The Seventh Seal

Now that we finally have a gorgeous print from Criterion, it no longer feels like the dated, obtuse film we watched years ago in film class. Depiction of the religious lunatics is spot-on....not much has changed in the world.

I just watched this film in a lecture, and I must say it has been very life changing. Question everything! It literally related to my life in the 21st Century. TIMELESS!

I finally got to see this classic, and it was so much better than I thought. The crusade seems to be a surrogate for world war II, but it is a very deep examination of being mortal and suffering needlessly at the hands of human folly. At least, that s my take on it. Beautifully shot, expertly written and immaculately acted.

Simplistic, yet riveting. Apocalyptic, yet redemptive. What more could one ask for from a film which is built upon the premiss of pitting a Crusader Knight against Death himself in a winner takes all game of chess? Nothing right? Well, most impressively, "The Seventh Seal" comes complete with the additional bonus of an ample supply of clearly delineated characters which one rapidly becomes invested in.

This is it. The film that inspired so many directors in so many ways. Bergman takes on life and faith in such a fantastical way that there is no denying it. You cannot turn away. The themes and symbolisms are easily accessible, yet make you piece them together as the film progresses. Dark and dramatic yet satisfying in the end. It says so much in such a short amount of time. A true piece of art.

Amazing cinematography for such an old film!!! I was immediately impressed and engrossed with the directing and dynamic dialogue between characters who find themselves banding together from different experiences all on their way to death. Having come from the Crusades, the knight and squire encounter remnants of their past that bitterly remind them of their pre-war naiveté.

This is a classic movie of a kind not often seen: a depiction of a person's intellectual and emotional agony about an inescapable aspect of being human. If it were a novel it would probably be mostly the cerebral part of its hero's fundamental angst that would come across. But because his central concern is presented as a movie made by a great director, it drives home its emotional impact fully. The selection of events and images is masterful. Some of the scenes and symbols are famous for their aptness and power to move viewers (notably the chess game). It's best for a viewer too set aside from the start many expectations he might have about what a movie should contain and be. Remember this is a product of Sweden, not the USA.

It may be the best movie ever made.

If I had one film left to watch before I died, it would be this one. Its manner of showing impending death is dramatic and suspenseful more than any other movie I've seen. Though if you're a teenager looking for a fast paced action flick, this isn't the movie for you.

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