This is one amazing film, and in my view Ingmar Bergman's best. Visually, The Seventh looks wonderful, the bleak scenery adds much to the mood, the cinematography is beautifully composed and skillful and the lighting is atmospheric. It also has many memorable images like with the flagellates, the hawk flying in the cloudless sky, Jof's vision of the Virgin Mary and the milk and strawberries in the dusk. Bergman's direction is superb, Erik Nordgren's score is resolutely haunting and the dialogue is some of the most thought-provoking I've heard with some nice bawdy humour with especially the squire that doesn't feel misplaced. The story is like an allegory and meditation of life, death, love and fear(amongst other things), and it is dealt with in a very intelligent and careful manner. Again there are some timeless scenes like the ending, the scene of the girl about to be burnt, Death being challenged to a game of chess and with the jester. The acting is also exemplary, Max Von Sydow gives one of cinema's finest performances, stoic yet always commanding with a face that speaks volumes about what he's thinking. Bengt Ekerot evokes chills as Death, while Gunner Bjornstrand is suitably dry as the squire. All in all, a really amazing film, fully deserving of its reputation. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of The Seventh Seal
