Year: 1957
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Country: Sweden
Language: Swedish
The Seventh Seal was my introduction to the films of Ingmar Bergman and The Criterion Collection which distributed this film. Every-time I see it my breath is taken away by how glorious it is. Cynical yet inspiring and imaginative, Bergman asks great philosophical questions that few dare to ask, such as the existence of an omnipresent, omnipotent & omniscient God. I have been very hesitant to give this and a few other films a review because I fear I won't give them justice. Nevertheless, here it is.
The Seventh Seal is about a knight (Max Von Sydow) who returns home from the crusades. The Black Death is sweeping the continent & people are dying left and right. Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. As the seeming Apocalypse approaches we see the different people around them as they deal with their demise.
In most Introduction to Film classes there is usually a screening of The Seventh Seal sometime during the course. This is because, along with Fellini's 8 1/2, it is a staple in art-house film culture and regarded as Bergman's best film among most critics and film-goers. It is an incredibly bleak film that deals with the issues of good and evil and the absence of God. There are many questions, but few answers. Even Death can't precisely answer the questions laid in front of him, he says "you ask too many questions". Every human asks these questions, they eventually must face mortality & confront their own beliefs, this film pushes you forward.
"I want God to stretch out his hand to me, reveal himself and speak to me. But he remains silent, I call out to Him in the dark but no one seems to be there".
The Seventh Seal is a technically masterfully made film, the performances are incredible. The costumes are astounding, the choice to make death into a literal character in the film was genius. Scenes go from comedic to dramatic very fluidly, a great example of this is when there are two clown-like people on a stage & they are singing a song. The song is light hearted, as is the scene and then all the sudden the actor's faces go from glee to utter horror. Silence fills the scene and moaning erupts, plagued people carry crosses and are wipping themselves, a priest comes up to tell people to repent or die as the apocalypse is night. It's pretty damn amazing.
"Faith is a torment. It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call."
In conclusion, while the majority of the film is incredibly dark I feel the ending is very optimistic. We should not fear death nor religion, we should enjoy living and the good moments life has. It's difficult to write about the film & do it justice, it's not a film you can only watch one or six times for that matter, every time you see it you understand something new and exciting. It's ingenious and much bigger than itself. Praise it! 5/5
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