The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ingmar Bergman |
Screenplay by | Ingmar Bergman |
Based on | Trämålning by Ingmar Bergman |
Produced by | Allan Ekelund |
Starring | |
Cinematography | AB Svensk Filmindustri |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
Country | Sweden |
Languages |
|
Budget | $150,000[2] |
The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Denmark (Elsinore and Roskilde are Danish cities cited in the movie)[3][4] during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."[5] Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God," which is a major theme of the film.[6][7]
The Seventh Seal is considered a classic of world cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time. It established Bergman as a world-renowned director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analysis, and parodies.
Plot
Disillusioned knight Antonius Block and his cynical squire Jöns return from the Crusades to find the country ravaged by the plague. The knight encounters Death, whom he challenges to a chess match, believing he can survive as long as the game continues.
The knight and his squire pass a caravan of actors: Jof and his wife Mia, with their infant son Mikael and actor-manager Jonas Skat. Waking early, Jof has a vision of Mary leading the infant Jesus, which he relates to a smilingly disbelieving Mia.
Block and Jöns visit a church where a fresco of the
In a deserted village, Jöns saves a mute servant girl from being raped by Raval, a theologian who ten years earlier persuaded the knight to join the Crusades and is now a thief. Jöns vows to destroy his face if they meet again. Jöns kisses the servant girl, who resists his advance. He then tells her to repay her debt by becoming his servant. She reluctantly agrees. The group goes into town, where the actors are performing. There, Skat is enticed away for a tryst by Lisa, wife of the blacksmith Plog. The stage show is interrupted by a procession of
At the town's inn, Raval manipulates Plog and other customers into intimidating Jof. The bullying is broken up by Jöns, who slashes Raval's face. The knight and squire are joined by Jof's family and a repentant Plog. Block enjoys a picnic of milk and wild strawberries that Mia has gathered and promises to remember that evening for the rest of his life.
He then invites Plog and the actors to shelter from the plague in his castle. When they encounter Skat and Lisa in the forest, she returns to Plog, while Skat fakes a remorseful suicide. As the group moves on, Skat climbs a tree to spend the night, but Death appears beneath and cuts down the tree.
Meeting the condemned woman being drawn to execution, Block asks her to summon Satan so he can question him about God. The girl claims she has done so, but the knight only sees her terror and gives her herbs to take away her pain as she is placed on the pyre.
They encounter Raval, stricken by the plague. Jöns stops the servant girl from uselessly bringing him water, and Raval dies alone. Jof then sees the knight playing chess with Death and decides to flee with his family, while Block knowingly keeps Death occupied.
As Death states "No one escapes me", Block knocks the chess pieces over but Death restores them to their place. On the next move, Death wins the game and announces that when they meet again, it will be the last time for all. Death then asks Block if he achieved the "meaningful deed" he wished to accomplish. The knight replies that he has.
Block is reunited with his wife and the party shares a final supper, interrupted by Death's arrival. The other members of the party then introduce themselves, and the mute servant girl greets him with "It is finished."
Jof and his family have sheltered in their caravan from a storm, which he interprets as the Angel of Death passing by. In the morning, Jof
Cast
- Gunnar Björnstrand – Jöns, squire
- Bengt Ekerot – Death
- Nils Poppe – Jof
- Max von Sydow – Antonius Block, knight
- Bibi Andersson – Mia
- Inga Landgré – Karin
- Åke Fridell – Blacksmith Plog
- Inga Gill – Lisa
- Erik Strandmark – Jonas Skat
- Bertil Anderberg – Raval, the thief
- Gunnel Lindblom – Mute girl
- Maud Hansson – Witch
- Gunnar Olsson – church painter
- Anders Ek – The Monk
- Benkt-Åke Benktsson – Merchant
- Gudrun Brost – Maid
- Lars Lind – Young monk
- Tor Borong – Farmer
- Harry Asklund – Inn keeper
- Ulf Johanson – Jack's leader (uncredited)
Production
Ingmar Bergman originally wrote the play Trämålning (Wood Painting) in 1953 / 1954 for the acting students of Malmö City Theatre. Its first public performance, which he directed, was on radio in 1954. He also directed it on stage in Malmö the next spring, and in the autumn it was staged in Stockholm, directed by Bengt Ekerot, who would later play the character Death in the film version.[8]
In his autobiography, The Magic Lantern, Bergman wrote that "Wood Painting gradually became The Seventh Seal, an uneven film which lies close to my heart, because it was made under difficult circumstances in a surge of vitality and delight."
