Customer Reviews

Seventh Seal (Modern Film Scripts)

5 star:		(144)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

This is the film that transformed me from a fan of movies to a lover of cinema. I have probably seen this film more than any other single one - certainly over a dozen times over the years. Some of the Amazon customer reviewers felt the film moved too slowly, or was not stimulating enough in black and white. For such moviegoers this film is definitely not for you. However, for those who enjoy films that speak on many different levels and provoke thoughts that linger with the viewer, this is a masterpiece.

The action takes place in Europe after the crusades. A knight, Antonius Bloch, is returning to his home in Denmark. He is accompanied by his squire. Block is an idealist who joined the crusades because he wanted to do something significant in his life. However the crusades turned out to be completely disillusioning. On his journey he notes that the plague is sweeping across the land. Superstition reigns, along with a severe version of religion. His squire is not as bothered by what he has seen, having been much more cynical all along. Still, the squire has a strong sense of justice that is demonstrated when he saves a girl from an attack.

Along the way a number of people join with the knight for protection. These include a troupe of actors, a blacksmith and his faithless wife, and the woman the squire rescued. Death is lurking, and confronts the knight, informing him that his time has expired. The knight protests that he cannot die before having accomplished something significant. Death says, "They all say that," but the knight insists, and successfully challenges Death to a chess match. This gives the knight additional time to make his life worthwhile.

The knight has tried to accomplish the BIG act based on a profound sense of life and of God. The juggler and his wife have a much simpler idea of life, God, and goodness. As Death is on the verge of winning the chess match and taking everyone in the knight's party, the juggler wakes his wife and child to flee. The knight recognizes that the juggler has seen Death, and upsets the chessboard to distract his opponent. This gives the juggler just enough time to escape. Death asks the knight whether the delay was worth it, and the knight gives an enigmatic smile. He has accomplished his worthy act, not by saving the world, but by saving just one family.

Everything about this fine film is outstanding, from the acting to the cinematography to the direction. The Criterion transfer restores the film to the best possible condition. The commentary tracks are very informative. Many movies have parodied The Seventh Seal, including Woody Allen and Bill and Ted's Adventure series. None of that has taken away from its greatness. I give this film the highest recommendation.

Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest films ever made, which may scare away some viewers. The film is also a meditation on death and religion, which may also make some people hesitant to watch it. I know I avoided it for some time, but the film is really pretty enjoyable. If you consider yourself to be a true film buff, you really have to see this movie.

Max von Sydow, in the role that made him famous, stars as a disillusioned knight returning from the crusades in the 14th century. He is travelling with his squire, and they meet a number of people along the way, including an acting troop and a blacksmith and his wife. One of these visitors is Death, and the Knight tries to bargain for his life. Death accepts the knight's offer of a game of chess. As long as the game continues, the knight can live.

The movie is laden with symbolism, often of a religious nature, and filmed in stark black and white. Although the movie is serious and cerebral in tone, there is also a surprising element of humor and lightness. If you approach this film with an open mind, you will probably end up enjoying it, although it isn't for all audiences. Highly recommended for discerning film fans.

EXTRAS: The DVD includes such extras as the original trailer and a written narrative of Bergman's career. The best feature is the audiotrack recorded by film historian, Peter Cowie. He walks the viewer through the film, pointing out relevant symbolism as well as Bergman's directorial touches. Fascinating!

There is no god, there is only man.

THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957) remains to this day one of the most profound and enigmatic explorations through man's eternal yearning for the meaning of life. Directed by acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, THE SEVENTH SEAL tells the story of Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) a knight on his way back to Sweden after having spent 10 years fighting in the crusades.

I should make clear that this is only the initial setting of the story, and that in fact the film is populated by a flurry of wonderful characters. Indeed it seems that throughout the film we meet all sorts of beings: Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand) the just and valiant squire, Jof (Nils Poppe) and Mia (Bibi Andersson) who perfectly capture the innocence and purity of love, a dying young witch (Maud Hansson) who kept remainding me of Joan of Arc, a young girl who follows the squire (Gunnel Lindblom) and who barely says a word throughout the movie, but whose eyes are so alive and expressive; and perhaps the most daunting and chilling performance of all, Death itself (Bengt Ekerot).

