Rating: 
Summary: "Why can't I kill God within me?"
Review: Many viewers mistake "The Seventh Seal" for an existentialist treatise on such issues as the death of God and the isolation of man, though this is hardly the case. "The Seventh Seal" contains a powerful, existential line of questioning, but it is hardly a film about Existentialism-in fact, it is quite the reverse. Although God is not revealed in this film, His presence is. Although the hero of this film remains isolated with silent courage, he is never completely alone and his actions are far from meaningless."The Seventh Seal" is really more of a play than a film, and it is one that does not treat religion kindly. Even people who have never seen "The Seventh Seal" are probably familiar with its dramatic opening scene. The knight, Antonius Block and his squire Jans have returned to Sweden after more than a decade of participating in the crusades and are sleeping on rock covered beach. When the knight awakes and starts to pray, Death appears on the beach. The knight's time has come but rather than submitting to Death, he challenges Him to a game of chess. They agree that as long as the game proceeds, the Knight remains alive. If he wins, he survives, and if he loses, Death takes him. The knight's battle with death remains a silent one. He never tells his squire or any of the people they meet on their way to his castle. At one point, the knight attempts to reveal his situation (including his winning chess strategy) to a priest during confession. Unfortunately, Death has disguised himself as a priest and learns of the Knight's strategy. During his confession, the knight asks "why can't I kill God within me?" Christianity fails to provide the knight with any sense of God, but the knight cannot rid himself of his sense of God. This is similar to the statement made by a character in another Bergman film called "The Virgin Spring". In this film, another knight (also played by Max Von Sidow) arrives at the location where his daughter was murdered and shouts, "God, I do not understand your ways, but you are all that I know!" In both of these films, Bergman introduces a dualistic interpretation of God. There is the human perception of God that manifests itself in art and religion, and there is the actual existence of God which remains a mystery in our lifetime. As the knight and his squire journey back to his castle they encounter corpses from the Black Plague, a cynical former priest and a witch being burned at the stake. They also encounter a troop of actors, a cuckold, and his wife who all join the knight's party. When the knight finally loses the chess game, Death tells him that he will come for him and his friends the next day. The knight frantically leads his party through a thunderstorm but leaves the actor and his family behind. When the bedraggled party reaches the knight's castle that evening, they are met by the knight's wife and begin reading the Bible. As they read Revelations out loud, there is a powerful knock on the door. The knight's wife opens the door and stares up at Death. One by one the people in the castle introduce themselves to Death with solemn respect. This time the audience does not see Death, but they can tell from the expressions of the Knight's party that He is much larger than he was in his previous encounters with the knight. The contrast between the humorous personification of Death who played chess with the Knight and the silent, invisible, larger than life version of Him is a critical point of the film. At the end of the film, Death is a manifestation of God that defies perception or description. When the knight's party submit to him, they are calm and reverential but do not invoke religion. God is definitely present in this movie, but He is never explained or depicted to us. Like many of Bergman's other films this one does not attempt to refute or uphold the existence of God but instead examines the human perception of God. Throughout the play, God is inaccessible when people try to reach Him through social or religious mechanisms. The only people who perceive God are those who are about to die in the Knight's castle, and the actor whom the knight abandoned in the storm. The following morning, the actor looks out into the fields and sees Death leading the knight and his party away. When he describes this to his wife she laughs and says, "you and your visions and dreams." Similarly, while "The Seventh Seal" spends a good deal of time examining human fears and struggles, it is hardly an existential film. Yes, almost every reference to institutionalized religion in this film is fake or tarnished. The knight and his squire are returning from the crusades-a monumental Christian failure. Every priest they encounter is a phony, a sellout, or a murderer. When the knight reaches out to the church in a moment of confession, he is immediately betrayed. Despite the emptiness of religion in this film, the characters are hardly operating in a spiritual vacuum. "The Seventh Seal" ends with a tenuous but palpable spiritual affirmation. In the end, the Knight achieves a miracle by distracting Death from taking the actor and his family with the rest of the knight's party. The actor also achieves something of a miracle by perceiving and explaining how Death leads the knight's party away. Bergman is too brilliant and too subtle an artist to examine such superficial questions as whether or not God exists or human kind is alone in the world. Instead, Bergman examines the human condition not so much in a spiritual vacuum but from the perspective that we cannot know the Divine while we are alive. But in that time, we can experience manifestations of the Divine, some of which take place through our own decisions and actions. This is why even after religion has failed him, the knight still cannot "kill God" within himself. Note: if you are interested in this subject, you can read an excellent book by Arthur Gibson called "Silence of God : Creative Response to the Films of Ingmar Bergman".
Rating:
Summary: Lack of Color?
Review: As I scanned the other customer reviews, I found it interesting that the few people who commented negatively about the film seemed to dislike it for it's lack of color, which completely invalidates their arguement. That being said, The Seventh Seal is an intellectual masterpiece. The first several times I viewed this film, I took it as a statement from Bergman that there was no God and that life is pain and suffering, themes that he dealt with throughout his career. However, upon the last viewing, something occured to me. The film is much more complex than simply "God is dead." There is a strong conflict between faith and intellect. The agnostic Knight, the hero of the story, and infact everyone except the Family (the acrobat, the actress and their son) all meet with Death in the end. The Acrobat (forgive me for not remembering names), with his blind faith (manifested, I feel, through his vision of the Virgin Mary and with a baby Christ) is the only one who escapes. Bergman seems to suggest that faith is a necessary part of survivial, an idea which seems to pop up in his other films, specifically in Through a Glass Darkly. The Seventh Seal remains a complex and enduring film, and probably resides in my personal Top 10.
