Rating: 
Summary: Death, Life, and God
Review: One of my all time favourite movies. Bergman is perhaps the only director that could pull off having Death as a character playing chess with our mortal hero. Revealing anything about the plot would take some of the mystery away, but this is definitely one of Bergman's best, along with Persona.
Rating:
Summary: Profound, Memorable, & Challenging
Review: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS NO SPOILERS-For those who've never seen this film: It's always best to see a film yourself before investing in its purchase, and that may go doubly so for this picture. The Seventh Seal is one of those "deep" foreign films which explores metaphysical concepts in a sometimes heavy-handed manner. However, the style will more likely reflect the sincerity of the director towards the material, rather than ignorance or immaturity- this is accomplished through consistency. There is bleakness, with humor oozing out of every pore. A black comedy, this is a film for those who can tolerate some high-falootin' ideas and speech with their entertainment. Perhaps you're so smart and mature that you'll already know and understand most of the questions posed by Bergman- but it's still never been done quite like this. Though it isn't everyone's cup of tea, it has earned it's right to at least a try by those who love film and certainly by those interested in foreign film. For those who have seen this film: The DVD itself isn't the best one could imagine- there aren't any extra scenes, behind-the-scenes, director's commentary, whatever. However, it IS the best available and, if you care to wait another decade for a better version- well, the consumer knows best and we all have spending priorities to contend with. The commentary that comes with the disc is really bad, as some other reviewers noted- he really does speak the brutally obvious, but it can be kinda a fun for a one-time thing. The English dubbed version does indeed, as another reviewer commented, make the film appear more like some sort of western (or even samauri) movie. I kinda liked it. The film speaks for itself, so you already know whether or not you like it and wish to add it to your collection. Finally, I'd like to comment on about how some reviews have been poo-pooing this movie for various reasons. Some folks seem to be judging the ideas in this movie poorly because, apparantly, it didn't totally change their lives or something. What did you expect? That Bergman had figured out the meaning of everything and this film is supposed to have the answer? It's simply another way of looking at things. Just because you think you know it all doesn't mean that other people are necessarily as "culturally sophisticated" as you, and haven't received an endless well of imagination and inspiration from this work. That is what this piece of film art has accomplished for countless people, and that is why it deserves 5 stars- even at the expense of other wonderful films.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a masterpiece
Review: "The seventh seal" can be a good introduction to Kierkegaard's themes for those who never read a Danish philosopher's books : for the others this movie can be superflous.
Rating: 
Summary: Not really for grown ups
Review: Time is not kind to this work. It is probably best enjoyed during your college years, when sophomoric profundity is most potent. Later, as an adult, you will watch this movie with smiles and with laughter. Affectionate amusement, to be sure, but the movie will disappoint. It starts with a couple of actors playing a fourteenth-century knight and his squire, asleep upon rocks on a beach. That's right: they are sleeping on rocks. The men appear uncomfortable, not surprisingly, and they do not seem to be asleep. In fact, they appear to be precisely what they are: a couple of actors, dressed in cheap costumes, pretending to be asleep. Unfortunately, this is only the first of many amateurish scenes. The acting throughout "The Seventh Seal" is at about the standard of a high-school play. There's even a juggler who cannot juggle. The editing is clunky. Bergman cannot direct action. The movie is alternately tedious and unintentionally funny. It is frequently campy and it is consistently cheesy. The script lacks plausibility and, oh, the striving for deep thoughts. Enjoy this film but, please, be honest: you are watching it through loyalty towards something you thought was wonderful when you were young. Yes, profundity can sometimes be found in an old black-and-white subtitled European movie. It will not be found in this one. Even Bergman, after a couple of beers, might admit that this early work should be ranked amongst his juvenilia.
Rating:
Summary: Full Of Imagery
Review: This film doesn't really answer a question but seems to search for answers. It seems to be asking about life, life after death, the meaning of life, and I am sure more. It seems very thoughtful in the way it was directed. It ponders as if it were a thought. Other times it seems light and sweet as with the couple Joesph and Mary. Another interesting image appears with these 2 people, who of course are married. It doesn't really seem to end with a conclusion but in fact more imagery, which feels unique and special. It doesn't really seem like a movie that you would see now at the theater, its like it is using the actors to act out thoughts or different parts of a thought. It is strange and eerie. There are dark spots, such as with the plague and death. There are some funny parts, from the actors mainly and Job, who is the squire, seems kinda of happy go lucky. All in all an experience, plan to think or just get caught in all the imagery without thinking, I guess either way it works! Lisa Nary
Rating:
Summary: Kind of pointless.
