The Seventh Seal Analysis

The Seventh Seal

Written & Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Special Jury Prize at Cannes 1957.

This film has some of the most interesting and quirky images I have seen, even till date. In the opening few minutes, we see a man playing chess with someone who is a personification of death at a beach. I can't recall watching such images even in a fantasy film these days. Films these days don't use such direct storytelling like they do in plays where death is personified, but back then when there was limited scope of VFX and other technical advances in cinema, they doing that is justified. But, maybe because of the unfamiliar socio-political context, I had a hard time trying to understand the film. It talks about death, feeling content with one's life and such themes which I could understand and I could figure out the plot too in a vague sense but there was a lot going on in the film, some of which even by reading later, I couldn't decipher. I'll keep this film for a revisit later sometime.

The cinematography was noticeably good, the usage of lighting and the compositions; especially I can recall a scene where in a conversation between people of different heights, they showed us each character from the point of view of the other person in terms of the height at which the camera is placed. Although it was a simple thing, it's interesting that they were this particular about even such minute details. This film has a making style similar to the silent films and the films of 30s and the 40s unlike the more modern films of the 60s. If I had to put this film in a film movement, I'd say German Expressionism. It is not really horror and the depictions weren't also that distorted in terms of lighting but it's the content matter of the scenes and the sinister vibes that the film carries throughout.