@boxcat said:

I did watch this for the first 30 minutes but that was just two years ago or something. The plot has something to do with the reaper if i am not wrong. Will watch this soon.

Yes, that's it. A knight has just returned from the Crusades and Death approaches him and he talks him into a game of chess to which if he wins death goes away and gives him a reprieve but that is actually a small part of the film. Definitely worth a peek.

I've watched bits and pieces of this at various times throughout the years, but never a lengthy enough stretch of the film to be able to feel like I actually "got" what it's about. The times I had opportunities to watch it, I readily recognized the greatness, and the striking look, however wasn't in the right mood for the differentness, so after 10 or so minutes moved on. One of these years I'll definitely commit to watching the complete film start to finish though.

I'm not a huge fan of Bergman's work, but this is a real standout from the four or five I've watched. It also spawned a great song from an epic album (below) as well as leading to the highlight of human cultural endeavour* in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. :p

https://youtu.be/jMUk1R_fKEA

*at least it felt that way when I was eight

I've seen Wild Strawberries and loved it. Unfortunately I don't now recall enough about it to feel able to discuss it, since it's been over five years. As a huge fan of Victor Sjostrom/Seastrom for his silent film work, of course Wild Strawberries is required VS viewing due to it being his acting career-bookend. Excellent performance he gave in that film.

Fergoose, regarding the song at link above, I like it. I was a little under-10 kid during the '60s and don't recall ever hearing that, prior to now.

@genplant29 said:

I've watched bits and pieces of this at various times throughout the years, but never a lengthy enough stretch of the film to be able to feel like I actually "got" what it's about. The times I had opportunities to watch it, I readily recognized the greatness, and the striking look, however, wasn't in the right mood for the differentness, so after 10 or so minutes moved on. One of these years I'll definitely commit to watching the complete film start to finish though.

I think it really is just a vehicle for philosophy, namely existentialism and perhaps a little absurdism sprinkled in there. They go over and over about how the knight wants answers to the meaning of life and some of the best lines are spoken by the squire especially when he was consoling the smith about his runaway wife. The film is good, no question. Bergman's films stand out more during its time because he was one of the first filmmakers to explore these themes.

@genplant29 said:

I've seen Wild Strawberries and loved it. Unfortunately I don't now recall enough about it to feel able to discuss it, since it's been over five years. As a huge fan of Victor Sjostrom/Seastrom for his silent film work, of course Wild Strawberries is required VS viewing due to it being his acting career-bookend. Excellent performance he gave in that film.

Fergoose, regarding the song at link above, I like it. I was a little under-10 kid during the '60s and don't recall ever hearing that, prior to now.

LOL I too remember really liking Wild Strawberries but have completely forgotten what happens in the film. I guess I will just have to bust it out and watch it. I got a copy around here somewhere.

The times I tried watching The Seventh Seal, I felt like it's one of those films that you truly have to be in the right mood for, as otherwise it feels "too artsy".

Regarding Wild Strawberries, what you said is similar for me, that I distinctly remember being impressed (with at least Victor Sjostrom's/Seastrom's performance) - though now I don't have any actual recollection of anything that transpired during the movie. I'm a huge Victor Sjostrom fan (have multiple of his silents, and have seen multiple more), and it felt like truly full circle to not only see him in latter life in Strawberries, but also to be able to hear his voice.

@genplant29 said:

I've seen Wild Strawberries and loved it. Unfortunately I don't now recall enough about it to feel able to discuss it, since it's been over five years. As a huge fan of Victor Sjostrom/Seastrom for his silent film work, of course Wild Strawberries is required VS viewing due to it being his acting career-bookend. Excellent performance he gave in that film.

Fergoose, regarding the song at link above, I like it. I was a little under-10 kid during the '60s and don't recall ever hearing that, prior to now.

Scott Walker intentionally released the song and album under a different name, so it wouldn't sell. The album was largely ignored until the 1990s when he came back into public consciousness.

I gave Wild Strawberries, Autumn Sonata and The Virgin Spring 7/10, which is high praise from me. But a lot of his other more famous ones left me cold.

@Fergoose said:

@genplant29 said:

I've seen Wild Strawberries and loved it. Unfortunately I don't now recall enough about it to feel able to discuss it, since it's been over five years. As a huge fan of Victor Sjostrom/Seastrom for his silent film work, of course Wild Strawberries is required VS viewing due to it being his acting career-bookend. Excellent performance he gave in that film.

Fergoose, regarding the song at link above, I like it. I was a little under-10 kid during the '60s and don't recall ever hearing that, prior to now.

Scott Walker intentionally released the song and album under a different name, so it wouldn't sell. The album was largely ignored until the 1990s when he came back into public consciousness.

I gave Wild Strawberries, Autumn Sonata and The Virgin Spring 7/10, which is high praise from me. But a lot of his other more famous ones left me cold.

