"The Seventh Seal" is a pensive art film set in the Middle Ages. The success of the film earned international acclaim for Swedish director and writer Ingmar Bergman. But today, the fixation with death and rejection of the hereafter, as well as the relentlessly gloomy and overstated imagery, makes for a somewhat inaccessible, and worse, overheated film.
The story begins with a plague sweeping through medieval Europe. A large percentage of the population is killed, understandably causing terror and paranoia among the superstitious peasants. Death (Bengt Ekerot) visits a knight who has participated in the Crusades (Max von Sydow). The knight delays Death by challenging him to a game of chess. The game has frequent and lengthy breaks, enabling the knight to wander around seeking the Truth about the hereafter. He encounters a young woman who is to be burned as a witch (Gunnel Lindblom) and a couple with a small child, Joseph (Nils Poppe) and Mary (Bibi Andersson).
For a film whose plot revolves around a chess game, the script shows little understanding of the game. The knight makes a vague remark about a strategy that he will employ, and this is interpreted as a devastating blow for his chances. Of course, most of the audience has only a passing interest in chess. It is a cerebral and very uncinematic board game, but it is still deserving of more than a shallow depiction.
For Bergman, death is a repudiation of life, a proof that all is in vain. This extreme attitude denies the true nature of death. Death is simply a part of life. From the point of view of a dying man, the world may be coming to an end, but the world still goes on as before. Bergman depicts death as an evil force, rather than as a biological process, and supports his view with imagery showing cruelty, horror and suffering.
Cynics will find the film ripe for parody, and those seeking entertainment will avoid it. "The Seventh Seal" is an art film that may be embraced by fans of the genre who accept rather than question the film's overripe imagery. The film is good despite its limitations. It is well cast, and has stark cinematography from Gunnar Fischer. But it is no masterpiece. (61/100)
DVDS. Endlessly imitated and parodied, {$Ingmar Bergman}'s landmark art movie {#The Seventh Seal} ({#Det Sjunde Inseglet}) retains its ability to hold...More at DeepDiscount.com
Antonius Block Max Von Sydow a knight returns from a 10-year crusade with his squire Jns Gunnar Bjrnstrand to find his homeland ravaged by the plague....More at Family Video
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2010 Shopping.com, Inc.