Mark Kermode reviews The Seventh Seal | BFI Player

Mark reviews Ingmar Bergman’s best-known film, the brilliant allegorical drama The Seventh Seal starring Max von Sydow. Watch on BFI Player (UK only): player.bfi.org.uk/subscriptio...
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[@corbinmarkey466]

*Of course* Kermode wasn't going to miss an opportunity to mention The Exorcist 😂

[@user-ku2nl1ww9q]

وت ذس خلق ربك الشياطين ما حسنت الك بل احسنت لنفسها خليك محسن النفسك بغيرها عندما تحسن للي حسنت انفسها حسنها لو تحبون تحسنكم 😂😂 هسه الله لعنهم انتم شبيكم تنعلون ها كفرت لمتناعك للعن انعلت ونعوعلت صدوق كذووب كانو البعض منهم من المؤمنين شوكت انبعضهم لنتظر ربهم الي خالقهم يرحمهم لعد وين خلق الانسان في احسن تقويم وين التقويم هنا يول ولو هذا الكلام للعرب اذا اندلو ههههه

[@totallybored5526]

At least there’s a direct connection

[@trevorrapp7227]

I laughed out loud

[@horrorfanandy4647]

Was there any doubt 🤣

[@Elephantstonica]

3 is better

[@sc0408]

my favorite Bergman film is Persona, but it cant be denied that The Seventh Seal is an absolute masterpiece

[@luckythree227]

RIP MAX this is the greatest film ever made

[@TNielebockC]

RIP Max von Sydow

[@glyph2011]

I've never seen the seventh seal, but the amount of images and screenshots and homages I've seen is countless. It's about time I went to the origin.

[@oliveriosteinn]

I wonder if David Lynch saw this movie and got influenced because there's a similar scene in Lost Highway when (murderer) Robert Blake meets Bill Pullman.

[@oliveriosteinn]

@@hari61017 kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5WsnX-kapeCl80 .

[@jmcusack]

@@oliveriosteinn fun fact: that movie was a retelling of the OJ Simpson story.

[@meesalikeu]

@@oliveriosteinn i wonder if david lynch saw this movie??? ffs lol

[@benjammin8184]

I remember watching this at around age 13 late at night and being transfixed. I remember realising film could really be art. What a director, what a body of work and challenging subject matter. All his films have a universal language-like quality because they are just so wrought with emotion and the some of the most beautiful work in film. They delve into the human condition in such a way that every glimpse, every cut reveals an entire world. Love it, great recommendation.

[@freddylubin]

Very few films affected me as strongly as this one, when I saw it, at 16 or so, at an "art-house cinema", in the late 60s. I never thought that the medium could deal with such deep issues as this, and it opened my mind to the possibilities of film.

[@ThefightingCelt]

Like Kermode , I first saw The Seventh Seal in the early 70s , and I was mesmirised . Brilliant film .

[@suestewart4884]

Viewed The Seventh Seal for the first time last week. I was prepared to be bored out of my skull. In fact I have a rule now that if a film does not grab me within the first ten minutes I will switch it off. This film is definitely worth seeing. I found it full of love and very moving, in spite of the carnage. Strangely - it reminded me of An Officer and a Gentleman!

[@mickirving6779]

Ok

[@meesalikeu]

it is very much and actually while that is an off the wall comparison i can see it

[@redi7398]

This movie is actually just a Bill and Ted movie

[@chrisjohnson8033]

The Seventh Seal is wonderful. Though only my third favourite Bergman film after Fanny & Alexander & Persona.

[@deckofcards87]

The Virgin Spring is also also fantastic, imo.

[@meesalikeu]

picking bergman movies is like sophie’s choice

[@karlkarlos3545]

Wait a moment. Does Mark Kermode like the Exorcist? I've never heared about it.

[@rippedtorn2310]

Im not sure , no one is . He never mentions it you see . One day we might find out his thoughts on Exorcist ...one day .

[@meesalikeu]

wait are you trying to say this nigel has a name other than nigel???

[@okyouknowwhatever]

He loves The Exorcist and Silent Running because he saw them for the first time as a kid, so there's a strong nostalgia factor going on there. Nothing wrong with that, just pointing it out. Most people have films they saw as kids close to their hearts.

