Sunday

In a surprise turnaround, I unexpectedly went to the cinema on Saturday and saw The Seventh Seal. It's been fifty years since its first release (hence its 're-re-release'). I watched it more recently than that, perhaps six years ago. Believing I wouldn't remember much of it, I think instead I remembered every scene. This, I think, reveals the nature of the film. Every scene is vital, and is strikingly directed so as to embed itself in your memory. The script is exceptional - not a word wasted. I don't think I really understood the film when I was younger, but now have a much better grasp of its meaning. It's tempting to call The Seventh Seal the perfect movie. That perfection could come off seeming like artificiality, however, and it does take itself a bit seriously. You have to be absolutely serious when watching otherwise you may find yourself laughing at the self-flagellators, or the man dying of plague, all very reminiscent of Monty Python (who, surely, must be mimicking it somewhere). The clowning of the acrobats could be tiring, and you can tell some of the costumes seem a bit cheap. Perhaps modern viewers might find it dull, but it depends upon what you expect from the film - what you take to it, rather than what you actually find. It, itself, is brilliant from start to finish. The scene on the hill-top when they all gather to eat is perhaps one of the best scenes in cinema. Exceptional stuff.