Seventh Seal Movie Review

Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal reflects the existential concept of life and its futility. In Bergman’s film, we see his dissatisfaction with the manner in which God exposes himself and takes on this idea in a more literal sense. A knight, Antonius Block, returns home from the Crusades and discovers that Death has been following him along the journey. Throughout the film, we see Bergman’s argument concerning the presence of God (or shall I say lack of presence.)
The beginning of the film begins with a gloomy dim setting alongside the edge of an ocean; while on the beach Block challenges Death to spare his own life hoping to “cheat” the inevitability of death itself. Also, the narrator reads a passage from Revelations. Right away, we are given Bergman’s view of God’s existence in the lines “there was a silence in heaven about the space of half an hour”; God is alive but silent.
In the infamous reconciliation scene, Bergman reveals to the mysterious Death about his unwillingness to live and internal conflict regarding faithful knowledge. Block discusses his feeling of imprisonment in life which is reflected in the scenery of the black iron grille confessional. Death, appears similar to a priest in a dark hood, and betrays Block into confessing his thoughts and chess tactic. The viewer is shocked and upset knowing that there may be no hope for the knight.
This idea of hope presents itself in the family of performers. Mary, Joseph, and their baby son, are the only characters to escape Death. Joseph sees the knight physically playing chess with Death and due to the knight’s distraction is allowed time to escape. They watch the others walk into the distance alongside Death and viewers believe there is hopefulness for this family despite our lack of future knowledge.
The film does not solve the problem in which it provokes, but merely brings the problem into question. The audience knows that death is inevitable in the last few scenes at the knight’s castle including the dinner scene; only time and fate will tell. In the end, Block accepts the final outcome of the chess game and is defeated by Death.
Ingmar Bergman’s, The Seventh Seal, discusses the concept of God; which is people’s creation to push away their doubts about fear according the Block. Bergman brings up this conflict to further expand on his own insecurities. Although I liked the overall theme of this film, I’m not quite sure why Bergman changed Block’s view on God in the end. Why did Block beg for God’s mercy after losing the game? Also, what was the connection between the performers, Joseph and Mary to the real biblical family of Joseph and Mary? Did it real fit into Bergman’s skepticism about God?

*This movie is fairly boring. FYI.