Movie

The Magician

1958 · 102 min

A slow-burning, eerie chamber drama where belief and deception blur, unsettling you with quiet menace and dark wit.

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Genres: Drama
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand

Overview: A traveling magician and his troupe arrive in a Swedish town in the 1840s, where their act is scrutinized by local authorities and a skeptical medical official. Their stay leads to a series of confrontations that test the boundaries between performance, belief, and deception.

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Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Genres: Drama
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand

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How it feels

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Tone: eeriestrength 3 of 3
darkstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
satiricalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: deception
identity
faith
obsession
power
Places: small town
single country house
Era: period
Audience: adult
Form: twist ending
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	2
Horror	4
Humour	4
Realism	6
Romance	4
Tension	7
Darkness	7
Complexity	8
Emotional weight	7

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Where to watch in the UK

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Details

Genres: drama
Directed by: Ingmar Bergman
Written by: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Naima Wifstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Bibi Andersson, Gertrud Fridh, Lars Ekborg
Music: Erik Nordgren
Cinematography: Gunnar Fischer
Runtime: 102 min
Country: Sweden
Languages: Swedish

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The Magician

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