Ebert's GREAT MOVIES, Part 5: "The Seventh Seal"

I am a fan of Bergman, though I don't like all of his films.
I coincide with lightwizard, I have 4 Bergman films among my top 50, and a total of 7 among my top 100.

The Seventh Seal is among Bergman's best, and perhaps the most timeless of his works.
I've seen the film twice, but many years ago. Since then, "my" middle ages are tainted by Bergman's desperate human look.
The Seventh Seal is full of despair, but not devoid of humor and also full of wisdom and love.
I could relive the feelings the movie gave me when I read, many years later, Hesse's Narcissus and Goldmund. Same time, same plague, same questions, similar answers.

For now, I'll list, in descending order, my favorite Bergman movies:

Cries and Whispers
Scenes from a Marriage
Wild Strawberries
The Seventh Seal
Fanny and Alexander
The Magic Flute
Winter Light
The Face (AKA The Magician)
Through a Glass, Darkly.

I voted Wild Strawberries as my favorite but have to admit it has been a long time since I have seen a Bergman film. What stands out in my mind as I search for my memories of the Berman films I have seen is that I was 18 when I saw Virgin Spring at a small theatre in San Diego and I was startled and just a bit uneasy since I did not really comprehend most of what I saw. I do remember being challenged to understand what the story was really about. Later when I saw Wild Strawberries I was better prepared but still I had to see it more than once and had to look up some reviews to help me with it. This is great LW I love having to think.

No link
Mr. Wizard. I didn't see a link to Ebert's critique; consequently I can not remember if I saw this film or not. I did see "Through a Glass Darkly" but it was so avant garde at the time, that all I remember is that it was an allusion to a verse in the Christian bible. Sorry

I DO remember seeing this film!
It is fantastic, like most of Bergman's films.

Lightwizard<

I learned w a a a y back during my college years that Ingmar Bergman and I share a mutual love of cinema.
This does not mean HIS films because I have found them all to be pretentious.

Mention the name of Ingmar Bergman, and my eyes begin to glaze over.

Thus, I will sit in the peanut gallery. Perhaps I might learn something new about Mr. Bergman on this thread that will cause me to take a second look at one or two of his films. Doubtful, but I'll read the posts with open eyes.

Thank you.

Never saw it (shame on me, I thought I was a buff once), but had to get my avatar on the thread...

WH3,
It's true, that Bergman's films are easy to make fun of,
with all that's seriousity,but weren't you ever young
and wondering what this life is all about?

I confess all I've seen are parodies of the playing chess with the devil scene -

In Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, they play twister with Death.
In The Dove, an extremely young Madeline Kahn (while still at Hofstra!) played badminton with Death.

The Dove is very hard to locate but worth it; it's hysterical.

I have never seen an Ingmar Bergman film. I have always wanted to see Autumn Sonata just to see Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullman together, but some unforeseen circumstance always prevented it.

I feel many people confuse pretentious with portentious in the Bergman films. In "Wild Strawberries," he addressed aging with an unfaltering and direct true-to-life imagery and dialogue. He was a great scriptwriter -- see "Torment," a film that profoundly effected me in my college years. It was about a school and how we can place someone like a professor in an idolized light only to find out they are tragically flawed. It's a powerful film and Berman never lost that ability to set one's head spinning. The ending of "Wild Strawberries" could be a Renoir painting, giving a feeling of resignation and serenity after presenting a life that was filled with anachronisms and dissapointments. The surreal dream of dying in the beginning of the film and the peaceful image of sublime memories in the end. A masterpiece for me but perhaps Bergman can overshoot his goals with some film lovers. "The Seventh Seal" is a wild fantasy filled with scenes that could easily be paintings -- Bergman owes a lot of his success to his cinematographers but he is command here. Addressing religion and the existance of God in this film, he leaves the answers up to the viewer. It is an allegory fantasy and he again trod on these grounds in "The Magician," a film about what is real and what is metaphysical. The lead character in that film appears to be a cheap, roving conjurer who fools people to his own design. Many have to see this dark comic parable several times to come close to getting it. Is Bergman really that obscure? One does have to have all their intellectual faculities at full throttle, that's for sure.

"The Seventh Seal" has the most powerful images I can recall in any film.
Bergman used cinematographer Gunnar Fischer in this film plus "Wild Strawberries" and "The Magician" with unforgettable results. Bergman was the master of filmed visual icons duing the 1950's and early 60's.

His film "Wild Strawberries" (my favorite) is a thoughtful mature vision which is unusual for a director of only 39. But in most cases of genius, age is not relevant.

For those of you who have not viewed "The Virgin Spring" (1960), I can highly recommend it but be prepared for an emotional ride.

couzz

Correction to my posting: Last paragraph film title should read "The Virgin Spring"

couzz

Welcome, Couzz!

One of the great features of Able2Know is the edit button -- you no longer have to repost to correct an error. Good for the all-thumbs-in-the-morning posters like me!

Bergman certainly doesn't need dialogue -- I could watch his films almost disregarding the sub-titles. The imagery speaks its own language.

jeanbean<

I'm still young and wondering what life is all about.

Does one ever grow too old to lose his/her sense of wonder?

That sense is what draws us to films. Watching photographed images on a screen larger than life, we sit in the dark and . . . wonder.

Years ago I saw The Virgin Spring. I guess, at the time, I decided that was enough Bergman.

So, I'm going to rent The Seventh Seal and see what I think. Maybe I've grown into it.

"The Virgin Spring" is one of the tougher going Bergman films as well as "Persona." My favorites are:

"Wild Strawberries"
"The Seventh Seal"
"The Magician"
"Fanny and Alexander"
"Through a Glass Darkly"
"Torment" (as writer)

The Virgin Spring is quite difficult to endure. Some people love it, others -like myself- find it too harsh and too slow. Hazzlitt, perhaps it wasn't your type of film, but other Bergman's films well may be.

Bergman is usually great, but not flawless. I found Face to Face, The Serpent's Egg and, specially, The Touch quite delluding.

Hmm..I thought I was the only one who hadn't seen one of his films. And it seems incredible, because the name is so familiar to me.

Some more films for your rental list -- you'll find his films on VHS or DVD from nearly all outlets. I'd personally start anyone with "Wild Strawberries," but if you really enjoy the fantastic, "The Seventh Seal" is loaded with mysticism and philosophical questions about life. "Cries and Whispers" is just as profound and I meant to list that film instead of "Through a Glass Darkly" (also a bit too obscure for many viewers to stumble through). Here's the IMDB link for "Wild Strawberries:"

http://us.imdb.com/Title?0050986

Lot of user reviews there but if you'll look to the left, you'll see a link to all the external reviews.