Customer Reviews

Seventh Seal

5 star:		(87)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I feel like a fool for not loving this classic examination of the
existence (or lack thereof) of both God and the meaning of life more.

I appreciate it, with it's stark, lovely photography, attention to
detail, marvelous performances, and sly dark sense of humor that
balances the portentousness of the subject matter, and makes the film
much easier to watch than my teen film-class memories of it.

On the other hand, while I appreciate the film's importance in cinema
history, and the bravery with which it tackles the biggest of issues in
a head-on, intellectual way, I find it just that - a very intellectual
experience, devoid of much in the way of emotion. I also find some of
the writing painfully preachy and on the nose.

Yet, in the end, I admire what it accomplished in its time, and how
well it holds up 53 years later.

And seeing as I went from not liking it at all, to liking it quite a
bit on my 2nd viewing, I'm open to what a third seeing might bring.

As almost goes without saying, the recent Criterion blu-ray transfer
is stunning. A film this image dependent deserves to be seen
in the best quality possible, and I'd urge you to consider the
blu-ray, or at least the Criterion DVD. I'm glad I got it.

This film is absolutely amazing. It is one of the few movies I watch more than once or twice.
It is an achievment in style. The film manages to look amazing by virtue of Bergman's skill with lighting and cinematography alone. Especially compared to the big budget, color Hollywood titles of the time (such as The Ten Commandments) which look plastic despite their "special effects" and use of color (this film is black & white).
The subject of the movie is man's search for the meaning of life and the question of whether or not God exists. The film is both thought-provoking and blunt in its presentation of this subject and the answers which Bergman provides are suprisingly blunt.
The DVD quality is great, as it always is with Criterion Collection DVDs, and Peter Cowie's commentary is particularly good.

However, I will admit that this film is not for everyone. It also seems to require (for me anyway) one to be in a certain "mood" to view it. If you want to simply be entertained then this is not a film for you, but if you want to view a skillfully directed and wonderfully thought-provoking (if a bit dated) film then go for it.

Ingmar Berman(1918) established a challenging premise a chess mate between a knight from the Crusaders and the Death (Bengt Ekrot). If he wins, he'll live ; otherwise the Death will claim him . And this original duel happens after Sydow has left behind the misery, the plague and an unending war. He's deeply dissapointed with God and certainly he concludes that it doesn't exist.
This game will let exchange , scrutinize several ideas concerned with the faith , the silence of God and its own existence. God is a comfortable idea for the mankind ; it keeps them warmth , besides the man can dream with the hope of a celestial Paradise after this journey through this awful and miserable world. The ending sequence with the Dance of the Death is one of the most captivating and fascinating images in all the cinema story.
Many people state this is the Masterpiece : and obviously to me it's one of the three major achievements ; Persona and Cries and Whispers would be the rest .
But I've watched almost forty films of this brilliant swedish film maker and in his particular case ; a minor film from Bergman is above the average . So my advise is try to find out and watch all you can from this outstanding director.
This film won the Special Jury Prize 1957.
A timeless cult movie.

The film was produced in a world recovering from the devastation of WWII, and living in fear of the mushrom cloud.
A knight and his squire are returning home from the crusades. Disgusted and desillusionised by what he has experienced, the knight just longs to die. He has just one last wish: to find out why he has lived. Death does not care, but agrees to let him live for as long as they continue their chess game.
They travel through a land ravaged by plague, fear, and banditry. Helpless the knight sees the world falling apart around him. Everything he believed in as a young man has been tainted or proved false.
Death cheats in the chess game. In the end the knight loses, but he gains some solace when he saves a young family from Death. Still, he leaves this world as unknowing as he entered as a child.
This film has a tremendous impact on the mind. It deals with the big questions: Why am I here? Why does evil exist, and why is it so powerful? What can one human do to affect the world? The last question is the only one that is answered: small things, but small things are also important.
The acting is briljant, with Max von Sydow as the knight. The personification of Death has inspired writers as different as Woody Allen and Terry Pratchett.

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 displayed. I'm not a very proud owner of this edition of "The Seventh Seal".

Crusader, Antonious Block (Max Von Sydow) and his squire Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand) have returned home after ten years. Unfortunately, thorough chaos and the black plague await them. Block himself comes face to face with a human manifestation of Death (Bengt Ekerot). Death has come for him and during Block's trials over the last ten years he has felt his faith in God diminish. Block challenges Death to a game of chess that plays on throughout the entire film. We wonder if his expectations are to actually outwit Death and survive. During his many interactions with Death he asks for true knowledge of God's existence and therefore some guidance as to his own. He is conflicted and to some degree he views the concept of God as merely an idol created to pacify fear and doom. These are just a few of the many insights that make their confrontation so enticing. Block's squire Jöns seems to acknowledge and exist in this oblivion and acts as humanity's voice of helplessness to Block. Block likely knows his death is forthcoming but is playing his game of chess as a way to delay the inevitable. The delay allows him to reunite with his wife and to further ponder on the existence of God. But most importantly, it is all a way for him to express and examine his utter dissatisfaction with the possibility that life has absolutely no meaning at all.

