draw a religious comparison to Vogler’s character and von Sydow’s performance as Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told, but it’s hardly what I’m talking about. Religion is never dealt with specifically in this film, but you can feel its presence throughout… at least I could.
As for the Blu-ray presentation, the image is stunning. Rich blacks make up the gothic production design. The audio track is typical Criterion dedication to the mono presentation and it sounds great. Dialogue is crisp and clean and ambient sounds play well and give a certain measure of depth.
Considering the lack of supplemental material on the disc, Criterion makes up for it with a 38-page booklet with excerpts from a 1990 tribute to the film by director Olivier Assayas (Summer Hours, Carlos), a new essay by critic Geoff Andrew, and an excerpt from Bergman’s autobiography “Images: My Life in Film.” A little goes a long way with this release.
I won’t stand up and say this is some masterpiece, but I am a big fan of Bergman and I appreciate how his films present a story rather simply, but seem to be saying something beyond the narrative and The Magician is no exception. Fans of classic foreign films and presumably most of Bergman’s films should eat this release up. It’s a beautiful transfer and a good film from Bergman and his reliable company of performers.