It is said that war can break a man and drive him into madness and solitude. In the SEVENTH SEAL Antonius seems to have lost all his faith and desperately seeks to find the answer to the one question that haunts him the most: does God exist? Death meets Antonious at the start, Antonious realizes that perhaps the end is near and in an effort to redeem himself he challenges Death to a game of chess. The end result is one the most fulfilling (and awkwardly bizarre) conclusions I have seen in a movie.

The Criterion Collection DVD is simply by far the best option for anyone interested in the movie. With a wonderful and insightful commentary by film historian Peter Cowie and a well presented filmography on Bergman, the DVD edition can satisfy even the most rabid Bergman fan, or prove an excellent starting point for those who are not familiar with Bergman's work (like myself). The movie is presented in it's original 1.33:1 (full frame) aspect ratio in black and white, in Swedish (option English) language track and English subtitles. I highly recommend this film.

This movie is a milestone in cinema history - no need to question its directing, cinematography, or content - it's genius. Criterion's restoration of the picture is stunning. There's a restoration presentation feature which proves that they've certainly done a great job. A LOT of work has been put into the Bergman filmography as well - excerpts from other movies are included - it took me close to an hour to watch and read through it ...HOWEVER: these things seem quite indifferent when one actually tries to enjoy the main feature, the movie, where the audio and the picture constantly are out of sync. There are a few minutes at 45 minutes into the movie, and at 75 minutes into the movie where it looks OK, but for the most part there is, at least, a 0.25-0.5 second delay on either the audio or the film (it varies - in the first half of the movie the audio is late). It's really irritating to see someone speak a word or two (in silence) before the line in audio enters - especially for me, since my first language is Swedish. I'm highly disappointed in this - 11th - DVD production of Criterion. On some of Tartan's presentations of Bergman's films there are out-of-sync dilemmas, too, but not through whole movies.
Another star is lost by Criterion's subtitles; they're very inaccurate when it comes to swearing and sarcasm. If a Swede says "jävla(r)", "helvete", "satan", or "fan" (which are the strongest curse-words), SOME of them HAVE to mean either "f--k", "devil", "damn", "bloody" or even "AWFUL", but nope...the subtitles here are as "clean" as the language in the bible.
If you want to see an incredibly PERFECT presentation of a Bergman film on Criterion, I suggest buying "Wild Strawberries", where the restoration, sound, SYNCHRONIZATION, subtitles, commentary, and 90-minute documentary are perfectly presented and displayed. I'm not a very proud owner of this edition of "The Seventh Seal".

I came into this film with possibly unrealistic expectations. I had heard so much about it, that I thought there was no way it could live up to the hype.

It did.

The Seventh Seal is an amazing movie. It concerns a disillusioned Swedish knight (von Sydow) who returns from the Crusades to find his home being ravaged by the plague. On the shore, he meets a masked robed figure who claims to be Death. Rather than running in terror, the world-weary knight challenges him to a game of chess. The game is played over several days, during which Bloc gets a look at how the townspeople are reacting in religious terror to the plague.

There are two parts of the film to be addressed. Bergman's writing is anything but subtle. It is the writing of a young artist just finding his voice. He is trying to answer question life, God and morality. The film asks how one can maintain faith when God is silent. In this respect, the film is powerful in its bluntness. Consider the masterful scene in which von Sydow confesses his questioning of faith to a man he thinks is a priest. How he manages to find life, hope and possibly meaning amidst the rubble of his home in the family of entertainers. The movie becomes a dark comedy in the late stages, including one of my favorite all-time movie lines as an actor begs for his life.
Bergman's directing is also excellent. The aforementioned confession scence is remarkable. The closing scene justifiably famous. This is one of those films where the black and white medium is perfect.

This movie is well worth your time, even with he hefty price tag.

<It is not a date movie>, <It lacks color>, it is just "black and white" ...

No, Ingmar Bergmann, whom I believe to be one the greatest film creators of all times, did not make "The Seventh Seal "to "entertain" us. It happened years ago when I was introduced to Bergman by my girlfriend while we were dating. We were together when we watched Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, The Virgin Spring, The Magician, The Silence, and a few others of Bergmann's earlier black and white films.

