I approached both the viewing of this film and the writing of the review with no small degree of trepidation. I had heard about “The Seventh Seal” all of my life as being one of the greatest movies of all time, a masterpiece by a master director whose work I had never seen. Bergman’s movies fall into the category of artistic films that are considered great by cineastes but that never reach mainstream audiences. So I was somewhat afraid of this movie about a disillusioned medieval knight who plays chess with Death during the plague-ridden Dark Ages. First, I was afraid it would bore me to death (get it? Death?), thereby exposing me as an uncouth cinematic slob. And then I was afraid that my review would fall far short of the profound commentaries written about this film. Could my review even begin to approach those great pieces of film analysis? Nah. I ain’t even gonna try.

First, is the movie boring? To my relief, I did not find it boring, and you probably won’t either. Second, is it a masterpiece? I’m going to disqualify myself here as a high-profile film critic and say, not exactly. There are definitely parts of the movie that are masterpieces, specifically all the scenes with the Knight and Death; their chess match is an iconic image in cinema. Also, this movie is the only one I’ve ever seen in which the personification of Death is completely convincing; I’ve seen myriads of movies and TV programs about death. (I mean, how many times was Death personified just in the “Twilight Zone” series?) None were like this; the guy in this movie is the real deal.

And “The Seventh Seal” deals very specifically with the #1 Question of the human race: Is there a God? This movie gains a lot of points for taking on that question without having an agenda to advance a particular worldview. The Knight is at a low point that I think all of us pass through eventually, a dark pit in which we’re crying out to God but just feel complete, empty silence as a response, leading us to wonder if there’s anybody at the other end at all. And unfortunately for this knight, Death arrives for him exactly when he’s in the middle of this existential crisis. The movie communicates his anguish and terror very well.

The problem is, the first half of the movie becomes weak and silly as the focus turns towards a set of buffoonish, rustic peasants, making this part of the film resemble some lame comedy from the 1940s. Once a creepy troupe of self-flagellating believers passes through the town, the movie picks up and becomes a fine film, interspersed with the greatness of the mortal chess match.

So this is a mixed movie with some masterpiece sequences, a generally mediocre first half and an excellent second half. The movie improves upon introspection, leaving you with images you’ll never forget. If you love artistic cinema or want to see a serious meditation on death, go for it. And even if you don’t, get a little patience and try this one out; the great pieces in the movie are worth it.

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