Film 8 (8/28/2005)

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Recommended by: BacardiJim, Aram Fingal

Has Fentablar seen this before?: No.

The Seventh Seal is another film deserving of a more in-depth review. Also, it seems rather difficult to discuss this film minimally without turning into a long review - but I'll try.

This film boasts an exquisite plot which brings to mind all sorts of ethical/philosophical questions - more so than most films I've seen. The idea of the Knight playing a game with Death while the plague is all over, leaving many to be taken by Death without their own chance to play, is an intriguing concept and, in my opinion, a great format for raising these questions.

The high quality acting in this film, believe it or not, actually took me by surprise. My favorite scenes are those when Death and the Knight are directly interacting with each other; the two players playfully carry out their dialogue, keeping the viewer both amused and intrigued.

One thing Bergman does in The Seventh Seal which I don't recall having seen much (if at all) in other films is fading to and from white, which I appreciated for two reasons: one, that it's not the typical boring fade to black; two, that it seems to add another artistic layer - in a film about Death (which is, of course, associated with black), the film moves from one scene to the next with a bright, almost heavenly white light.

Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):

Plot Effectiveness: 5/5. Superb. It'll take a couple more viewings before I have enough material to meditate on for the in-depth review that I plan to.

Cinematography/Shot Selection: 5/5. A pleasure to view. Admittedly, this may be a biased opinion since I am partial to black and white films.

Overall Acting: 5/5. Again, the interaction between Death and the Knight is great stuff.

Score/Soundtrack: 5/5. This element is a great aid to the film's aura.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5

~Fentablar~