After a Crusade, knight Antonius Block and his squire Jöns return to medieval Sweden to discover their home is in the throes of plague. Resting on the shore, Block is visited by none other than Death himself. Though seemingly ambivalent about dying, Block challenges Death to a chess match for his life. The match continues for several days as Block and Jöns move about Sweden, inadvertently assembling a group of companions—there’s Jof & Mia (the actors), their baby Mickael, a non-speaking servant girl, a blacksmith, and his wife. Having seen so much death at home and abroad, and being tormented by the silence of God through all of it, Block senses that life is meaningless. But he finds peace in moments, such as enjoying fresh milk and wild strawberries with good company, or a quest to perform “one meaningful deed.” Did Block beat Death at the chess game?—I won’t say, but does anyone escape Death?
As you can see, this was a real pick-me-up of a film /s. I picked “The Seventh Seal” as an “Easter week” film because it showed up on a “religious films” list. What I didn’t realize was that it was kind of an anti-religion film, as director Ingmar Bergman is clearly working through some feelings after being raised by a Lutheran minister.
There was a lot I loved about this film. Its stark iconography is really amazing. The version of Death that went on to inspire many other iterations, the notion of playing chess with Death (pulled straight out of medieval art), and the shot of Block drinking milk is all fantastic. I really liked the characters, as cynical, dumb, or tormented as they could be. And I found a certain solace in a film about an era when humanity clearly thought the world was ending—its calming to know we’ve been here before.
The film was slow and meditative, and kind of a bummer. While I found Block to be someone I agree with a great deal, but I don’t think I wanted to wallow in those feelings for 90 minutes. I’m really glad to have watched it, and think I will revisit it one day now that I know what to expect. But upon my first watch, I don’t have great passion for the film one way or another.