Bergman's movie "The Seventh Seal"--could someone please explain?

It's about as "existential" as it gets. In that regard, consider it one of Bob Dylan's longer story-songs, with plenty of digressions and loose ends—but there is a great big punchline, consisting one of the greatest scenes in all of cinema.

Bergman's take on Mozart's "Magic Flute" is exquisite. "Fanny and Alexander" is awesome. One of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all filmmakers. Seventh Seal may be his greatest film.

 

I was in Eagle Rock, we had Occidental College and a revival theater. Cal-Tech had its own, wonderful film series where they would run double bills like "Yojimbo" and "Hidden Fortress" or the Firesign Theater's "Everything You Know Is Wrong" with an avant-garde film on autopsies. PBS L.A. [KCET, as I recall] was running a series of Bergman films up to and including Seventh Seal. Julie and I were moving together into our own place for the first time. We would be watching the Bergman films from our bed. Halcyon daze those.

 

How can you be a film major in college and never see The Seventh Seal?

 

I wholeheartedly recommend the Criterion blu-ray of The Seventh Seal for those who don't own it or have never seen it. Visually it looks astounding and the Peter Cowie commentary is very informative (as is all his commentaries). Loaded with nice extras as well.

 

Like "Bergman Island" which is pretty much essential viewing.

 

I took more production-based/writing classes than film appreciation ones, so I could be the rare film major who actually ends up with a job out of college...now that I have money from said job, I can afford to buy all the movies I should've watched then

 

Certainly the side story about the traveling performers could make you think you're suddenly in another movie.

 

Why do you think it was a side story??

 

What an excellent summary of the theme!

And I completely agree that if you don't see the last couple of minutes--a Wikipedia synopsis does not count--you probably won't get the meaning at all.

 

Well, that's a bummer.

 

I'll take nothingness over eternal damnation any day.

 

Love and Death, I like. (I mastered that one in the 1980s.)

 

I watched this movie as well and didn't think much of it myself. It was OK I guess but never felt like watching it again.


I did enjoy the Fellini movies I saw.

 

Checkmate

 

Anybody seen a knight pass this way? I saw him playing chess with Death yesterday...

 

This is actually a sobering and scary movie because it makes ya' clearly realize that we're all doomed. I need to get the Criterion ASAP.

 

Part of the reason why some people have trouble enjoying foreign or older movies is that their viewing habits have been conditioned by watching years of mainstream Hollywood movies and TV that leave very little, if anything, to the imagination.
Lots of edits. Overwhelming soundtracks. Too much "action". No real or sad endings. No loose ends. Very little subtlety. Stories that require the viewer to have a little background knowledge of history or current affairs.
But if people give these films a chance and are patient, the magic will usually seep through.

 

To anyone who finds The Seventh Seal (my favorite Bergman film) a difficult movie: Stay far, far away from the likes of Persona.

 

Naw, usually what I see in art films is a lot of bull@@@@. Not a lot of magic. Sometimes, there's just no "there" there; it's a bunch of Emporer's clothes. And I've worked on an ocean of Bergman, Fellini, and Antonioni films for home video.

Condemning all Hollywood films by saying they all have lots of edits, too much action, no loose ends, all of that... you ignore great films like The Godfather, Casablanca, Citizen Kane, and hundreds of others that are profound, moving, and I'd argue more powerful artistically because they reached more people and manage to communicate a universal message. Not every Hollywood film is Armageddon or Fast & Furious.

Kurosawa's films are a lot more approachable, and they don't try so hard to be "arty" and ethereal. Sometimes the direct approach is a lot more effective. I'd say the same thing for Sergio Leone as well.

 

Agree. I get so tired of the argument that Hollywood only churns out crap and that indie films are some higher art form. Y'know what? There are some very good indie films, but the majority are just as crappy as the average Hollywood piece of product. Just because a movie takes an uncommercial approach doesn't automatically make it good...

 

My favorite films of past couple years: Tree of Life and Melancholia. When the magic works, it works. I don't think any mainstream Hollywood film has created any real magic for a few years. Maybe I'm forgetting something, but it sure as hell didn't have Batman in it.