I was first exposed to some of Ingmar Bergman's work when I was in my teens. Back then I only thought I understood Bergman. I was wrong; with Bergman there is always some new guidance to provide further appreciation for life. Unfortunately, this outstanding director passed away in July of 2007. I felt obligated to buy Criterion's release of Bergman's masterpiece The Seventh Seal. I've seen the Seventh Seal three times. The first time without really paying attention but just kind of suspecting it was something special, this was years ago in my late teens. The other two times I watched it alone and both times I became consumed by it; once as a pious Christian and once as a skeptical agnostic. I saw the film in a dramatically different light with each viewing but yet it was still a great experience. Needless to say, if you've seen The Seventh Seal and not felt that your faith or lack thereof is being questioned and tugged at then you may need to watch it again. In the end, I found a satisfying resolution either way and the film is both personal and universal in it's commentary, so you may too. It is interesting to note that The Seventh Seal never tries to directly answer Block's questions and almost anyone could walk away satisfied with the conclusion. The Seventh Seal isn't necessarily about God and faith directly, but really just the aspects that produce them. The experience of life and finding comfort in our own personal existence is something only the ignorant or indifferent could look away from, and they may be the only ones unsatisfied with The Seventh Seal's conclusion. As a character Block is anything but ignorant or indifferent. He is more alive and passionate throughout the film because he knows full well he is in Death's grip and he wants to know if his actions in life are worth anything. This is a hugely significant film that tackles hugely significant subject matter and does so without preaching at us. It even uses some humor in doses at just the right time. I'm hopeful that one day a film like this could be produced again but somehow I see cinema going in a very different direction.

The DVD release itself is a very good one and I definitely recommend the Criterion release. The film has been restored enough to appreciate the cinematography for the time and budget, and there are also some great extras that really help to put Bergman's film career in perspective. I can honestly say that no film affected me like The Seventh Seal and I am a Bergman fan for life, with still much of his filmmography left to discover and enjoy. He will be sorely missed.

this is the first Ingmar Bergman i have seen.Bergman is a very revered
Swedish director.i wasn't sure what to expect with this film,but i had
wanted to see it for some time.basically the story is about a knight
named Antonius Block(Max von Sydow)during the time of the Black Plague
in Europe.Block finds himself visited by "Death" himself(Bengt
Ekerot),who reveals that Block's time is soon up.Block himself already
has suspicions so is not surprised,and in weird way,is resigned to his
fate.and yet,to avoid or at least delay the inevitable,he challenges
"Death" to a game of chess.if he wins,Death will leave him alone,at
least for the time being.of course if he loses,his time is nearly up.as
the match unfolds,we are shown various people who struggle to deal with
the plague and its devastation,each in their own way.also,during breaks
in the game,Block goes on a personal journey,to try to find some
meaning in life in general, and in his own life.we see he is a very
conflicted, tortured soul and longs to believe(that is have faith in
God).the movie is very low key,very dramatic,yet really is compelling.i
did not understand every nuance of the movie,not knowing what to look
for,and the movie is subtitled in German,which makes it a bit harder to
follow.this is mainly due to the fact that the subtitles sometimes omit
parts of pertinent conversation. at least,it seems that way.either
way,this film demands a second viewing,which should fill in things missed
the first time.one thing i do know is that Bergman is a very passionate
director,and that shows,although ironically in subtle ways.the point
is,although the movie is melancholy at times,i did enjoy it.For now,a
strong 4/5

This review is for the criterion collection edition.

This film is probably the most famous Swedish film to be released in the US. It helped launch Ingmar Bergman's career in the US and launched Max Von Sydow to international stardom.

In this film, a soldier coming home from the crusades is approached by Death and challenges him to a game of chess. The film is set against a time when the bubonic plague was raviging Europe.

It has great cinematography and the acting is also quite well done. This film is a masterpiece and sure to remain a classic.

The criterion edition includes some great bonus features including clips of some of Bergman's other films and an audio commentary of the film. It also has an English dubbed soundtrack.

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.

One of my all time favourite movies. Bergman is perhaps the only director that could pull off having Death as a character playing chess with our mortal hero. Revealing anything about the plot would take some of the mystery away, but this is definitely one of Bergman's best, along with Persona.