"The Seventh Seal" is compeling evidence of how much an artist can communicate with image, black and white image ! Universal ! The essence of all time philosophical questions and pursuits: the quest to understand the meaning of life, to find and join with the ultimate essence, its creator, the one responsible for giving and taking away. The knight who escaped death while fighting the crusades may very well represent our own consciousness. Even as our daily pursuits are more "down-to-earth" and deal with "the tangible",. aware or not, we ask questions, we seek answers, we feel compelled to want to know what life is, and, as it happens with so many things, we start to appreciate them even more so when we are about to lose them. We value life when we face death.

It is a film rich in symbols, with beautiful and compeling visuals. Each and every image means something. Each and every word said means something. Visually, The Virgin Spring may be even more impressive, but The Seventh Seal truly is a "black and white" masterpiece. Yes, color can add to the artistic expression - consider Kurosawa's Dodes `ka-den and Kagemusha, Antonioni's Blow-Up, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner and The Duelists, Tarkowski's Solaris and The Sacrifice. with its stunning cinematography by famous Sven Nykvist who was behind the camera when Bergman shot The Seventh Seal. Of course, it is enticing to know what Bergmann might have done had color been available to him in 1956 when he made the film., but does The Seventh Seal really "lacks" color ?

Life as a Game of Chess - a metaphor ! White (life) against Black (death - the very negation of life). Who won ? A child is born - life triumphs over death, as the film ends on a cheerful note: life (God's investment in Humanity) is everlasting - as one dies, another one is born !

VHS or DVD - Bergmann's The Seventh Seal is one of the greatest artistic achievements of all times.

I approached this movie with few preconceived notions; I had heard of it but knew little in the way of reviews. I started it at 2 a.m. and it managed to hold my attention and keep me interested for the length of the film. It begins with Death approaching a knight (Max von Sydow) on his way home after 10 years warring in the distant Crusades. He strikes a bargain with Death, offering a game of chess. If the knight wins, he lives, loses and he dies. The movie is basically a vehicle for director Bergman's musings on the existence of God, wondering if there is only a great emptiness. Bergman does not mince around the philosophical points; he takes it straight to the viewer with frank dialogue. I was surprised by this boldness; I guess I am too used to the timid, politically correct inanities of current filmmakers. My favorite scene takes place in the confessional of a church the knight and his squire (played by Gunnar Bjornstrand who does a great job) stumble across. The knight wonders aloud to the priest on the emptiness of his faith and his wish to be rid of God. He states that God is simply a construct of man, who craves a way to deal with his fear of the void. The priest turns out to be Death, who has been stalking the Knight on his travels. This movie is not as morose as its plot suggests, there are plenty of scenes where laughter is the response. I think the movie has weathered time pretty well, even with its sometimes cheap looking costumes and set pieces (the walls of the knight's castle move in the wind and are clearly canvas). It was refreshing to watch a movie that actually had a deeper meaning other than being pretext for fart jokes or gratuitous violence. Incidentally, I was not surprised to see that those who panned this movie recommended "Go", "Last Action Hero" and "Raw Deal" instead...all pillars of modern cinematic excellence.