[@jaakkooksa5374]

0:32 I speak a little Swedish, and I think there is a mistranslation here. Death asks the knight "är du berädd" which means "are you ready [to die]" but it is translated as "are you afraid". The knight then replies "my body is, but I am not". Some native Swedish speaker might confirm this.

[@perlundgren7797]

Confirmed - it is "beredd", as in "ready". Max von Sydow's answer actually does sound like "my body is afraid", though, but I'm guessing that's by mistake.

[@BingoDavve]

It´s in the script, The Swedish words for "ready" and "afraid" sounds somewhat similar, "Beredd" and "Rädd" It´s supposed to be that the knight is indeed afraid and with that misheard what death was asking him. Är du beredd? Är du rädd?

[@inaam2009]

I am Swedish and I do not confirm this

[@gmw3083]

Oh oh Mandela effect.... Life was/is like a box of chocolates.

[@Lajosen]

@@inaam2009 You are not swedish hahahahha

[@oliveriosteinn]

David Lynch got influenced because there's a similar scene in Lost Highway when (murderer) Robert Blake meets Bill Pullman.

[@8300dvo]

I can assure you, every director has seen this movie.

[@rafopderand8524]

Persona, that other Bergman movie, definitely served as an inspiration to Lynch.

[@mvjonsson]

@@rafopderand8524 Lynch was also influenced by Bergman's The Hour of the Wolf.

[@beezy5628]

Yeah David Lynch has said quite a good number of times that he loves Bergman. It’s cool that he likes these certain filmmakers and how much they influenced him while still being really original.

[@meesalikeu]

no, there is no way david lynch saw this. he’s never even heard of bergman. ffs

[@mickirving6779]

Love to see this

[@Notsram77]

I love this film.

[@carls.2649]

HA! Oh Mark, you just can't help yourself, can you? :)

[@michaelotis223]

Mark wouldn't be Mark if he couldn't help himself 🤪

[@DCI-Frank-Burnside]

It's a cliché but it does mature like a good wine, this film.

[@peterlandbo2726]

The dance of the dead in the final scene is legend!

[@jamesdyble7468]

Anyone would think you love The Exorcist, Mark.

[@robgoodsight6216]

Somewhat very actual...excellent film!

[@JustChadC]

Lol I loved watching this guy ten years when he was on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments & Scenes. Sidebar: I bought Seventh Seal right after I saw it two years ago. What a film. Not many of those old ones hold up, but this one does.

[@williamr3840]

Fabulous Max! :0)

[@archive6094]

I watched this movie for the first time today.

[@danielcastillo4537]

Only after Ebert do I trust a film critic. I saw "Sorcerer" on his recommendation and was not disappointed!

[@meesalikeu]

in that case you should watch wages of fear by clouset sorcerer is a remake of that and its just as good. actually its weird a remake is as good as the original but that is the case with sorcerer.

[@geenadasilva9287]

the seventh seal is stunning. my own favourite experience of bergman was Through a Glass Darkly. not sure if i could stand to watch it again though...

[@mickirving6779]

Loved through a glass darkly!! Love her performance in it

[@alanroberts4060]

Other great Films, The Maggie, (1954). The Thing (1982). Ace in the Hole (1951). Hell Drivers (1957) . The Wicker man (1973). JMOP

[@StefanTravis]

"The Seventh Seal" ... "The Excorcist" ... "Flash Gordon". That's some career arc.

[@davidweihe6052]

Don't forget "Judge Dredd" and "Three Days Of The Condor". Like Richard Burton, he had to eat between masterpieces.

[@meesalikeu]

you have barely scratched the sydow surface

[@chrisjohnston4445]

Don't forget "Strange Brew".

[@naturalmystic67]

Love Bergman...

[@unknownorigin7433]

I saw that film when was a kid, and if I recall the rules of chess, there is no limit to when opponent may make next move.

[@meesalikeu]

lol tell that to the players or should i say playas in washington square park

[@Tubeite]

Oh hi Mark!

[@johnquinn4151]

I agree with Mark about the Exorcist. It’s the best film ever made

[@dornravlin]

Great movie

[@albinrudfell5356]

Im swedish and I say that noone can direct movies like Ingmar Bergman did 🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

You are correct. Since he couldnt direct at all.

