Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The end comes for all, but there are questions




It is a given...Death will come to all. Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal [1957] allows exhausted medieval knight Antonius Block to stall his demise via a game of chess to ask metaphysical questions.

My comments at IMDb...

A must see., 27 February 2006
10/10
Author: mercury-44 from United States

Quintessential 1950's metaphysics and introspection of the rapidly rising director Ingmar Bergman, the "The Seventh Seal" assaults the senses with fine black and white cinematography; horrors of a plague infested Europe...plunges into questions of God and the meaning of life--familiar themes that to this very day find relevance in many global reels of celluloid. This, and a cluster of films from this era mark one phase of Bergman's inquiries...and probably his best. The film is worth several screenings especially when viewed at a theater. The horror of the young girl suffering false accusations of being with the Devil and consumed by the purging flames is etched in the mind. All the usual iconic symbols are here: Faithfulness, curiosity, innocence, revenge, ignorance, and greed. A must see.

The Seventh Seal [Wikipedia]

There are many books on The Seventh Seal. This is my favorite...

Focus on the Seventh Seal

Birgitta Steene [editor]

ISBN-10: 0138069271
ISBN-13: 978-0138069278

[Side note. I checked with Amazon.com on the book's availability. I was totally shocked. Two vendors were selling the hardcover edition in mint condition for $169.39 and $205.13. Unreal. Used paperback copies ran around ten bucks.]

Script...different links:

MyMovieScripts.com

Screenplays for You

The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb)

themovieguy

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