For those of you looking for other Bergman films on DVD, it's worth travelling to Amazon's UK website, as quite a few have been released in the last months of 2001 - the transfers are not quite of Criterion standard, but they are very good - the prints are either pristine or digitally restored and the sound is immaculate, but there is a slight (very slight) digital graininess that somehow Criterion manage to eliminate.
*
Another easy recommendation to make is Bergman's book, 'Images - My Life in Film'. The section on The Seventh Seal tells how the entire film was made in thirty-five days! Here is a quote from the book: 'The Seventh Seal is one of the few films really close to my heart.....in this film I passionately cultivated my theme to the fullest...I placed my two opposing beliefs side by side, allowing each to state its case in its own way. In this way, a virtual cease-fire could exist between my childhood piety and my newfound harsh rationalism...Also, I infused the characters of Jof and Mia with something that was very important to me: the concept of the holiness of the human being. If you peel off the layers of various theologies, the holy always remains.'
*
The whole section in the book on The Seventh Seal is really interesting. Carl Orff's 'Carmina Burana' is recounted as part of the inspiration for the film. The screenplay was originally 'given the thumbs down from every imaginable hand' at Svensk Filmindustri. The unexpected success of Smiles of a Summer Night gave Bergman the licence to film his script. Money was nevertheless tight, and the previously mentioned 35 day schedule was only one day less than the maximum granted by the studio. Only three scenes were shot outdoors, at Hovs hallar, and possibly the most famous of all, the Dance of Death almost never got shot at all - an impending storm saw the crew pack up, only for Bergman to spot a 'strange cloud' and have Gunnar Fischer replace his camera - the actors had gone, so 'a few grips and a couple of tourists danced in their place'. Incredible! One of the iconic images in cinema was 'improvised in only a few minutes'!
*
Bergman also knew fully the risk he was taking in his stylised depiction of Death. 'An amalgamation of a clown mask and a skull', as he puts it. What a powerful image, chilling, and influential, most notably for me in David Lynch's 'Lost Highway'. Indeed, there are many unforgettable images in The Seventh Seal, and, speaking for myself, repeated viewings only burn these more deeply. Perhaps most frightening is the knight's 'confession' - if you haven't seen the film, I won't spoil it for you.
*
The juxtaposition of the gruesomely serious journey of the knight against the lighter world of the minstrels is, in some ways, reminiscent of Shakespeare, where a lower world and a higher world serve to counterpoint each other. The structure of the film is especially satisfying and again stands repeated viewings much like a brilliant work of music stands and gains from repeated listening.
*
In the chapter in 'Images', Bergman relates his fear of death and how an overly heavy dose of anaesthetic prior to minor surgery proved revelatory - he suddenly understood 'that one could be tranformed from being to not-being'; as he goes on, 'That which had formerly been so enigmatic and frightening, namely, what might exist beyond this world, does not exist. Everything is of this world. Everything exists and happens inside of us, and we flow into and out of one another(..you can almost hear Woody Allen saying this to Diane Keaton...). It's perfectly fine like that.' Strangely, this quote is oddly akin to something from a surreal interview conducted on a television current affairs show some years ago with the richest man in Australia, Mr.Kerry Packer, shortly after a near-fatal heart attack (suffered while attending a horse race meeting) - on national television, actually on a television network which he himself owned, Mr.Packer confided that in his near-death experience he had found there to be 'nothing' on the other side. I wonder what he thinks of Mr.Bergman's movie.
*
Bergman's films are serious, yes, but they are also pay respect to the formal rigors of drama. He structures scenes with care, alert always to holding the interest of his audience. It might be surprising to learn that the Hollywood script doctor and screenwriting guru, Robert McKee, holds Bergman as a model in this regard. Another factor is the talented actors in his troupe, and their almost impossible physical beauty - Bergman was not insensible to this, as his private life attests, and also this quote taken from the preface to the screenplay of 'Face to Face' (Ingmar Bergman, The Marriage Scenarios - Aurum Press Limited): 'Nor in fact is there any harm in simply letting oneself be entertained for a couple of hours. Good-looking and talented actors, who in a credible manner portray sad, dramatic, or amusing situations, are almost always entertaining, however painful the complications happen to be.'
*
As is probably already obvious, I love this film. When I obtained a DVD player, this was one of the first three discs ordered. In the personal Top Ten of all time? For sure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Earlier versions of this video included much truer translation of the Swedish dialogue. For some reason, for example, this translation chooses to change the names of Jof and Mia to "Joseph and Mary," imposing some oddball Christian connection that makes very little sense in the context of the film. Also, there are entire passages that don't get translated at all. Maybe the "improved English translation" on the DVD release restores the straighter interpretation of the script. In the meantime, if you want to see the more accurate translation in the subtitles, try auctions for the earlier release.

Many viewers mistake "The Seventh Seal" for an existentialist treatise on such issues as the death of God and the isolation of man, though this is hardly the case. "The Seventh Seal" contains a powerful, existential line of questioning, but it is hardly a film about Existentialism-in fact, it is quite the reverse. Although God is not revealed in this film, His presence is. Although the hero of this film remains isolated with silent courage, he is never completely alone and his actions are far from meaningless.

