| 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 | |
| Birgitta Pettersson | ... | Sanna | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Frithiof Bjärne | ... | Border Officer (uncredited) | |
| Tor Borong | ... | Border Officer (uncredited) | |
| Arne Martensson | ... | Customs Officer (uncredited) | |
| Harry Schein | ... | Customs officer (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Ingmar Bergman | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Ingmar Bergman | writer | |
Produced by | |||
| Allan Ekelund | .... | producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| Erik Nordgren | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Gunnar Fischer | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Oscar Rosander | |||
Production Design by | |||
| P.A. Lundgren | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Greta Johansson | |||
| Manne Lindholm | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Börje Lundh | .... | makeup artist | |
| Nils Nittel | .... | makeup artist | |
Production Management | |||
| Carl-Henry Cagarp | .... | studio production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Gösta Ekman | .... | assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Karl-Arne Bergman | .... | property master (as Karl Arne Bergman) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Åke Hansson | .... | sound | |
| Aaby Wedin | .... | sound | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Rolf Holmquist | .... | assistant camera | |
Music Department | |||
| Eskil Eckert-Lundin | .... | conductor (as E. Eckert-Lundin) | |
Other crew | |||
| Katinka Faragó | .... | script supervisor (as Katherina Faragó) | |
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| Fanny and Alexander | Sawdust and Tinsel | Picnic at Hanging Rock | Wild Strawberries | Dogville |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb Sweden section |
Vogler's Magnetic Health Theater rolls into town and is promptly summoned for a meet with the town big wigs. Hoping to expose all involved in the theatre as charlatans, the disbelievers request a personal show before allowing the show to go public. With very interesting results.
There is a belief amongst many Ingmar Begman fans that Ansiktet {The Magician} is far too accessible a piece to be considered one of his greatest pieces. And whilst it does find Bergman more easy to understand for the casual viewer, it's however still complex enough to thrill and niggle the mind in equal measure. Taking two factors that he very much adored, masks and magic, Bergman threads them off into various directions, and in the process testing us the audience as to just what to expect from the story. The mysterious wonder of it all is naturally aided by Bergman's use of light and shadowy trickery, symbols loom heavy without dampening the theme on offer, with nothing of course actually quite being as it seems.
As is normally the case under the master director, the cast are uniformally strong. With Gunnar Bjornstrand and Ingrid Thulin particularly standing out. But really this is all about tricks and ideas relating to magic and its blending in with reality. So much so that with the end comes an awakening that we the audience are indeed props in one of Bergman's shows, and that can never be a bad or even an accessible thing.
A fascinating picture from a very fascinating director. 8/10