Don't Seal the Deal Early

Last night I finally got around to watching the Ingmar Bergman classic The Seventh Seal. The basic plot of this film is often described as a Knight of the Crusade's search for the answers to life's larger questions (is there a God. etc.) whilst playing a game of chess with Death. The dreary synopsis of the film is only enhanced when one considers that the outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe is the backdrop for this tale. That being said, I pretty much had my mind made up that this film was going to be dark and dreary, beautiful and haunting, and not really that much fun.

In actuality, it was a delightful film. While a major plot point is the chess match between the grim reaper and the grim knight, Antonius Block, nobody really mentions that there are many other light and enjoyable characters throughout the film. The knight's squire, Jöns (who has at least an equal amount of screen time and dialogue as our protagonist) is the kind of guy you would want to be hanging around with at any given time: he is worldwise, cynical and funny. The advice he gives throughout the film to the other minor characters is enough to make you laugh out loud, just check out some of his quotes here. Even the chess match itself is a rare occurrence throughout the film; revisited only as you are just starting to forget it is still in play.

Watching this film I found myself not only exercised philosophically, but also I learned a lesson that I don't often apply to films: don't judge a book by its cover. This is the second time this year that I have been intimidated by what I had already deemed a depressing film (the other being The Last King of Scotland) only to be pleasantly surprised by the varying range of emotions and moods. Point is, you really haven't seen a film until you have seen it.

Same to same,

Pat