I appreciate Bergman's mastery of cinema very much, especially his inimitable ways of story-telling, together with the splendid photography of Gunnar Fischer or Sven Nykvist, and - always - a magnificent cast of first-rate actors. Undoubtedly, "Wild Strawberries" or "The Seventh Seal" are classics of world cinema.
And with regard to the cast and cinematography, "The Magician" is no exception to this appreciation. - However, I do feel a bit uncomfortable each time a touch of humour comes up in Bergman films. In my humble opinion, these movies mostly haven't aged so well - be it that our sense of humour has changed over the past 50 years, be it that Bergman's humour might seem a bit forced, in the first place. My overall impression of "The Magician" is that of a fairly heterogeneous movie with a tremendous beginning, then with several changes of mood (and BTW large plot holes, as well), and finally a rather unfitting ending.
In my opinion (I truly hate to say so): one of Bergman's weaker efforts.
And with regard to the cast and cinematography, "The Magician" is no exception to this appreciation. - However, I do feel a bit uncomfortable each time a touch of humour comes up in Bergman films. In my humble opinion, these movies mostly haven't aged so well - be it that our sense of humour has changed over the past 50 years, be it that Bergman's humour might seem a bit forced, in the first place. My overall impression of "The Magician" is that of a fairly heterogeneous movie with a tremendous beginning, then with several changes of mood (and BTW large plot holes, as well), and finally a rather unfitting ending.
In my opinion (I truly hate to say so): one of Bergman's weaker efforts.