All scenes except two were shot in or around the Filmstaden studios in Solna. The exceptions were the famous opening scene with Death and the Knight playing chess by the sea, and the ending with the dance of death, which were both shot at Hovs Hallar, a rocky, precipitous beach area in north-western Scania.[14]
In the Magic Lantern autobiography Bergman writes of the film's iconic penultimate shot: "The image of the Dance of Death beneath the dark cloud was achieved at hectic speed because most of the actors had finished for the day. Assistants, electricians, and a make-up man and about two summer visitors, who never knew what it was all about, had to dress up in the costumes of those condemned to death. A camera with no sound was set up and the picture shot before the cloud dissolved."[15]
Portrait of the Middle Ages
Medieval Sweden as portrayed in this movie includes creative anachronisms. The flagellant movement was foreign to Sweden, and large-scale witch persecutions only began in the 15th century.[16] In addition, the main period of the Crusades is well before this era; they took place in a more optimistic period.[17]
With regard to the relevancy of historical accuracy to a film that is heavily metaphorical and allegorical, John Aberth, writing in A Knight at the Movies, holds
the film only partially succeeds in conveying the period atmosphere and thought world of the fourteenth century. Bergman would probably counter that it was never his intention to make an historical or period film. As it was written in a program note that accompanied the movie's premier "It is a modern poem presented with medieval material that has been very freely handled... The script in particular—embodies a mid-twentieth century existentialist angst... Still, to be fair to Bergman, one must allow him his artistic license, and the script's modernisms may be justified as giving the movie's medieval theme a compelling and urgent contemporary relevance... Yet the film succeeds to a large degree because it is set in the Middle Ages, a time that can seem both very remote and very immediate to us living in the modern world... Ultimately The Seventh Seal should be judged as a historical film by how well it combines the medieval and the modern."[18]
Similarly defending it as an allegory, Aleksander Kwiatkowski in the book Swedish Film Classics, writes
The international response to the film which among other awards won the jury's special prize at Cannes in 1957 reconfirmed the author's high rank and proved that The Seventh Seal regardless of its degree of accuracy in reproducing medieval scenery may be considered as a universal, timeless allegory.[19]
Much of the film's imagery is derived from medieval art. For example, Bergman has stated that the image of a man playing chess with a skeletal Death was inspired by a medieval church painting from the 1480s in
Generally speaking, historians
Major themes
The title refers to a passage about the end of the world from the
Some of the powerful influences on the film were
Bergman grew up in a home infused with an intense Christianity, his father being a charismatic
Gerald Mast writes:
"Like
Church urges in Bergman's metaphor."[31]
Melvyn Bragg writes:
"[I]t is constructed like an argument. It is a story told as a sermon might be delivered: an allegory...each scene is at once so simple and so charged and layered that it catches us again and again...Somehow all of Bergman's own past, that of his father, that of his reading and doing and seeing, that of his Swedish culture, of his political burning and religious melancholy, poured into a series of pictures which carry that swell of contributions and contradictions so effortlessly that you could tell the story to a child, publish it as a storybook of photographs and yet know that the deepest questions of religion and the most mysterious revelation of simply being alive are both addressed."[32]
The Jesuit publication America identifies it as having begun "a series of seven films that explored the possibility of faith in a post-Holocaust, nuclear age".[33] Likewise, film historians Thomas W. Bohn and Richard L. Stromgren identify this film as beginning "his cycle of films dealing with the conundrum of religious faith".[34]
Reception
Upon its original Swedish release, The Seventh Seal was met with a somewhat divided critical response; its cinematography was widely praised, while "Bergman the scriptwriter [was] lambasted."[35] The film won the Nastro d'Argento for Best Non-Italian Film in 1961.[citation needed] Swedish journalist and critic Nils Beyer, writing for Morgon-tidningen, compared it to Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc and Day of Wrath. While finding Dreyer's films to be superior, he still noted that "it isn't just any director that you feel like comparing to the old Danish master." He also praised the usage of the cast, in particular Max von Sydow, whose character he described as "a pale, serious Don Quixote character with a face as if sculpted in wood", and "Bibi Andersson, who appears as if painted in faded watercolours but still can emit small delicious glimpses of female warmth." Hanserik Hjertén for Arbetaren started his review by praising the cinematography, but soon went on to describe the film as "a horror film for children" and said that beyond the superficial, it is mostly reminiscent of Bergman's "sophomoric films from the 40s."[8]
Bergman's international reputation, on the other hand, was largely cemented by The Seventh Seal.[35] The film ranked 2nd on Cahiers du Cinéma's Top 10 Films of the Year List in 1958.[36] Bosley Crowther had only positive things to say in his 1958 review for The New York Times, and praised how the themes were elevated by the cinematography and performances: "the profundities of the ideas are lightened and made flexible by glowing pictorial presentation of action that is interesting and strong. Mr. Bergman uses his camera and actors for sharp, realistic effects."[37] Film critic Pauline Kael called it "A magically powerful film."[38][39]
The film is now regarded as a masterpiece of cinema.
