The Seventh Seal Review
I met Death today. We are playing chess.
Ingmar Bergman was just 39 when he made tonight’s feature.
Already being discovered on the international stage with films such as Summer with Monika (1953) and, especially, Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), but it was his 1957 opus, The Seventh Seal (and follow up Wild Strawberries (1957)) that catapulted him into the limelight. Indeed, The Seventh Seal is generally regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, hugely influential and pure art.
Born from the director's own disillusionment with religion, having been brought up in a strict and devout Lutheran household, losing his faith at an early age, dissatisfied with institutionalised education and developing a love of art, the film took a number of years to develop from his own play Wooden Painting (which is a real painting by Albertus Pictor found in Täby Church) first performed in 1953. Made “under difficult circumstances in a surge of vitality and delight”, the film had a limited budget and a tight schedule of just 35 days, but at its core was a fervent director determined to exorcise his demons (although that actually wouldn’t happen until years later with Winter Light in 1962).
The story is of a disillusioned knight returning to his homeland from the horror of the crusades, only to find it equally as ravaged, by plague, rogues and religious fervour. It is relentlessly depressing, dark and awful; the acts of horror performed by the clergy on supposed witches, desperate heathens attacking and raping the helpless, and the carnage being waged by the plague.
And yet countering this is the uplifting and hopeful; the knight wanting to do one last meaningful act before he dies, the family unit and their bravado against their plight, and the union and friendship between the knight and his squire. Thematically discussing religion and faith, bigotry and suffering but determined to see his singular vision - to show the light in the bleakness of life - meant he drew on artworks to frame his story and invented scenes on the fly, all the while showing some of the greatest images ever put on celluloid. Clearly best known for the picture of the knight playing chess with Death for his very life; an image that has been stolen or honoured or pastiched, and even played for laughs (Bill and Ted).
One of the most famous scenes, the dance of death, showcases the inventiveness. Much like Peckinpah and The Wild Bunch (1969) with Pike and his crew making that final walk to their doom, which was completely improvised on the day of the shoot, so too did Bergman improvise this, his most haunting scene. With no money, no actors, fading light and the cloud he wanted to capture blowing away, he employed crew and tourists to don the costumes and play out that final evocative vision.
It could be argued that the very nature of the film means that it can be hard to sit through, it is shot through with heavy themes, dark imagery, and fervour; but it is also richly rewarding, and almost pure cinema in its intent. Its influence speaks volumes, an arthouse film for the masses. Remarkable.
The Seventh Seal Video
The Seventh Seal was shot on 35 mm film and has recently been given a 4K restoration (in 2018) producing a new 4K DI from which it appears this UHD is sourced.
The disc presents a native 3840 x 2160p resolution image with academic 1.37:1 aspect ratio, uses 10-bit video depth, High Dynamic Range, and is encoded using the HEVC (H.265) codec for HRD10 and Dolby Vision.
We reviewed the Region free UK Ultra HD Blu-ray release of The Seventh Seal on a Panasonic TX-65HZ1000B Ultra HD 4K TV with a Panasonic DP-UB450 Dolby Vision HDR10+ 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player.
Death's robes
For a film that hails from 1957, you sure wouldn’t believe it looking at this image. The detail on show is remarkable; skin texture, the weather-beaten face of the knight, or the youthful visage of the maiden, and clothing weaves, be that chain mail, ripped or worn tunics, grimy boots of stark white tops. The striations and layering of the rocks on the beach, the grasslands, trees against the sky, cloud formations; everything is keen and sharp. Distance shots, like those in the opening scenes overlooking the beach are quite stunning in their clarity, individual rock formations, wave movements and the horses against the backdrop are keen.
HDR really adds depth to the image; there is so much more going on in the darkness; the beach rocks have form, layers and highlights, the sea is menacing with depth and waves, the church vestry with its covering, the interiors of the hovels or caravans, Death’s robes, the carvings in the chess pieces, both black and white; so much more to see. Brightness level is amazing, check out the clouds in the sky, or white clothing, or the intensity of fire, amazing.
The original source is, however, not pristine, there are still the odd instance of tramlines, specks, and hairs in the gate; this kind of adds to the charm and reminds us of the organic nature of the piece. It also holds a well-formed grain structure, it is a light sheen that maintains movement and holds in the highlights. The frame is also very stable.
I thought it might be interesting to compare to Criterion's Blu-ray release, spine number 11, and what immediately strikes you is how dark the Blu-ray is; the opening credits are video black, in that they are indistinguishable from the frame black bars, however on the UHD there is a clear grey to them. Likewise, when the knight steps into the sea to wash, the beach rocks are black and indistinct, compared to the UHD with its form and structure; the sun is a white smear in 1080, and a glorious shining orb in the 4K. the grain structure is incredibly heavy on the Criterion, thick and vibrant, not so in the 4K, it is much more resolved.
One thing that did come out of it was that the 4K image does have on the far right hand edge, top and bottom, what must be a scanning issue, in that there are white specks that can be seen at all times – they are faint and never distract, but they are there, something that the Criterion disc does not have.
In conclusion, this new scan is a triumph, it towers above the Blu-ray in terms of detail, resolution and, above all, greyscale: a simply stunning image.
The Seventh Seal Audio
Just the one track, Swedish LPCM 1.0 mono. It is a perfunctory track, the dialogue is clear and tight, distinct within the mix and sounds natural; effects, such as the sea crashing against the shore, burning fire, horse hooves, wind, peasants cheering, are well realised, and rounded. The score also has some depth. It performs its tasks well, without background hiss or distortion.
In comparison to the Criterion Blu-ray, it sounds tighter, with more treble and cleaner, the 1080 is ‘thick’ and a tad muddy.
Tighter
Subtitles are newly translated, in a vibrant white easy looking font, and hang around for a fair while; but tend to show both question and reply at the same time, i.e. two responses on screen at the same time; unlike the Criterion disc whose font is somewhat softer, I feel has a better translation, and only show when the person is speaking.
Review System: Denon AVR-X4300H, MK Sound LCR750 and SUR55T, XTZ S2 Atmosphere ceiling mounted, SVS PB-12 Ultra.
The Seventh Seal Extras
UHD
Audio commentary – With film-critic Kat Ellinger, whose passion and enthusiasm for the film shine through, while giving a near encyclopaedic rendition of the narrative and themes.
Behind-the-scenes footage – 15 mins playable with an audio commentary by Ian Christie.
Trailer
Blu-ray
All the above plus:
Karin’s Face – 15 minute short film form Bergman
Conclusion
The Seventh Seal 4K Blu-ray Review
Bergman’s timeless classic, The Seventh Seal, is bleak, depressing and dour, yet at the same time, hopeful and uplifting; the knight’s journey for one final meaningful act, allegorical to the chess game. Shot through with stark imagery, every scene is a portrait, every image a painting, it shines through as a beacon of pure cinema. The themes might not be for everyone but its power cannot be denied.
Beacon
The 4K UHD, the first from BFI, is amazing; the native 4K image is awash with detail, has a greyscale that shows more than ever before with a frame depth that is stunning, the image has never looked better. The LPCM mono soundtrack is well resolved, clean and tight. The extras might be slight, but they are immensely informative.
The Seventh Seal on 4K Ultra HD now.
Our Review Ethos
Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.
To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.