In one of his most underrated collaborations with Bergman, von Sydow stars as a 19th-century traveling magician whose astonishing feats of illusion are challenged by the unyielding rationality of Dr. Vergerus (Björnstrand)—culminating in a disturbing confrontation. Mixing gothic horror, suspense, and satire, Bergman explores the tension between logic and mysticism in “one of his most genuinely enjoyable films” (Time Out London).