The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 9.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Narratively bold and visually striking, The Seventh Seal brought Ingmar Bergman to the world stage – and remains every bit as compelling today".[60] On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 88/100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[61]
Influence
The Seventh Seal significantly helped Bergman in gaining his position as a world-class director. When the film won the
Film and television
The representation of Death as a white-faced man who wears a dark cape and plays chess with mortals has been a popular object of parody in other films and television.
Several films and comedy sketches portray Death as playing games other than or in addition to chess. In the final scene of the 1968 film De Düva (mock Swedish for "The Dove"), a 15-minute pastiche of Bergman's work generally and his Wild Strawberries in particular, the protagonist plays badminton against Death, and wins when the droppings of a passing dove strike Death in the eye. The photography imitates throughout the style of Bergman's cinematographers Sven Nykvist and Gunnar Fischer.[64] The film is also parodied in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991), with the titular characters meeting Death and challenging him to several contemporary games.[65]
Popular music
The film is referred to in several songs. The plot is recapitulated in
Opera
In 2016, composer
See also
- A Matter of Life and Death (1946 film) § Chess
- Knight of faith
- Middle Ages in film
- Death (personification)
- List of historical drama films
- List of submissions to the 30th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ^ "THE SEVENTH SEAL". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d Bragg 1998, p. 49.
- ISBN 9780810869523.
- ISBN 9780203863329.
- ^ Rev. 8:1
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 45.
- ^ Giddins, Gary (15 June 2009). "The Seventh Seal: There Go the Clowns". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ a b Det sjunde inseglet – Pressreaktion & Kommentar Svensk Filmografi (in Swedish). Swedish Film Institute. Retrieved on 17 August 2009.
- ^ Ingmar Bergman (1988). The Magic Lantern. Penguin Books. London. p. 274.
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 27.
- ^ Ingmar Bergman (1990). Images: My Life in Film. Arcade Publishing, Inc. New-York. p. 234.
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 48.
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 46.
- ^ Ingmar Bergman Face to Face – Shooting the film The Seventh Seal Archived 23 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ingmar Bergman (1988). The Magic Lantern. Penguin Books. London. pp. 274–275.
- ISBN 91-7037-119-9
- ^ ISBN 0-394-40026-7
- ^ John Aberth (2003). A Knight at the Movies. Routledge. pp. 217–218.
- ^ Swedish Film Classics by Aleksander Kwiatkowski, Svenska filminstitutet p. 93
- ^ Stated in Marie Nyreröd's interview series (the first part named Bergman och filmen) aired on Sveriges Television Easter 2004.
- ^ Bergman 1960, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Bergman 1960, p. 172.
- ^ Bragg 1998, pp. 40, 45.
- ^ Martin Esslin. Mediations: Essays on Brecht, Beckett and the Media. Abacus. London. 1980. p. 181.
- ISBN 9780786482023.
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 29.
- ^ Höök, Marianne, Ingmar Bergman, Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1962 p.115f
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 44.
- ^ a b Bragg 1998, p. 43.
- ^ Bragg 1998, p. 28.
- ^ Gerald Mast A Short History of the Movies. p. 405.
