In The Magician, Bergman stages a diabolical confrontation between faith and rationality, personified in the figures of Dr. Vogler (Max von Sydow) and Dr. Vergérus (Gunnar Björnstrand).In the film’s opening minutes, Vogler, the taciturn leader of a group of itinerant magicians, guides his rickety stagecoach through an ominously foggy forest to meet with Vergérus, Minister of Health in 19th century Stockholm and an avowed skeptic of Vogler’s act. What follows is a tensely suspended battle of wits between masters in the art of deception and purveyors of official science, a Gothic fairy tale that spikes the path toward an explosive climax with lengthy verbal sparring matches and playful narrative detours. Beginning with a group interrogation, the film gradually splinters into a series of one-on-one scenes as the troupe spends an evening with Vergerus’ fellow town officials and their families, a discursive structure that nods to Bergman’s theater work and provides a springboard for fine acting by Bergman regulars such as Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson as well as less frequent collaborators like Bengt Ekerot and Åke Fridell.