The Seventh Seal

Painting a grim portrait of the western world plagued by the Black Death, threading together several norms of the medieval era into a single setting, and addressing its themes by observing them through contemporary lens, The Seventh Seal is a fable of life, death, religion, faith & existential angst that, despite the allegorical treatment, makes sure its narrative remains somewhat accessible.

Written & directed by Ingmar Bergman, one of the first things that stands out about this sermon is the dark & deathlike atmosphere the plot comes drenched in. Add to that, the whole premise of playing chess against the Grim Reaper with one's life on the line sounds interesting on paper. The story however piles on more subplots and digs deeper into the philosophical & spiritual elements that only slow down the ride.

The crisp black n white cinematography is captivating throughout. Characters of all moods are present in the picture. The period details may not be appropriate but the gloomy aura is finely captured. And comfortably steering the film past the finish line are the sturdy performances, led by Max von Sydow who plays a knight locked in a game with Death itself, latter personified by Bengt Ekerot. And the scenes between the two are easy standouts.

Overall, The Seventh Seal is actually easier to navigate than what I was expecting, and the parallels viewers can draw between the medieval pandemic and one we're dealing with currently makes the journey rather intriguing. Nonetheless, the relaxed pace & numbing speeches still made it a frustrating sit for me and failed to strike an emotional chord. As is the case with previous Bergman entries, I do get its legacy & repute but don't feel any personal love for it.

The mysteries of religion and death have long been a popular focus among artists of all media, including film. And while many films question these mysteries, they seldom provide any real insight into the world of the unknown. In Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL, these mysteries are not only questioned; they are dissected, splayed, and scrutinized.

THE SEVENTH SEAL could very well serve as sort of a manifesto for existentialism. Its deep acuity and haunting imagery is powerful enough to jar even passive viewers out of their complacency and force them to examine their own reality. The delicately crafted story centers around a 14th century knight named Antonius Block and his ongoing game of chess with a shadowy, hooded figure: Death. Bergman uses this allegory not just to personify death, but to illustrate the lengths man will go to in order to avoid it. In the end, however, Death is a much better player than any of us, and though he may humor some of his opponents by letting them think that they have the advantage, the end result is inevitable: Death always wins. No matter how skillfully we plan our moves or how determined we are to win, we can never beat Death.

In Antonius's search for answers, he encounters a variety of very unique characters, each with their own outlook on life, death, faith, fear and love. Their commentary on such matters is often dryly funny and always brilliant, continuously and effectively challenging our perceptions of the world around us. For me, the dialogue was definitely the high point of the film, as it was extremely thought-provoking and carefully constructed throughout. Almost every line spoken is, in one way or another, daunting and unforgettable. Jöns's description of love as "the blackest of all plagues" is a quote that will forever be engraved in my mind.

THE SEVENTH SEAL truly is a remarkable accomplishment in the world of cinema. It is a deep, mesmerizing, and darkly beautiful work of art. More importantly, THE SEVENTH SEAL is one of those rare movies that doesn't just entertain, but also has the power to change the way one thinks.

This classic is filled with a lot of memorable images - from the opening scenes on the seashore to the effective concluding shots, creative thoughts are combined with some fine camera work. There are several significant or interesting questions raised by the characters - from the imagery of the "Seventh Seal" in Revelation, to their simple but important concerns about eternity - but it is the way that the visuals play off of the ideas that make the movie so worthwhile.

The recreation of the medieval world is convincing and effective, with a lot of detail to set off a varied assortment of characters with different personalities and perspectives. The characters are not necessarily very deep, but most are interesting, and are worth caring about. The ways that they deal with their discouraging situation make you wonder what it would have been like to live in their world. It's also a movie that in some respects is even better to watch over again, after you already know what has happened and can then pick up even more of the detail and imagery.

No doubt the somber tone and slow pace will always keep it from being widely popular, and it's not perfect, but it's satisfying in a different way, and deserves its reputation as a classic.

Antonius Block - "Who are you?" Death - "I am Death." Antonius Block - "Have you come for me?" Death - "I have long walked by your side." Antonius Block - "So I have noticed."

The Seventh Seal, considered by some to be Ingmar Bergman's greatest achievement, is the desperate prayer of a sensitive, introspective, and insightful young man confused by the horrors of the world around him. Ingmar Bergman's films are often very deep, full of symbolism, philosophy, spirituality, emotion, and thought. The Seventh Seal is classic Bergman. Expressing his fear of life with no meaning, death with no understanding, and faith with no validity, Ingmar Bergman takes us deep into the well of his mind.

As the Black Plague ravages the world, a Antonius Block and his squire, Jons (Max Von Sydow and Gunnar Bjornstrand, respectively), return from fighting in the Crusades. They find their homeland devastated by the plague, their countrymen mad with fear, and their cause lost. Antonius Block is confronted by Death (Bengt Ekerot). Block challenges Death to a game of chess to provide him time to seek answers to the questions that plague his mind as Death has plagued his country. Death accepts, knowing that Block cannot escape his fate, and the two begin their game. As the story continues, Block and Jons meet with several testaments to the agony that the Black Death has brought upon their land. They find a young girl who is to be burned at the stake for having been with the Devil. They find madness in the eyes of all they meet, as everyone is convinced that God is angry and is punishing the world with the plague. They also find a small group of travelling actors, who appear to be the only souls to have remained sane in the midst of all of the death and fear. Block and Jons move across the countryside in the hopes of finding safety in Block's castle, but Death is always around the corner, biding his time.

Brilliantly conceived, and stunningly executed, Bergman's vision is brought to the screen through Gunnar Fischer's powerful cinematography creating images that will likely remain with you for the rest of your life. Strong performances from everyone involved bring humanity to the film. Max Von Sydow's brave and conflicted Antonius Block matching wits with Bengt Ekerot's sinister, omnipotent Death is a microcosm of the forces at work in this breath-taking interpretation of the mortal struggle.

A masterpiece!

First of all, I have taken the time to read some posts on this movie before writing my review because I was searching for lots of answers. Didn't get many though, the popular thing fans like to say (and please, no pun intended) is that it just takes time to understand and appreciate this movie. To this I quickly reply that my perception of "Det Sjunde Inseglet" was that it is a rather dull, if not eventless, movie. It has some really nice moments (and for some reason I really liked the concept of a man playing chess with death itself) but in the end almost nothing is resolved except from the main protagonist who, at the brink of his death, discovers that it's love that makes people want to live ,very roughly put, I apologize, but even this revelation was hidden from the writer of this comment. And this is what bothered me the most, I couldn't read (for the lack of a better word) any of these important details, the movie very coldly rolled in front of my eyes and I just didn't get it! Now the easiest and dumbest thing to say is that this is all the fault of the director for not having a more universal way of film-making, rather the viewer has to decipher such information if he wants to fully appreciate his movies. I've just realized that I could say the same for Kubrick's visionary movies, I didn't like most, scratch that, none of them the first time around, they grew on me after a second viewing. And I dig Kubrick, a lot!!!

I was also surprised with the admiration the cinematography received, it did not impact me whatsoever (and I am more so a visual that a sensual movie buff and love this kind of stuff). All in all, as Antonius Block, I am searching for answers, important ones. It bothers me a lot that I don't appreciate this movie, and I ask anyone to help me resolve my problem.

What am I missing? What don't I get? What should I know about "The Seventh Seal", its meaning, its importance, its making, its director...?

Thank you for your time