- ^ Bragg 1998, pp. 64–65.
- ^ Richard A. Blake (27 August 2007). "Ingmar Bergman, Theologian?". America magazine. Retrieved 14 December 2010.
- ISBN 978-0-87484-702-4.
- ^ ISBN 978-9053564066.
- ^ Johnson, Eric C. "Cahiers du Cinema: Top Ten Lists 1951–2009". alumnus.caltech.edu. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (14 October 1954). "Seventh Seal; Swedish Allegory Has Premiere at Paris". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 March 2018.
- ^ "Pauline Kael Review: The Seventh Seal". Heavy.
- ^ "The Seventh Seal". BAMPFA.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (16 April 2000). "The Seventh Seal". RogerEbert.com. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ "Take One: The First Annual Village Voice Film Critics' Poll". The Village Voice. 1999. Archived from the original on 26 August 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2006.
- ^ "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made". The New York Times. 2002. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
- ^ "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema – 8. The Seventh Seal". Empire. 11 June 2010.
- ^ "Empire's 500 greatest movies of all time". Empire. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Vatican Best Films List". Catholic News Service Media Review Office. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "The Seventh Seal movie review (1957)". rogerebert.com. 16 April 2000.
- Filmsite.org. Archivedfrom the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "As chosen by you...the greatest foreign films of all time". The Guardian. 11 May 2007.
- ^ "Kerala grieves for Ingmar Bergman". DNA India. 2 August 2007.
- ISBN 978-0-306-81096-1. Retrieved 27 July 2012.
- ^ "100 Essential Films by The National Society of Film Critics". filmsite.org.
- ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 The Rest of Critic's List". old.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll 2002 The Rest of Director's List". old.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
- ^ "Directors' 100 Greatest Films of All Time". bfi.org.
- ^ "De 25 bästa svenska filmerna genom tiderna". Flm (in Swedish). 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Foreign Language Films". bbc. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ "The 100 best movies of all time". 8 April 2021.
- ^ "Sweden submissions to the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film". IMDb. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "Swedish Film and the Oscars". Swedish Film Institute (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 February 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ "The Seventh Seal (1957)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 25 July 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "The Seventh Seal". Metacritic.
- ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Seventh Seal". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-19-513981-5.
- ^ Remembering De Düva (The Dove), a 30 July 2007 Slate article
- ^ Hassenger, Jesse (10 March 2021). "The best Bill & Ted movie is the one that took them on a Bogus Journey to hell and back". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
- ^ Genius.com
- ^ "Bruce Cockburn – Songs – How I Spent My Fall Vacation". The Cockburn Project. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-86074-542-3.
- ^ Thiago Mattos e Danielle Villela (10 November 2016). "Brasileiro transforma 'O Sétimo Selo' em ópera". Estadao. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Maestro brasileiro apresenta opera em New York". Radar VIP. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Por Debora Ghivelder (7 November 2016). "Brasileiro João MacDowell monta em Nova York sua ópera 'O Sétimo Selo'". Tuttie. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ Plotkin, Fred (17 August 2016). "From Sayão to Saudade: Brazil's Contributions to Opera". WQXR. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
Further reading
- Bergman, Ingmar (1960). The Seventh Seal. Touchstone.
- ISBN 978-0-85170-391-6.
- Litch, Mary M. (2010) [1st ed. 2002]. "8. THE PROBLEM OF EVIL – The Seventh Seal (1957) and The Rapture (1991) [pp. 188-208]". Philosophy Through Film (2nd ed.). London: ISBN 978-0415938754.
- Litch, Mary M. (2010) [1st ed. 2002]. "9. EXISTENTIALISM - The Seventh Seal (1957), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1988), and Leaving Las Vegas (1995) [pp. 209-226]". Philosophy Through Film (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203863329.
- Livingston, Paisley (1982). Ingmar Bergman and the Rituals of Art. ISBN 0-8014-1452-0
External links
- The Seventh Seal at IMDb
- The Seventh Seal at AllMovie
- The Seventh Seal at the Swedish Film Institute Database
- The Seventh Seal at the TCM Movie Database
- The Seventh Seal an essay by Peter Cowie at The Criterion Collection
- The Seventh Seal PDF