The Seventh Seal (1957)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman

Film Review

The film that earned Ingmar Bergman the Special Jury Prize at Cannes in 1957 and established his reputation as one of the greatest filmmakers of his age was The Seventh Seal, a bizarre morality tale which explores religious and philosophical themes with startling originality and efficacy. Some of cinema's most iconic images are to be seen in this film - most notably the shot of the knight playing Death at chess on a deserted beach and the heart-stopping Dance of Death sequence at the end of film, where the victorious Death leads his victims across a hilltop.  Rarely is stark black and white photography used so effectively, with such artistic flair, as in this extraordinary, timeless piece of cinema.  This film, along with the one that came immediately afterwards, the equally sublime Wild Strawberries (1957), marked Bergman's transition from a talented film director to a world class cineaste.

Stylistically dazzling, the film is also fascinatingly ambiguous and admits various interpretations.  The reading from the Book of the Revelations (which gives the film its title) makes it a plausible allegory for the very real threat of global nuclear annihilation (the film was made at the start of the Cold War).  The prospect of instant obliteration at the press of a button must have made life in the late 1950s appear as meaningless as it did to pagans living through the Black Death in the Middle Ages.  What's the point in anything if you know you are likely to be charcoal in a few minutes' time?

The film can equally be read as a full-on assault against organised religion, implying that the true God lies elsewhere than in the dry litany of self-flagellating mystics.  Contrast the misery that surrounds the supposed Christians - who bring death and persecution to others, even young girls - with the cheerfulness, innocence and contentment of a group of carefree travelling actors.   If God exists, it is not within the confines of a barren stonewalled edifice or on the blood-soaked battlefields of the Crusades, but rather in the warm-hearted tenderness of a young family rejoicing in each precious moment of life.  Religious and ontological concerns would inspire some of Bergman's most illuminating films, notably Winter Light (1962) and The Silence (1963).

Whatever its meaning, it cannot be denied that The Seventh Seal is a masterpiece, arguably one of Bergman's greatest films, and a work of art that cannot fail to make a lasting impression on anyone who sees it.   Less austere and ponderous than the director's later films, it is still a pretty sombre work with some very unsettling images.  Mercifully, the sombre mood of the piece is punctuated by some unexpected comic touches, and even Death seems to have a penchant for wit.

What is perhaps most surprising about this film is how Bergman succeeds in making it relevant to our own time.  The film may be set in another age, yet, in contrast to most historical dramas, it is extraordinarily easy for the spectator to project himself into this unfamiliar world and relate it to his own experiences, to find meaning therein.  Whilst it portrays, with some harshness, the failings of organised religion, the film shows us the necessity and value of faith to human existence, whether that faith derives from the face of an unseen God, or the hidden goodness that lies in each one of us.  It may not answer definitively what life is meant to be about, but The Seventh Seal at least inspires us to lift our gaze and look for meaning in what we see around us, before our amiable companion Death looks us in the eye and whispers: “Mate”.

Film Synopsis

In the mid-fourteenth century, Europe is being ravaged by the Black Death.   On his way home from the Crusades, a knight, Antonius Block, is visited by Death, in the form of an old man in a black cowl.   Block is in no hurry to die and challenges Death to a game of chess.  If the knight wins, he will be allowed to go on living; if he loses, Death will claim another victim.  The distraction of the game allows Block a brief respite, which he uses to look for evidence of the existence of God...