Review: 'The Seventh Seal' was mostly pointless and boring. I think the director was trying to make something profound, but it just ended up being lame. The chess game death is playing with the guy throughout the movie is cheeesy. The last scene looks pretty cool, but doesn't make any sense. See it for curiosity.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: Aside from being a profound meditation on mans place in the universe and all that, this movie is some kind of funny. No other movie has ever made such a macabre subject seem more hillarious. The scene where the troupe-director fakes his own suicide, only to climb up a tree which death soon cuts down, and others, have a sort of irony which you would be hard-pressed to find in literature, let alone movies. One of the sayings in my life that i've recited over and over again I got from The Seventh Seal: Whichever way you turn, your ass will always be behind you. The cinematography is truly lyrical, especially the opening scenes. At the end I felt a little jibbed because having seen Woody Allens parody of the Dance of Death I didn't get all the emotional power that scene had to offer. But it affected me nonetheless.
You must appreciate Bergman's courage for undertaking this project. How many other directors would have the temerity to do make a movie about the futility of life so directly and so unreservedly? Of course, if anyone else tried it it probably would have turned out indulgent and juvenille.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly the best film ever made
Review: Being a representetive of Generation Y, the 12-20 year olds living in the aftermath of Generatin X, I can say that this film is excellent. The writing is just flawless. It flows. None of the actors struggle over forced lines, the direction is beautiful, and it really is a thinking person's film. Some people foolishly praise it for its reputation, I praise it for its content. I urge you to see this film at least eight times.
Rating: 
Summary: A dissenting opinion
Review: I take some of these reviewers with a grain of salt. You know the ones who give it 5 stars and say, "Brilliant, simply brilliant...brilliant..." Cinematographically speaking, the beach scene near the beginning (with the sun setting in the background) is artistically touching. The rest is shot quite well, though I don't think it has the merit to obsess over. Bergman answers no questions in this movie. He started filming with his belief that God is not real and the entire film takes on that character and moves toward that end (Note Block's dubious feelings: "I want to tear Him from my heart!"). Fine for one who already agrees with him, but for an agnostic or someone searching this is spiritually and intellectually unsatisfying. I find his all too easy dismissal unconvincing. He asks, "Where is the evidence?" Something that cannot be captured within the 35-mm aperture of a camera lens? Something not so obvious as simply being told? Something a bit more illusory than just reading the Bible? The film is so grim (some have called it funny - they have issues) one wonders if Bergman has ever seen a butterfly in flight on a summer afternoon. Or if he has ever heard Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus in a cathedral (a requirement of life, no doubt). Or if he has ever attended a life-affirming concert of jazz improvisation. The answer to the question of God lies nowhere within this $ 35.99 dvd case. That answer doesn't cost money. (By the way, my review should be judged on whether or not it was relevant and helpful, not because I believe in God and you don't. Thank you.)
Rating:
Summary: The horror of the human condition
Review: ...
Firstly the theme. An engaging period story set in the plague-ridden Dark Ages, the story operates at many different levels...the story by itself is engaging but it's wider significance and universal appeal lies in its allegorical nature. And you don't need to be a student of movies to understand the metaphor of the movie..the point is gotten across clearly and without the subterfuge that art movie directors frequently resort to. Secondly the images. Images of sheer horror are woven all through the movie: the black birds hovering in the sky, the self-flaggelating sinners, Death with the pale face and black shroud, the girl touched by the devil, and the dance of Death.....this horror is "real" and not contrived through special effects or through cliched horror set-pieces !
And transcending the imagery is the apocalyptic horror of the movie's message:" the most terrifying thing is not death but the fact that in the end there may be no God....or that even if God exists He does not care to reveal himself." There are multiple meanings of course..one can also extract some life-affirming symbolisms too and there lies the amporphous nature of the movie--no doubt one of it's greatest strengths. And lastly the polished performances( a little theatrical sometimes but suits in fine with the general "unreal" timbre of the movie) and the crisp evocative dialogue make this movie a must-see.
Not a feel-good movie-- for that please watch "My big fat Greek wedding" or anything else playing at your local Loews theatre. If on the other hand, you want movies to make you feel, think and debate then you have just found the right film !
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