The Seventh Seal (1957)

13 November 2019

I sat down to watch The Seventh Seal (1957), considered one of Ingmar Bergman's best films. In this film, a knight (Max von Sydow) returns from the Crusades to a land poisoned by the Black Death. The knight challenges Death (Bengt Ekerot) to a game of death, in an effort to cheat death and find a way to give his life meaning.

It's an interesting film. Visually it's fascinating, with stark contrasts and confrontational scenes with close-ups and bleakness. The story to me feels very dated, with comedic tilts that seem really strange in the film, and a rather large cast thrown in for such a basic tale. I liked it, and in some ways I can see why others do, but to me the story seems a little off. It's worth a watch, but it's nearly too artsy for its own good. 8/10