I did like The Virgin Spring and own a copy of it. I recently went on a Bergman spree and acquired a bunch of his films that I haven't seen yet. I'm pretty harsh on rating films myself. I also gave that one a 7.

omg at long last I finally watched this flick and WOW. Wowwity Wow Wowwow.

Ok folks, for anyone who lost touch with the point/story/meaning of the film I'm gonna sum it up, and I'll precede the spoiler section with heavy warnings.

The movie is about faith. We have several different characters, each one representing a different attitude toward religion & the meaning of life. And ultimately how their faith (or lack thereof) comes into play when facing death.

The story is fantastic. A knight (who has lost his faith after 10 years of fighting in the Crusades) "dies" in the opening scene. But instead of being hauled off by the Grim Reaper, he tricks the reaper in to accepting a challenge to play a game of chess for his soul. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART: The knight isn't trying to skirt death, he's trying to buy time so he can resolve his issues of faith before he dies.

What follows is an epic journey as he tries to outwit the Reaper in the game of chess whilst traveling from town to town in search of 1 perfect act of goodness that would restore his faith.

SPOILERS BELOW

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

LAST CHANCE. TURN BACK.

HERE WE GO

[spoiler]The brilliant climax and resolution comes when the knight does, in fact, "find" his 1 perfect act of goodness. How does he find it? Some miracle? Some sign from God like he was hoping for? Nope. The knight finds his 1 act of goodness because he himself does it. He knows the Reaper is not only coming for him but the Reaper is going to claim the lives of everyone in his group because the plague has infected them all. The knight decides he wants to save the young couple and their child. So what does he do? He distracts the Reaper by letting the Reaper win the game of chess. Even though the knight was obviously the better player, he makes one deliberate mistake and allows his queen to be captured. "I didn't see that" says the knight as the Reaper suddenly becomes engrossed in his forthcoming win. Meanwhile the knight watches over the Reaper's shoulder as the young couple and their child make their getaway. Thus the knight sacrifices his own life so that the family can escape. And bam, there is the resolution to his lack of faith. He found goodness by creating it himself.[/spoiler]

END OF SPOILERS

BACK TO THE REGULAR DISCUSSION

YOU CAN COME BACK NOW.

So anyone who was previously kinda meh toward this flick, I encourage you to watch it again with all this stuff in mind. It's not obvious and a lot of people miss what's actually happening in that climactic scene. But I think once you grasp it, you'll see what an amazing story this is, like a Greek myth, but with even deeper philosophy and of course amazing acting by Max von Sydow and gorgeous cinematography by Bergman. This is not only my favorite Bergman flick, but I might have to bump it to the top of my favorite flicks of all time.

@rooprect said:

omg at long last I finally watched this flick and WOW. Wowwity Wow Wowwow.

Ok folks, for anyone who lost touch with the point/story/meaning of the film I'm gonna sum it up, and I'll precede the spoiler section with heavy warnings.

The movie is about faith. We have several different characters, each one representing a different attitude toward religion & the meaning of life. And ultimately how their faith (or lack thereof) comes into play when facing death.

The story is fantastic. A knight (who has lost his faith after 10 years of fighting in the Crusades) "dies" in the opening scene. But instead of being hauled off by the Grim Reaper, he tricks the reaper in to accepting a challenge to play a game of chess for his soul. THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART: The knight isn't trying to skirt death, he's trying to buy time so he can resolve his issues of faith before he dies.

What follows is an epic journey as he tries to outwit the Reaper in the game of chess whilst traveling from town to town in search of 1 perfect act of goodness that would restore his faith.

SPOILERS BELOW

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

LAST CHANCE. TURN BACK.

HERE WE GO

[spoiler]The brilliant climax and resolution comes when the knight does, in fact, "find" his 1 perfect act of goodness. How does he find it? Some miracle? Some sign from God like he was hoping for? Nope. The knight finds his 1 act of goodness because he himself does it. He knows the Reaper is not only coming for him but the Reaper is going to claim the lives of everyone in his group because the plague has infected them all. The knight decides he wants to save the young couple and their child. So what does he do? He distracts the Reaper by letting the Reaper win the game of chess. Even though the knight was obviously the better player, he makes one deliberate mistake and allows his queen to be captured. "I didn't see that" says the knight as the Reaper suddenly becomes engrossed in his forthcoming win. Meanwhile the knight watches over the Reaper's shoulder as the young couple and their child make their getaway. Thus the knight sacrifices his own life so that the family can escape. And bam, there is the resolution to his lack of faith. He found goodness by creating it himself.[/spoiler]

END OF SPOILERS

BACK TO THE REGULAR DISCUSSION

YOU CAN COME BACK NOW.

