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Introduction
The Seventh Seal is a 1957 AB Svensk Filmindustri feature film by Ingmar Bergman starring Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot and the late Max von Sydow. The knight and his squire return from a crusade and meet Death, whom the knight challenges for a game of chess, bidding their lives. Later, the knights and the squire travel to their homeland torn by plague and, ultimately, after the knight loses, accept their punishment with humility.
The Seventh Seal
To begin with, the films biggest strength is its storylines depth of discussion about religion. When faced with the challenge, the knight questions his beliefs and calls for God to give him answers. Simultaneously, the audience follows the travelers as they meet various people who have different views on life and death when faced with the plague. The squire is a realist and is not afraid of dying; a couple of circus jesters raise a baby and find the meaning of their lives in him. Some people show their worst sides by murdering, stealing, and raping; others practice self-flagellate and warn people to repentance. Ultimately, Bergman argues, they will all join the eternal dance of Death.
The films second-biggest strength is the outstanding acting. The direction is kept quite theatrical and very much sets the tone for the events happening in the film. The film manages to be funny, dark, and touching all owing to the cast of actors. Roger Ebert mentions that Ekerots portrayal of Death and the chess match with the knight is so perfect it has survived countless parodies (Ebert).
If one were to point out a films weakness, it would be the outdated production design and, as some people would argue, excessive theatricality. According to Roger Ebert, Images like that have no place in the modern cinema, which is committed to facile psychology and realistic behavior (Ebert). Surely, the modern audience might find this film old-fashioned or even plainly boring due to its rather a slow pacing and rusty look.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to give this movie five stars as I believe this is not just Bergmans best work but arguably one of the most important films ever made. I would recommend this film to arthouse fans and people who would like to know more about Bergman and his art. However, as previously mentioned, I would not recommend this film to people who are looking for an easy watch.
Works Cited
Ebert, Roger. The Seventh Seal. Review of The Seventh Seal, by Ingmar Bergman. RogerEbert.com, 2000.
The Seventh Seal. Directed by Ingmar Bergman, AB Svensk Filmindustri, 1957.
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