Ingmar Bergman's The Magician is an engaging, brilliantly conceived tale of deceit from one of cinema's premier illusionists. Max von Sydow stars as Dr. Vogler, a nineteenth-century traveling mesmerist and potion-peddler whose magic is put to the test by the cruel, rational royal medical adviser Dr. Vergérus. The result is a diabolically clever battle of wits that's both frightening and funny.
