Asking me to analyse “The Seventh Seal” is like asking me to climb Everest…Or asking me to perform open heart surgery…Or asking me to participate in a social interaction without being just a little bit awkward. I cannot do it. Not only that but so many people have done it already; that there is nothing new or original I could write nor do I have unique perspective to add.
But I can write a few thoughts with the disclaimer that they will be of no use to anyone trying to understand their Film History watchlist.
Ingmar Bergman has fast found his way into my list of favourite auteurs. Those who don’t know of the director are still usually familiar with his work in one form or another (usually through a Bill & Ted reference) as his influence has stretched throughout cinema.
I have yet to find a director who is able to so artistically display the complexities of the human race, his films explore the inner workings of mankind, whether it be their ability to connect with others, their relationship with faith or the effect nostalgia might play in their life.
The Seventh Seal is in my mind Berman’s most prominent feature. It is the soul crushing epic of a world weary and embattled crusader returning home only to find he must now defeat The Grim Reaper himself in a game of chess if he’s to continue with his life, a life that still means a great deal to him, even if he doesn’t know why!
There is so much to unpack when discussing The Seventh Seal. It has literally everything working in its favour; from an “Every Frame a Painting” Mise-en-Scene to the ability to deal with humanity’s deepest troubles. Bergman is not afraid of subjects like death or the wrath of God and incorporates some of history’s ugliest moments (the plague, the crusades etc) to deal with it.
The film speaks to me on many levels but one scene speaks to me more than any other, it is one of very few moments of respite for Antonius Block, where he sits down with new friends to a supper of milk and strawberries.
The scene is one of very few upbeat moments in an otherwise much darker picture.
On an isolated hillside a group of unlikely friends escape the plagues of the world and come together to share a meal, speak of their lives and enjoy each other’s company.
Block is a tormented man, he is not only dealing with the everyday possibility of death that comes with being mortal, but he is gripped into a battle of wits with death, doing all he can to cheat it. Death is a main character in the film and stalks him relentlessly. But Block delays the chess game to live this moment.
Block is also a man who at points expresses his desire to kill the religion inside of him, he has lost all resemblance of faith and is left only with fear. He does not know God and only goes through the motions for fear of eternal punishment if he does not. But without faith he is constantly questioning “Without God, what is the point in all of this?”
But he has finally found an answer and it is in these small moments of his life where he has found genuine connection in his fellow man, that faith and worth exist.
He is quoted “I’ll carry this memory between my hands as if it were a bowl filled to the brim with fresh milk… And it will be an adequate sign — it will be enough for me.”
It is the first moment, probably in his entire life that he has found meaning outside of his position as a knight or his faith as a crusader, he realises that the company of his fellow man and the memories he has built are all it takes to make a life worth living.
This scene is incredibly important to me who has frequently questioned the point of being alive and while there are many answers to this question, nobody can deny the importance of the happy moments in our lives.
The scene also adds a greater meaning to the chess finale, where Block distracts death long enough to allow his new friends to escape, probably costing him the game and his life. But not only is it important as the knight has found value in sacrifice for his fellow man, but because he is no longer troubled by his imminent death. He looks over at the caravan not so much with concern, but gladness that he has found what he is looking for and is now ready to accept his fate.
T H E N A I V E F I L M M A K E R 
“people are my religion, I believe in them”- ajj
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