Ansiktet (1958)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

27 August 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Into the Nether-World! You'll Gasp At This Occult Hypnotic Experience Into the Supernatural!

Plot:

When 'Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater' comes to town, there's bound to be a spectacle. Reading reports...

Plot Keywords:

Parable | 1800s | Illusion | Magician

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Max von Sydow	...	Albert Emanuel Vogler
Ingrid Thulin	...	Manda Vogler (alias Mr. Aman)
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health
Naima Wifstrand	...	Granny Vogler
Bengt Ekerot	...	Johan Spegel
Bibi Andersson	...	Sara Lindqvist
Gertrud Fridh	...	Ottilia Egerman
Lars Ekborg	...	Simson, the coach driver
Toivo Pawlo	...	Police Superintendant Starbeck
Erland Josephson	...	Consul Egerman
Åke Fridell	...	Tubal
Sif Ruud	...	Sofia Garp
Oscar Ljung	...	Antonsson, burly stableman
Ulla Sjöblom	...	Henrietta Starbeck
Axel Düberg	...	Rustan, young manservant

Also Known As:

The Face (UK)
The Magician (USA)

Runtime:

100 min | UK:107 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

AGA Sound System

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | UK:PG (video rating) (2001) | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Djurgardsslaten 49-51, Skansen, Djurgården, Östermalm, Stockholm, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

The character of Vogler was based on Bergman himself.

Quotes:

Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health: The whole evening I've been fighting an unexplainable liking for you and your husband.
Manda Vogler: You surprise me.
Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health: I took to you at once... your faces, your silence, your natural dignity. I would not admit it if I were not slightly drunk.
Manda Vogler: Then leave us alone.
Dr. Vergerus, Minister of Health: I can't. You represent what I detest most of all... the unexplainable.

Weaker Bergman?

It's not Bergman as his most tormented or saturnine, but it's thoroughly entertaining, more theatrical (in a good sense) than say Persona or In a Glass, Darkly, and still an unqualified masterpiece on a level of artistry that no one making films today seems to be able to achieve. It makes me think in some ways of Shakespeare's plays like the Henry IV with their mix of tragedy and comedy--all done with tremendous showmanship. I'll bet Orson Welles admired this film-- if he ever saw it.

Bergman seems almost forgotten today. Films like this one, Naked Night, Hour of the Wolf, Persona, etc., hardly ever crop up on TV or film festivals. When Bergman is represented, it's usually by The Seventh Seal (not my favorite, and a film that begs for a parody), Wild Strawberries, Smiles of a Summer Night (because of the musical version, no doubt), or Fanny and Alexander, which is more recent, and most important, in color. What a pity. The man created a body of work virtually unsurpassed in the second half of the 20th century.