"The Seventh Seal" is really more of a play than a film, and it is one that does not treat religion kindly. Even people who have never seen "The Seventh Seal" are probably familiar with its dramatic opening scene. The knight, Antonius Block and his squire Jans have returned to Sweden after more than a decade of participating in the crusades and are sleeping on rock covered beach. When the knight awakes and starts to pray, Death appears on the beach. The knight's time has come but rather than submitting to Death, he challenges Him to a game of chess. They agree that as long as the game proceeds, the Knight remains alive. If he wins, he survives, and if he loses, Death takes him.

The knight's battle with death remains a silent one. He never tells his squire or any of the people they meet on their way to his castle. At one point, the knight attempts to reveal his situation (including his winning chess strategy) to a priest during confession. Unfortunately, Death has disguised himself as a priest and learns of the Knight's strategy. During his confession, the knight asks "why can't I kill God within me?" Christianity fails to provide the knight with any sense of God, but the knight cannot rid himself of his sense of God. This is similar to the statement made by a character in another Bergman film called "The Virgin Spring". In this film, another knight (also played by Max Von Sidow) arrives at the location where his daughter was murdered and shouts, "God, I do not understand your ways, but you are all that I know!"

In both of these films, Bergman introduces a dualistic interpretation of God. There is the human perception of God that manifests itself in art and religion, and there is the actual existence of God which remains a mystery in our lifetime.

As the knight and his squire journey back to his castle they encounter corpses from the Black Plague, a cynical former priest and a witch being burned at the stake. They also encounter a troop of actors, a cuckold, and his wife who all join the knight's party. When the knight finally loses the chess game, Death tells him that he will come for him and his friends the next day. The knight frantically leads his party through a thunderstorm but leaves the actor and his family behind.

When the bedraggled party reaches the knight's castle that evening, they are met by the knight's wife and begin reading the Bible. As they read Revelations out loud, there is a powerful knock on the door. The knight's wife opens the door and stares up at Death. One by one the people in the castle introduce themselves to Death with solemn respect. This time the audience does not see Death, but they can tell from the expressions of the Knight's party that He is much larger than he was in his previous encounters with the knight.

The contrast between the humorous personification of Death who played chess with the Knight and the silent, invisible, larger than life version of Him is a critical point of the film. At the end of the film, Death is a manifestation of God that defies perception or description. When the knight's party submit to him, they are calm and reverential but do not invoke religion.

God is definitely present in this movie, but He is never explained or depicted to us. Like many of Bergman's other films this one does not attempt to refute or uphold the existence of God but instead examines the human perception of God. Throughout the play, God is inaccessible when people try to reach Him through social or religious mechanisms. The only people who perceive God are those who are about to die in the Knight's castle, and the actor whom the knight abandoned in the storm. The following morning, the actor looks out into the fields and sees Death leading the knight and his party away. When he describes this to his wife she laughs and says, "you and your visions and dreams."

Similarly, while "The Seventh Seal" spends a good deal of time examining human fears and struggles, it is hardly an existential film. Yes, almost every reference to institutionalized religion in this film is fake or tarnished. The knight and his squire are returning from the crusades-a monumental Christian failure. Every priest they encounter is a phony, a sellout, or a murderer. When the knight reaches out to the church in a moment of confession, he is immediately betrayed. Despite the emptiness of religion in this film, the characters are hardly operating in a spiritual vacuum.

"The Seventh Seal" ends with a tenuous but palpable spiritual affirmation. In the end, the Knight achieves a miracle by distracting Death from taking the actor and his family with the rest of the knight's party. The actor also achieves something of a miracle by perceiving and explaining how Death leads the knight's party away.

Bergman is too brilliant and too subtle an artist to examine such superficial questions as whether or not God exists or human kind is alone in the world. Instead, Bergman examines the human condition not so much in a spiritual vacuum but from the perspective that we cannot know the Divine while we are alive. But in that time, we can experience manifestations of the Divine, some of which take place through our own decisions and actions. This is why even after religion has failed him, the knight still cannot "kill God" within himself.

Note: if you are interested in this subject, you can read an excellent book by Arthur Gibson called "Silence of God : Creative Response to the Films of Ingmar Bergman".