In the early part of the 19th century in Sweden, a small theatre troupe wandering from town to town is stopped by guards at one of the entrances to Stockholm. Their intent is to expose the group, whose performance includes tricks by a magician named Dr. Vogler. The officials request a private performance by Dr. Vogler, who is supposedly mute, in order to judge for themselves whether or not his performances pose a threat to public health. The first impression created by the dark, mystic atmosphere of the film's opening, with its strange and mysterious characters, is one of gothic horror. Later, Face settles into a structure that alternates the gothic with psychological drama and farce. However, taken as a whole, it is possible to understand why the director describes his film as a comedy. As if creating an image out of small brushstrokes, Bergman places many characters before us simultaneously, and, rather than delving deeply into his themes, he takes them up with the lightness of comedy. The bourgeois officials, who consider themselves part of the power structure, approach the troupe in a hypocritical manner and attempt to use science as a weapon to crush them. In contrast, the troupe receives a much warmer welcome from the female servants. Sexuality is experienced covertly and hypocritically by the upper classes on the one hand and explicitly and directly for the lower classes on the other. Bergman places the actors somewhere between the two classes, dealing with them not as ideal characters, but together with their own human weaknesses and identity problems. In fact, Dr.Vogler and his wife, for whom all of life is a game, are also forced to confront their true identities. Looked at from his perspective, we can say that the film critically examines the relationship between performer and society. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise offered by Face is the chance to watch a youthful Max von Sydow and Erland Josephson, two of the unforgettable actors of the "Be
