THE SEVENTH SEAL
(Ingmar Bergman / Sweden / 1952 / 35mm / 90 mins / Cert 12A)
(Tue 4th / 8pm / £2)
A knight wanders across a plague-ridden landscape on his return from the Crusades. As he washes himself on a beach he is confronted by the figure of Death. Together they play chess, a stalling on the part of the knight who still has many unanswered questions about faith, God and the purpose of life itself.
For many people, the Seventh Seal is Bergman’s masterpiece – the
quintessential work of a fearless filmmaker who dared to make films concerning adult themes for audiences who wished to think about the films they had seen long after the taste of the popcorn had faded. THE SEVENTH SEAL is as relevant and powerful today as it was when it was first made, and an example of how Bergman will remain an important figure in world cinema for many years after his death in July this year.