So anyone who was previously kinda meh toward this flick, I encourage you to watch it again with all this stuff in mind. It's not obvious and a lot of people miss what's actually happening in that climactic scene. But I think once you grasp it, you'll see what an amazing story this is, like a Greek myth, but with even deeper philosophy and of course amazing acting by Max von Sydow and gorgeous cinematography by Bergman. This is not only my favorite Bergman flick, but I might have to bump it to the top of my favorite flicks of all time.

Actually listening to your explanation, it makes total sense to me. I totally remember him distracting Death so that the couple and child can get away but I did not piece together that he himself performs the act that he was looking for to restore his faith. Nice observation! Yeah, this is a really good film and brilliantly acted as well.

@movie_nazi said:

Actually listening to your explanation, it makes total sense to me. I totally remember him distracting Death so that the couple and child can get away but I did not piece together that he himself performs the act that he was looking for to restore his faith. Nice observation! Yeah, this is a really good film and brilliantly acted as well.

Thanks, Naz. I wish I could claim that analysis as entirely my own, but a lot of it is paraphrased from the blu-ray commentary. Definitely the part where he deliberately loses the game to let the family escape is pretty subtle, it’s not like he’s waving his arms and telling the family RUN. It’s just a quick glance over death’s shoulder that indicates he is stalling until the family gets away. And that in turn marks the 1 act of goodness, whether he immediately realizes it or not. Glad it gave you a new thought to ponder!

My first deep dive into Bergman and I watched Seventh Seal last night. All about death and what it means. Obviously some striking images here: Death, Max's bleached hair, his sidekick's scar that goes all through his hair line. Enjoyed it a bunch. My favorite bit was when they encounter a witch burning and how horrified they are because they think they see what the dying is seeing: Nothing. Nothing is waiting for us when we go. Had to pause the film and re-group for a bit there. I think we all struggle with faith, religion and death. To think it's all for nothing is something to think about. Also, this binge of Bergman films has me enjoying seeing the same faces in all his films. Makes it seem like a cinematic universe or at least a film series and not just a bunch of films directed by one guy.

@felixxx999 said:

My first deep dive into Bergman and I watched Seventh Seal last night. All about death and what it means. Obviously some striking images here: Death, Max's bleached hair, his sidekick's scar that goes all through his hair line. Enjoyed it a bunch. My favorite bit was when they encounter a witch burning and how horrified they are because they think they see what the dying is seeing: Nothing. Nothing is waiting for us when we go. Had to pause the film and re-group for a bit there. I think we all struggle with faith, religion and death. To think it's all for nothing is something to think about. Also, this binge of Bergman films has me enjoying seeing the same faces in all his films. Makes it seem like a cinematic universe or at least a film series and not just a bunch of films directed by one guy.

That scene really stuck in my throat also. Not only was it disturbing on a physical level, seeing a woman get burned to death, but it was a real gut punch on a level of faith.

Worth noting: On the commentary for a different 50s film (Wages of Fear) they talk about a similar scene where a dying man reveals he sees nothing. Apparently film censors around the world wouldn’t let that fly, so it was cut or redubbed in various releases until it was finally restored a few years ago. Bergman probably skirted the censor issue by making his scene harder to read, but it’s pretty clear and upsetting to anyone who’s paying close attention.

On the subject of what comes after death, I thought Seventh Seal wove some great thoughts. At one point the knight directly asks Death about God & any afterlife, and Death himself responds that he doesn’t know. And if you look closely, there’s a look of frustration or possibly anger that crosses Death’s face for just an instant. It’s a pretty powerful statement that maybe the gods themselves don’t know—or maybe there is truly nothing, but they can’t admit it because they themselves hate to think that this is all pointless.

@rooprect said:

That scene really stuck in my throat also. Not only was it disturbing on a physical level, seeing a woman get burned to death, but it was a real gut punch on a level of faith.

Worth noting: On the commentary for a different 50s film (Wages of Fear) they talk about a similar scene where a dying man reveals he sees nothing. Apparently film censors around the world wouldn’t let that fly, so it was cut or redubbed in various releases until it was finally restored a few years ago. Bergman probably skirted the censor issue by making his scene harder to read, but it’s pretty clear and upsetting to anyone who’s paying close attention.

On the subject of what comes after death, I thought Seventh Seal wove some great thoughts. At one point the knight directly asks Death about God & any afterlife, and Death himself responds that he doesn’t know. And if you look closely, there’s a look of frustration or possibly anger that crosses Death’s face for just an instant. It’s a pretty powerful statement that maybe the gods themselves don’t know—or maybe there is truly nothing, but they can’t admit it because they themselves hate to think it’s all for nothing.

Yeah. And the ending. He does a good deed but then breaks down because it really doesn't matter? I also like the young couple -- comic relief. It's funny to me how funny and kind of sexy these films are on the fringes.

Edit: Totally don't remember that in Wages of Fear. Kind of gives the film a deeper meaning now...