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Summary: A True Cinematic Masterpiece!
Review: It is widely known that Ingmar Bergman is a cinematic genius, and this is his most accomplished and accessible film. No other film rises such profound philosophical questions about god, death, evil and the ultimate purpose of life. Beautifully told with haunting images such as the weary knight Max Von Sydow playing chess with Death (the unbelievably pale Bengt Ekerot) with his life on the balance at the sea shore, then there's the 'plague' sequences that are also harrowing and memorable. Bergman was a genius and this may well be his greatest achievement. An ideal introduction to the thinking person's cinema. From a scale of 1-10 I give this film a 10!
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Summary: BLACK DEATH'S WHITE MASK
Review: Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL is one of these movies my old teachers used to present to the class in order to develop our love for cinema. I remember that, most of the time, their efforts produced annoyance rather than enthusiasm among the students. But I also remember that, the day of the projection of THE SEVENTH SEAL, one would have heard the buzz of a fly in the classroom. This movie is more than a classic, it's really a landmark in the history of the seventh art, it's simply one of the best movies ever produced. Fortunately Criterion has given to THE SEVENTH SEAL the attention this movie deserves and is offering now the definitive version of this masterpiece. At least, silences wanted by Ingmar Bergman at peculiar moments of the film are REALLY silences. When Death appears, you can see the leaves of the trees trembling and the waves of the sea dying on the shore but without noise, so the first words spoken by the apparition give you the chill. In THE SEVENTH SEAL, Ingmar Bergman raises important questions, in fact the sole really important questions that matter for humans : is there something after death and if not, why are we here ? Just follow Max Von Sydow, Bibi Andersson and their companions in this terrible quest. A DVD for the eternity.
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Summary: A Window Into The Soul
Review: Although an understanding of the human desire to attach meaning to the world we live in is not completely necessary in order to enjoy this wonderful film, it does provide the proper context in which the film was meant to be viewed. Issues, never before examined so in film, like the meaning of life and death, man's cruelty to man and the existence of God are all delicately woven into Bergman's usual backdrop. He keeps us from complete depression by offsetting man's dark nature with the possibility of redemption and rebirth. I will end without mentioning the fabulous cinematography, film editing and acting. The film sits proudly beside Citizen Kane and Dr. Zhivago on my shelf!
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Summary: WOW! One of the top films of all time!
Review: I simply can't say enough about this film! It has left me breathless and in a state of awe! Truly, it is one of the best films ever. There are some people out there (the ones who like the typical Hollywood s**t) who will hate this film and say that mindless action movies are better than it. It's not true. This film is not for those who don't want to think, or for those who aren't used to B&W or subtitles. Still, that's their loss, and everyone else can appreciate this film for years to come. I promise that certain scenes and words will haunt you for years to come.
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Summary: Absolutely, without question, one of the finest films ever.
Review: Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" is easily one of the greatest films ever made, along with "The Passion of Joan of Arc" and "Andrei Rublev" among others. Bergman himself is the director of many masterpieces of cinema, and I think that "The Seventh Seal" is perhaps the pinnacle of this. This is probably the film that made me rethink almost everything I knew prior to seeing it. It is certainly not a happy film, but I do not think I'd be exaggerating to say that it -is- life changing. I understand it is Woody Allen's favourite film also. That may not mean anything to you...but there you go.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Accessable
Review: Please don't avoid this film because you have a preconceived notion of it being arty or pretentious. On the contrary, its beauty (like the Seven Samurai) comes from its exploration of simple but profound themes that are timeless and without boundaries. Max Von Sydow as Antonius Bloch is as close to a conflicted "everyman" that I have ever come across in film or literature).
Rating: 
Summary: The Emperor has no Clothes
Review: This movie is not another Seven Samurai and you are almost certain to be disappointed. I watched it with several intelligent friends and I was the only one who didn't absolutely hate it.
Rating:
Summary: Impressive!
Review: Kudos to Criterion for making this film available on DVD. this edition is even clearer than the LD version (which they've already retouched). the commentary is excellent and makes it even more accessible to viewers. although, i really have to be in the mood to watch this film : ) whenever i DO watch it, i've enjoyed it. the incredible surreal imagery validates Bergman's mastery in framing, capturing and conveying his scenes. 7th Seal deals with a war-worned crusader making his long journal back home. the delaying tactic he employs is to engage Death, no stranger to the knight during the crusades and the plague, in a game of chess. as long as the game continues, the knight is allowed to live and he moves closer to home... Death is amused but not only is he a master player, he also cheats. i really enjoyed the scene at the confessional. there's quite a bit of dark humor in this usually linked by the knight's very down to earth squire. interestingly, Bergman shows the knight's last desperate diversionary tactic failing on one level where succeeding in another -- the gambit for his fellow travelers' passage mirrors the chess game well. certainly not an easy film to watch often but simply an injustice if the Seventh Seal is missing from your treasured movie collection.
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