A Filmmaker's Guide: "The Seventh Seal" (1957)

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Nearly everyone knows the scene from "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" which parodies Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal" in which the two main characters try their hands at a game of chess against death. But not many people actually know that the whole of Bergman's film is so intricately placed around this game of chess and really has nothing to do with bringing someone back to life, as it does in the parody - but is instead dealing with a man who is seemingly too afraid to die.

Bergman's film "The Seventh Seal" has been referred to by many critics, filmmakers and audience members alike as one of the greatest films ever made and honestly, I couldn't agree more. It is a film with various symbols about life and death, it is also a film that marks a milestone in cinema - it really does put Sweden on the world stage.

One of the things I love to explore in this film is the wide shots that are littered throughout the film, each with their own ideas presented through character and mise-en-scene.

Key word: Wide Shot

A shot which is made to show a character within their environment. This can be used to show the scenery and could also include various symbols, weather (pathetic fallacy) and mise-en-scene. Normally symbolic in nature, these scenes have become iconic for their use of the 'solitary' presentation of character and place.

So now we know what a wide shot is, I would like to take a look at a couple in this article just to see what they are all about and why Ingmar Bergman has used them so frequently in this film.

Still #1

This still has always fascinated me. We see the character in a wide shot but it is not what we would expect for a film about someone avoiding death. We see this character literally standing on the very edge between land and sea, between order and chaos, between life and death. It is something quite surreal but we do not know whether land is life or death, or whether sea is life or death. Seeing as the sea is littered with waves and rocks, all choatic and even though it looks smooth, it is quite dangerous - we can hazard a guess that the sea represents life. The rocky hillside with its predictability even though it looks dark and dangerous, is fairly safe as you know what is coming all the time - represents death.

Still #2

This shot is one of the most iconic shots in the film. We see Death, standing on the more predictable - stone land. He stands perfectly straight in the centre of the frame and the wide shot means we can see everything from the sky to the sea. The image symbolises the permanence and abundance of death everywhere around us. It is the centre of life and is the only certainty (except taxes. Let's see if you get that joke!) of it. When we watch the film, this shot turns up on more than one ocassion in different ways. Sometimes, Death has him arm out, painting this black box of his gown on the screen like a black hole. Each way is a different symbol of Death and all his actions.

Still #3

The 'dance of death' that appears at the end of the movie again, is one of the most iconic scenes in cinematic history. It is the 'acceptance' of death by the main character as he, and a number of others, go off dancing with Death at the front of the line, into the distance. The silhoutte style is important as we can see one man at the end of the line playing an instrument and each character is joined to the other, juxtaposing the solitary life that the character had led in trying to escape death. In this respect, death is actually more fulfilling than life. In life, we are serious and anxious about everything, we are solitary and angry in avoiding our own death. But, when we die, we dance off into the next scene with music and friends and we are more carefree than ever.

Conclusion

"The Seventh Seal" (1957) is commonly known as Ingmar Bergman's finest film and, in my opinion, it really is. Containing wonderful wide shots, brilliant close ups and stillness that would rival Bergman's other film "Silence" - this film honestly creates the feeling that once death is upon us, there is nothing we can do. There is nothing we should do. We should simply go quietly and be happy.