The personified Death cloaked in stark black robe from head to toe provokes you, there is no subtlety here.

His approach in grappling with themes of Life and Death is audacious, to say the least. This game is continued throughout the film.īergman throws a cold steel hammer at his viewers here. As he makes his way back to his estate, he is accompanied by none other than the culprit of this destruction itself, ‘Death.’ Block is well aware of his smeared fate and in some way accepts it too, but the agony over the meaning of his own life makes him strike a bargain with his pale collector and they start a game of chess, where if the knight loses, death may take him. But Ingmar seems more than happy taking every theme head on and leaves generation after generation in absolute awe of his stark depiction of life and death.īergman’s “The Seventh Seal,” tells a tale of a disillusioned knight Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow) returning from the failed crusade with his squire Jöns (Gunnar Bjornstrand) to his homeland Sweden, only to find it being gripped by plague and death.

This is a staple of classic cinema, watch it and find out why.Existential work often travels on the back of allegorical modes, questions are asked in cloak of vagueness, and the answers (if there are any) are left to viewers to discuss over desserts. This is probably his most famous and accessible films. Bergman will not disappoint in this one or elsewhere in his filmography. This film was one of the first I watched in my everlasting pursuit of classic cinema, and I would readily recommend it as a starting point for anyone interested in classic or foreign films. Death is the most persistent theme throughout the film, and is often juxtaposed to stark scenes of life, often quickly and without warning. If nothing else, that concept is enough to make an interesting film at the very least. A game of chess that is a matter of life and death. My favorite aspect of this film is simply the premise.

The soundtrack is perfectly subtle, acting is agreeable, cinematography fitting and well done, etc. There is nothing lacking in this film, in my opinion. I would describe it as a dark and powerful film. I have watched several Bergman films since I first saw this, but this is the one that has always stuck out to me the most. I have just finished my second viewing of the film. It is a unique film, and unlike any I have ever seen. The Seventh Seal is a rightfully highly regarded film.

No matter the moves you make, Death will, in time, have you in checkmate.

The seventh seal ingmar bergman 1957