Bengt Ekerot

A man seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.

Ingmar Bergman's The Magician is an engaging, brilliantly conceived tale of deceit from one of cinema's premier illusionists. Max von Sydow stars as Dr. Vogler, a nineteenth-century traveling mesmerist and potion-peddler whose magic is put to the test by the cruel, rational royal medical adviser Dr. Vergérus. The result is a diabolically clever battle of wits that's both frightening and funny.