The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet)
After a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight challenges Death to a fateful game of chess. The Seventh Seal launched the international career of its director, Ingmar Bergman, and made a star of its 27-year-old leading actor, Max Von Sydow. Forty years later, Bergman's stunning allegory of man's apocalyptic search for meaning remains a textbook on the art of filmmaking and an essential building block in any collection.
Member Reviews
Surprisingly Watchable - KevinJaques
So, you figure a black and white movie from decades ago, on the subject of plague and death, heavily symbolic, and subtitled, might not be fun to watch. So did I! In fact, I recalled it from film class in the 80s as being definitely not fun.
But it is so highly rated, and it's from my ancestral homeland, Sweden, that I just had to give it another shot. And it was good!
Sitting up close to my new giant tv, getting the cinematic experience, I really enjoyed it. It's not grainy or jerky, the black and white is actually very fine-grained in detail and in brightness. It's great to look at.
And interesting to look at. It's on location, costumed with apparent authenticity for medieval Sweden. The land is grand, and the people are great to look at. The costumes are very informative about the bodies they clothe. The actors look so unique. The girls are lovely. Everybody looks so Swedish! Man, I was IN Sweden and they didn't look like that.
There's funny bits and fighting bits. And ultimately, the Knight's courage in facing death, and how he wins a victory even in defeat, is moving.
It's best to expect vignettes, tied together, rather than one seamless narrative.
And there is all that the critics love, tons of symbolism, combined with and accentuating the straight-up frank discussion of death and the meaning of life.Bergman's Best - FilmJunkie
There is just nothing like Ingmar Bergman. Few come close, even fewer can do it better (perhaps Kurasawa? Fellini?)
This story follows a group of people fleeing the Black Plague during the Crusades. One man challenges Death to a game of Chess, the stakes being his life. As the characters interact and spend these few days together we experience death as a sort of tragic comedy.
He puts a face on death without lessening the fear or dread; he is ambiguous, even atheist, in his presented view of heaven and hell; he allows his characters to revell in their simplicity despite the horrors surrounding them.
He allows no easy answers, yet he is not confusing. Bergman never gives too much away, but unlike other 'masters' of cinema, his works are approachable and relatable.
As long as you can handle subtitles, Bergman is worth your time.No Escape - legalwright
One of Bergman's earlier films, this black and white classic chronicles Bergman's obsession with religion and the struggle to find meaning in the absence of faith. Existential in tone, the movie is set in the 12th century where a war weary knight returns from the Crusades only to discover that the Black Plague has descended upon his home country.
The opening scene has Death coming for our knight. Rather than succumbing to His overtures, the knight challenges Death to a game of chess, a game which progesses throughout the remainder of the film. What follows is a simple story of the knight's return and the unrest which exists because of the plague. The dialogue is direct in typical Bergman style as the knight confronts his confusion about the meaning and inescapability of death.
Few movies tackle such fundamental questions so directly - this is what makes Bergman's films so extraordinary. In the Shakespearean tradition, there are also moments of great comedy amidst the tragic circumstances of the knight and his companions. This movie requires a certain commitment - it is not the easy entertainment we are largely accustomed to. But overall it is terrific cinema and well worth viewing.
Member Reviews
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Surprisingly Watchable - KevinJaques
So, you figure a black and white movie from decades ago, on the subject of plague and death, heavily symbolic, and subtitled, might not be fun to watch. So did I! In fact, I recalled it from film class in the 80s as being definitely not fun.
But it ...Bergman's Best - FilmJunkie
There is just nothing like Ingmar Bergman. Few come close, even fewer can do it better (perhaps Kurasawa? Fellini?)
This story follows a group of people fleeing the Black Plague during the Crusades. One man challenges Death to a game of Chess, the ...No Escape - legalwright
One of Bergman's earlier films, this black and white classic chronicles Bergman's obsession with religion and the struggle to find meaning in the absence of faith. Existential in tone, the movie is set in the 12th century where a war weary knight returns from ...