This is a strange movie--period! However, it is also one of the most parodied films and for that reason alone it is worth seeing! Now, on to explain the part that is parodied: A man is returning from war in the time of the Reformation and the plague is about the countryside. The man meets the Angel of Death and is told it is him time to die. The man asks if he can first challenge him in a game of chess--if the man wins, then his life will be spared. The Grim Reaper, not wanting to be a spoilsport, agrees and they play a game that starts and stops again and again. This exact same contest has been used in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey, the cartoon series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, and an experimental film De Düva: The Dove (starring Madeline Kahn among others). In the Bill and Ted movie, they did not play chess but a series of games including Battleship and Twister! In The Dove, it was a badminton game! I can't remember what the game was in the cartoon series, but instead of their deaths, the children played the Grim Reaper over the soul of their pet hamster! Isn't is weird how this art film has appeared again and again and in the silliest of places! Give it a try to see the FIRST death-match and because it is a good film--with excellent performances all around--from Max Von Sydow to all the supporting players. Also, do not give up on the film too quick--I did and only saw it all years later when my sister-in-law convinced me to give it another try!
Review of The Seventh Seal