[@albiehay5567]

So NOW you add it??

[@johnforsyth7987]

Max Von Sydow also played Jesus Christ in The Greatest Story Ever Told. As well as The Devil in Needful Things. How is that for range?

[@user-qx6gr8on4v]

大傑作❗😔死神と騎士のチェス、最後の死の舞踏のシーン等の美しさヨ❗😔

[@jgrab1]

"Today there can hardly be a moviegoer who does not know what the Seventh Seal is about." Are you kidding me?! Do you think these Millennial Marvel Comics audience members have even heard of Ingmar Bergman, let alone seen a film that isn't wall-to-wall CGI?

[@juleswinnfield4966]

he doesnt even review the movie. he just states some facts

[@fossilmatic]

Tell us why it is so great, not just that everyone agrees it is great. Mise en scene? Cinematography? Acting? Script and characterisations? Give us anything, man, even costume design and make up would give us something to hang the critique on.

[@JohnJohnson-bs4cw]

That's exactly what I thought. I watched it myself recently. I enjoyed it but I can't quite articulate what liked about it. It would have been nice to hear what someone else liked about it rather than just rubber stamping its greatness.

[@francogomez3666]

@@JohnJohnson-bs4cw This movie fuck your soul. That is all.

[@corruptangel6793]

@John Johnson it was the dialogue for me. The main thing I liked that is. Very deep, well spoken, and meaningful. Especially for someone like me who struggles with nihilism. The confessional scene hit particularly hard.

[@babybruce8256]

How can I steam this anyone know?

[@33Donner77]

For some, the Seventh Seal is more appreciated the more they watch it.

[@minionevil]

I think that might be me. I just finished watching it for the first time, and, whilst I appreciate its thematic richness and cinematic elegance, I found myself not loving it. It was a little slow, a little boring: the characters were slightly two-dimensional and the story was a little too abstract. I think if I think more about it and then rewatch it I’ll like it a lot more. Because, as I say, there’s some brilliance in there. It just needs more unpacking on my end, I think.

[@Vesnicie]

The Animaniacs did it too, but their game was checkers. Best line: "Are we dead or is this Ohio?".

[@anydaynow]

I just watched this same chess clip before this. The translation was “slightly” different. I don’t know what to believe anymore.

[@mar7268]

Quick Dimwit me too!!

[@mickirving6779]

I love to watch classic foreign films in translation!! How could you really know or tell what they put up there

[@dylancarl1438]

a top 20 film for me

[@acrossbarrier]

Of course, the facade of reviewing and considering Seventh Seal as masterpiece just to do another hype of the Exorcist. You sly fox.

[@amasulem]

Exorcist....spat out my cup of tea...:-o

[@amasulem]

On Seventh Seal did Mark Kermode, give due regard, his critique was often brill. He pimped The Exorcist a load, then BFI followers felt a gloomy chill.

[@meesalikeu]

you would if you saw the exorcist too

[@hey.hombre]

There's a cartoon about the Grim Reaper losing a bet to a couple of kids. The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

[@KristerAndersson-nc8zo]

As a Swede living 70 year later the language are very stylish.

[@davidweihe6052]

Clarify "stylish". Old fashioned, like you might expect from the Middle Ages? Or something else?

[@KristerAndersson-nc8zo]

No more like correct in the pronounciation it is hard to explain.

[@earhoney]

Yes to the Exorcist!

[@robertsmith2221]

Come on dr kermode a tribute from you please

[@MeMyselfAndRyan]

He didnt even review the film

[@andytyrrell5153]

Did he win at Chess?

[@AnkitSharma-qm7sg]

The exorcist for me is PACIFIC RIM.

[@ep1phany62]

Sometimes I think Mark gets great films and great cinema mixed up. I feel like he doesn’t remember the cinema is for entertainment. You can just enjoy the experience without boiling everything down to the bones. A film doesn’t have to be great to be great cinema. And great films stand on their own, whether in the cinema, or at home.

[@InfernalPasquale]

Not a review, he just states trivia

[@juankingsly5764]

Max von Sydow also plaid Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told

[@Merlinthehappypig]

what an adorable way to spell played. I adore you

[@binghamguevara6814]

Don Quixote & Sancho's Bogus Journey

[@VictoryGR]

The exorcist?? 😂

[@user-dd5jx9qe5e]

Frightening us into believing there is an afterlife is not my thing. There are two Bergman's; one the terrified man who tries to bully God into being, and the man who made ' Summer With Monika ' and ' Journey into Autumn ( Dreams. ) I choose the human Bergman.

