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Title: The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Insegle)

Date of original theatrical release: 1956

Details:

Gunnar Björnstrand (Jöns, squire)

Max von Sydow (Antonius Block)

Bengt Ekerot (Death)

Nils Poppe (Jof)

Bibi Andersson (Mia, Jof's wife)

Bertil Anderberg (Raval)

Gunnel Lindblom (Girl)

Åke Fridell (Blacksmith Plog)

Inga Gill (Lisa, blacksmith's wife)

Inga Landgré (Karin, Block's Wife)

Written & directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Score: +

The Review: What can I say about this landmark film, with iconic images by one of the most respected directors of the 20th century, and about which volumes of commentary have inevitably been written? Certainly nothing novel. Why did it take so long for me to see Seventh Seal? Part is opportunity -- my past several years in proximity to excellent and convenient art theatres in Cambridge and Boston have piqued my interest in independent and "foreign" film. And part is slow-growing curiosity -- about some of the images I'd started to notice, some B&W stills from this film. So, was it worth the wait? Yes, if only to put myself into the proper frame of mind to watch. Was it worthwhile? It was OK, and some of the imagery is indeed stunning, if transient. Was I blown away by its profound exploration of life and death? No, but I'm no longer living in the mid-20th-century -- and it's difficult in retrospect to imagine the impact this film might have had when it was first released. To put that event in context, all it takes is to remember what else was showing on the popular silver screen in 1956-57 -- Academy Award winning entries included Around the World in 80 Days, The King and I, Anastasia, Bridge on the River Kwai, and The Three Faces of Eve -- but there was also Doris Day's The Pajama Game and other exceedingly light and decidedly unchallenging entertainment.

The plot is easily summarized. A 14th-century knight (von Sydow) and his squire (Bjornstrand) return to Sweden exhausted and confused after ten years in the Crusades, only to find their homeland is being overrun by the Black Death. Although the events play out through the eyes of additional lesser characters -- including a group of players surrounding the attractive Mia (Andersson) -- it is the knight's chess match with Death (Ekerot) that becomes the focal point of the film. There is ample (some might say over-much) self-examination, cynicism and railing against fate, God and religion -- an intense, surprisingly unelliptical exploration of the meaning of life, death and dying. And there is abundant, often stark imagery with some wonderful composition and cinematography.

This is clearly von Sydow's movie, and Bergman's camera is very friendly to von Sydow's face ("it's time for my close-up..."). Some of the humor seems a bit dated, or annoyingly slapstick, but it is not out of place.

If accuracy is of concern to you, the anhistoricity of the plot device may be bothersome. Certainly, the advance of the Black Death into Sweden was underway by 1349-50. But the Crusades came in nine (or more, depending on how you count) waves focused between 1096 and 1272. Even though there are a few later, minor (lowercase-c) crusades recorded, none match these dates of the Black Death. On the other hand, this is a work of fiction, so stretching the facts to fit the psychology may be permitted. The juxtaposition and multiple modes of death is clearly part of Bergman's design.

The Criterion Collection DVD offers the film in its native Swedish audio track with English subtitles. There is an interesting micro-documentary on the restoration of the film, since its several extant prints had suffered significant damage in the half-century since it first appeared. There is also a commentary track by the English film historian Peter Cowie, where he places into context the actors, the plot themes, and the cinematography. It's informative, and worth a second viewing to hear what he has to say. One of the comments -- "this is one of the more accessible of Bergman's films" -- is germane to a naïve viewing audience. "Relatively accessible" still must be placed in the queue with the rest of Bergman's work; not to everyone's taste.

(2-Jun-07)

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