Famed director Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal”,(1957) with Max von Sydow and the rest of his stable of actors (Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, and Bibi Andersson) gained a cult following when first seen in the U.S. I was introduced to this black and white film about a chalk faced man in a black cloak in the late 60’s. I still think it’s terrific.
In short, the story is about a 14th century Swedish knight that returns from the crusades after 10 years. He is followed home by the cloaked figure thru the devastation of a war torn and plague infested countryside, he plays a game of chess with “death” to save his life. Lots of stark landscapes, lots of symbolism and abstraction – “The Seventh Seal” isn’t shown much now, so I am grateful for the DVD.
Hugely prolific, below are only some of Ingmar Bergman’s films that are available on discs:
1950s: Smiles of a Summer Night, Wild Strawberries
1960s: The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Persona
1970s: Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage , Autumn Sonata
1980s: Fanny and Alexander
Ingmar Bergman, 1918 – 2007
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