2. “The Hour of the Wolf” (1968)
During his younger years, it would seem odd that the incredibly handsome von Sydow would be often relegated to such draining and painful performances. But few actors had control of such unique facial contours like von Sydow, and in “The Hour of the Wolf,” one of Bergman’s underrated works, the actor shows the mind of an artist deteriorating bit by bit. Playing a painter plagued by demons, possibly real, possibly imagined, von Sydow never overplays his visions—he let’s Bergman do the heavy lifting. Most actors might play up the crazy antics, but von Sydow understands the power of the close-up. Even the smallest gestures register the paranoia in this haunting parable, making the conclusion all the more devastating.
3. “The Exorcist” (1973)
It almost seems like a comic stroke of genius for William Freidkin to cast von Sydow as Father Merrin, the man who is tasked with saving innocent Regan from the demon that has possessed her. But in this iconic horror classic, von Sydow brings a mode of intense and solemn confidence to the role that is almost opposite his performance in “The Seventh Seal.” Merrin only appears in the last third of the film, and his final fate is certainly a strange affair worth discussing, but von Sydow’s conviction to the strength of this man, his belief in the Almighty, are what make that reveal so shocking. If this man can’t stop the devil, who can?