[@lokmanmerican6889]

Sounds like your review ended just as it got interesting.

[@Rekaert]

"Max von Sydow went on the play the title role in what is actually the greatest film ever made ... the Exorcist." What a wasted opportunity! Gaahh! You could have said Flash Gordon and the internet would have gone nuts. You aren't satisfying the anarchist in me.

[@meesalikeu]

why? both are excellent

[@Rekaert]

@@meesalikeu The twist in expectation. Whilst it's a personal favourite of mine, and almost the perfect example of a cult classic, I suspect not many people would have predicted it in the above sentence.

[@stevepayne5965]

Stand back and brace yourselves, because this will be heresy to many: I think TSS is Bergman's second greatest masterpiece but for me personally 'Winter Light' just beats it by a whisker.

[@alecmisra4964]

He should ask him what his ELO rating is and then we wouldnt have to watch the film.

[@meesalikeu]

BAZINGA!

[@Psalm1101]

He played a lot of Christian films you name it played it. I reckon he's in paradise know

[@penhdog2207]

I was so bored I had to turn it off with 37 minutes to go. Can someone help me with what I'm missing? (Honest question)

[@toffthe]

Am I the only one who thinks it's very funny, in places..?

[@cha5]

Laurence von Winkenburger Not at all, there’s quite a bit of humor in The Seventh Seal even with its somber themes. I mean Death sawing down a tree with a man on it protesting all the way down, and the two main stage performers completely steal the show and are funny and endearing characters.

[@meesalikeu]

the exorcist is very great tho truth

[@meesalikeu]

its sigh dow nigel not sid dow alrighty then pip

[@vervor]

Not even one detail about WHY it is on your list??

[@Hackerinsidemyphone_caution]

Okay in the nut it is. ROFLMAO Oh now you are legion. Anaymous. ROFLMAO You need to learn to kiss my you know what. ROFLMAO

[@lucisoburns1965]

His mistake was choosing white (Peace), when I play chess, a game only royalty truly know, I always play black (War). Another mistake as with all Nights (Masons) is they put X (Death) on their left and O on their right. A true "Day" would never place death on his left. A night must master checkers first, Satan's game (Black and Red), that is how you get a crown, that is how you are King'd. Always remember, when you put that deaths head pin on your hat, death sits on your right. I will go for now and let you sleep, you keep dreaming of the fire when death clearly stands at the waters.

[@hannes2558]

?

[@firekind1980]

The Exorcist 2 wasn't that good. Someday I'll maybe give the first a go.

[@meesalikeu]

cash grab

[@harmoniabalanza]

Intelligent.

[@scania1982]

En kämpe god, Carl Adolf, har lämnat jordelivet.

[@CheersDits2979]

I can never enjoy a film where I am spending the whole film looking up and down while missing some of the sub titles.

[@yinghanfu9047]

exorcist is up there.

[@willthorson4543]

I think it's a great movie...but top 10? Not sure about that.

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

The real number is 321 834

[@hpoonis2010]

Oh dear...twice-used "iconic" forces me to vote this down. THERE ARE MANY MORE ADJECTIVES AVAILABLE THAN JUST I-frikkin-CONIC!

[@elis4237]

I think the movie might be more interesting if the viewer does not speak swedish.

[@dollarcostbackpacker1226]

... Bill and ted's bogus adventure did it better!

[@Kwodlibet]

I cannot help but remember Mark Kermode praising and recommending the Disney's Star Wars abominations from the screen of BBC1. It was one of those moments when one realizes the the king is naked, flawed and just as mortal like everyone else. You wanna watch any movie - do it, but not because a shill told you to.

[@illwobble]

Mark, it's the Book of Revelation, NOT "Revelations".

[@danielmoran9902]

I've watched The Excorsist many times, and I still say the same thing. Utter rubbish.

[@gavasiarobinssson5108]

What a bore. In no way is this a masterpiece. Ingmar Bergman the most overrated director ever.

[@Gene601]

RIP Max von Sydow