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The Magician

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2983/537_box_348x490_w128.jpg[/img] [img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/2980/537_BD_box_348x490_w128.jpg[/img]

Ingmar Bergman’s The Magician (Ansiktet) is an engaging, brilliantly conceived tale of deceit from one of cinema’s premier illusionists. Max von Sydow stars as Dr. Vogler, a mid-nineteenth-century traveling mesmerist and peddler of potions whose magic is put to the test by a small town’s cruel, eminently rational minister of health, Dr. Vergerus. The result is a diabolically clever battle of wits that’s both frightening and funny, shot in rich, gorgeously gothic black and white.

DISC FEATURES
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)
- New visual essay by Bergman scholar Peter Cowie
- Brief 1967 video interview with director Ingmar Bergman about the film
- New and improved English subtitle translation
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Geoff Andrew, a reprinted essay by Assayas, and an excerpt from Bergman’s autobiography Images: My Life in Film

Available on DVD and Blu-ray.

DVD
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Omigod omigod omigod! FINALLY, and on Blu-ray, too!

Matt wrote:Omigod omigod omigod! FINALLY, and on Blu-ray, too!

I know. We're getting spoiled. And I love it.

Better still if this ends up looking as phenomenal as their Seventh Seal Blu.

About frickin' time! Seriously, though, thank you, Criterion. Very excited about this one, especially on Blu!

This one is going to have a lot of fans, especially for those who've never ventured out into Bergman beyond the Collection. This is a very fun, light Bergman theatric piece and I'm shocked but ecstatic that it's coming out on Blu too!

Matt wrote:Omigod omigod omigod! FINALLY, and on Blu-ray, too!

I know I know. I had a little girlie "ohmigod" Homer Simpson (fingers twiddling in the air) moment when I saw this.

Is there a reason why it took so long to release this? For some reason I always assumed it was an MGM title (that they couldn't be bothered with) and that was why, but looking it up now I see it's not.

I hope Wild Strawberries is coming up soon...

cdnchris wrote:Is there a reason why it took so long to release this? For some reason I always assumed it was an MGM title (that they couldn't be bothered with) and that was why, but looking it up now I see it's not.

Well, the somewhat slim supplements suggest they were sitting around waiting for something else to add and then finally gave up. But I guess they don't want to release Summer With Monika until it's warm out, so don't hold your breath for that one for a while either

Whatever the reason, if it had been released even a year ago it might not have been on Blu, so it was surely worth the wait!

swo17 wrote:Whatever the reason, if it had been released even a year ago it might not have been on Blu, so it was surely worth the wait!

Hard point to swallow, but true.

domino harvey wrote:Well, the somewhat slim supplements suggest they were sitting around waiting for something else to add and then finally gave up. But I guess they don't want to release Summer With Monika until it's warm out, so don't hold your breath for that one for a while either

I asked Stig Björkman the possibility of having his two docs Images from the Playground and ...but Film is My Mistress shown in North America and his response was one way or another they will be shown in North America. In mid-September at a Bergman exhibition in Los Angeles and most probably as bonus material for Criterion's future Bergman releases. That is speculation on his part for the Criterion so keep that in mind but I do know Magic Lamp Releasing is interested in one of the docs but I don't know which one and no that bit of info is not on the latter's site.

A truly great film. Woody has mentioned it as being among Bergman's five best. They truly have sat on this one forever. The orginal Seventh Seal release has clips from it; hell, my 25 year old copy of "Four Screenplays" notes that it is a Janus Film title!

domino harvey wrote:Well, the somewhat slim supplements suggest they were sitting around waiting for something else to add and then finally gave up. But I guess they don't want to release Summer With Monika until it's warm out, so don't hold your breath for that one for a while either

But Bergman releases have to be the easiest for them: they just wind up Peter Cowie and let him go!

And i was wondering when we would get some more Bergman. While there is not one bad apple in this month's crop I have to say I'm the most excited and surprised for this one. I've been getting more into Bergman lately and while he has his flaws he's always entertaining. To see him just goof off for two hours should be a delight.

Cowie's back!

cdnchris wrote:Is there a reason why it took so long to release this?

I've never been able to figure out why it's taken so long. It was one of their last laserdisc releases (and their last Bergman LD), so you would think that it would have been one of their first DVD releases. And here it is, the last of the Bergman films they released on LD to hit DVD. But hey, we got a Blu-ray as compensation for the wait, so all is forgiven.

Fantastic film indeed, and I hope the image quality on SD (sorry for even mentioning it) is improved enough compared to the Tartan to make a double-dip worthwhile. But one little quibble: this is another missed opportunity to finally call the film by its real name: "The Face".

I'm surprised this one is on Blu, which is great.

Finally, more Bergman on Blu-ray!

This is a very solid film. As somebody else stated, it's suspenseful but also playful. Ingrid Thulin is mesmerising.

In Brazil, this film was released years ago, NTSC-friendly, R4. Of ocurse, I'm gonna upgrade to Blu.

This was one of the first Bergman films I ever saw as part of my youthful autodidact film education. I didn't really even know who Max von Sydow was, so I was totally floored when he took off his wig and false beard. I think because of that, the film really made an impression on me and it's been one of my favorite Bergmans ever since.

Though maybe I would not have so surprised had I remembered that this guy was also Ming the Merciless.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for this but...when the hell is someone going to release The Devil's Eye?

I thought they'd release Monika first.

skeets kelly wrote:Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited for this but...when the hell is someone going to release The Devil's Eye?

Already released by Tartan, I think. And probably the weakest Bergman film I could think of outside of his VERY early work. What we really need are his TV productions from the 80s and 90s: "In the presence of a clown" or "Madame de Sade", for instance.

The audio interview looks to have been bumped off.