The Movie Doctor

I have always heard amazing things about the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. For whatever reason it has taken me years to finally see one of his movie and that day was yesterday. A friend of mine during the week suggested to me a movie in which I just happened to find at the local library. I rented it and watched it and I was completely blown away. This film was Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal.

The Seventh Seal takes place in The Middle Ages around the time of the Black Plague. It centers around a knight and his squire who have come back from a ten-year mission in the The Crusades. The knight wakes up one morning and encounters death (in psychical form). Death arrives to take the life of the knight only to be challenged to a game of chess (apparently Death’s favorite game). Through out the film the knight plays the game of chess while also trying to find his faith in GOD which he lost during those years of war. The knight and squire encounter a family of jesters in which they also join in there quest home.

This movie was nothing short of amazing. I can not explain what I was feeling there is so much too it I have to see it a second time. Lets start with the script. The dialogue in the film was incredible. Very philosophical constantly questioning if GOD exists. It has amazingly compelling dialogue that combined with Bergman’s vision makes it into a piece of art. The film itself had some very disturbing sequences showing the effect of the Black Plaque in the town. There is a sequence in particular which shows a group of people ,who believe that the Plaque is punishment from GOD, whipping themselves. Although it is a very disturbing scene technically it is one of the most compelling scenes of the movie.

This film has instantly earned a special place in my heart. It really just blew me away. If you are a film maker or if you just love watching movies I would highly recommend it. Now that I have seen this I must watch more Ingmar Bergman movies.

Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5bDFjIcopk&feature=related

(I would’ve put the trailer but I think it shows to much of the story. This is a great scene from the movie. It is actually the disturbing scene that I talked about in the review. Enjoy)

Rating: 10/10

Are there any big Ingmar Bergman fans out there? If there are can you suggest to me any more Bergman movies I should see? Please let me know here.