Filmmaker reacts to The Seventh Seal (1957) for the FIRST TIME! 

There are certain films that stay within my soul. This is one. Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day!

That last shot of the characters dancing with death was improvised. Bergman saw the clouds over the hill, dressed up a couple of tourists and crew members, and shot it.

This movie is a perfect example of how important it is to preserve film history. Movies like this need to be passed on to future generations, because their message is always relevant.

This is quite possibly one of the Greatest films ever made. From the acting, the cinematography everything.

I love that you're watching some of the classics with us - they get too little attention these days. Thank you! :)

A Memento Mori is some artistic expression that intends to remind us of death, not as something terrible but as necessary to life, so we appreciate life the more for its brevity. In Évora, Portugal, there’s a chapel made of actual human skulls, with the inscription: “Us here bones are waiting for yours”. It’s a Catholic thing. I first watched this movie when I was I don’t know, 5 or 7 years old, in an artsy TV program back when there where artsy TV programs. Didn’t understand anything of course, but the imagery is so powerful, Death carrying away the people by their hands, the images strung along with me for all my life, as if Death walks by my side, but not as something fearsome, but as something that is just there because it must be. Great reaction James, thank you.

This is why I love your channel. I always get opened up to new films I've never heard of or seen before. And I thank you for that. Seeing new films is refreshing and always eye opening to me learning about filmmaking.

I watched this as a kid on TCM. I had no idea what I was getting ready to see.

Fuck I watched that movie in the beggining of the pandemic. Mindblown.

The fact that cameras were so large and heavy back then makes the opening shot in Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil" (1958) all the more incredible and impressive. It's a crane shot that follows the actors through the streets for almost a full 3 1/2 minutes before the very 1st cut. Sure, it was shot on a studio backlot, but the time, effort and choreography it must have taken to get it just right must have been stressful.

Max Von Sydow was such an incredible actor who played Jesus Christ, The Devil and everything in between. R.I.P.

Oh wow! Truly an unexpected surprise!

I often heard about this movie. Movies back then we're a lot more creepier

Excellent movie. Great to see it getting some attention!

I have this on bluray...the experience in HD is so different. What a masterpiece.

This is crazy I warched this movie for the first time litterly 5 minutes ago. Great movie

Two other Bergman films I think you’d love: Smiles of a Summer Night and Wild Strawberries. EDIT: and terrific reaction of course.

Total classic, and it's easy to see why. Little more can be said. Great to revisit these every now and then.

Great review. Andrei Rublev by Andrei Tarkovsky (the director of Stalker) is a must watch

You're not going to get as many "Likes" and views as you usually would... but I'm SO HAPPY that you're going through these MONUMENTAL films that are so important in cinematic history. It's one of the reasons why your channel is soooo good. Thank you, sir! Some other classic and brilliant films to check out: Charlie Chaplin in "CITY LIGHTS," "MODERN TIMES," "THE GOLD RUSH," & "THE GREAT DICTATOR." Other films: "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU," "THE CRANES ARE FLYING," "THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE" (The Original version)...

Max Von Sydow was so young

that witch burning scene, of the common terror that nothing might await us after our lives are through, that existential crisis, is so powerful

Everything about this film, bar some sound production shortcomings, was and still is phenomenal. The biggest standout, though, has to be the dialogue. I desperately wanted to hear and understand every word every character spoke. Unbelievable work.

James, you mentioned the director of Stalker: Andrei Tarkovsky. Please watch the 205 minute, first cut (best cut)of "Andrei Rublev". It's a masterpiece.

this movie really embodies the adage "every frame a painting"

Fantastic film, a timeless classic.

That framing of Death at 22:11 is so cool. We got the silhouette with just the face showing, and we can't see his feet so it looks like he's coming up from the shadows

This movie and “The red shoes “ were the 2 movies that really got me inspired by filmmaking!!!❤❤❤❤

Absolutely fantastic film. Highly recommend checking out Autumn Sonata from Bergman next. Definitely not surrealist but the themes are absolutely devastating and is packed with phenomenal performances from Liv Ullman and Ingrid Bergman. Appreciate you 🖤

Really pleased to see and hear your reaction to Bergman's The Seventh Seal, it was deeper and more involved than I was hoping for. You really do great film reactions and clearly explain your thought in the outro, long may you continue doing so.

Bro...Bro...Fanny and Alexander, trust me on this. To me, it was Bergmans last masterpiece. Watch it, just watch it.

Great reaction

Iconic film, one of the greats. Tarkovsky loved Bergman, you should watch Andrei Rublev the greatest film ever made. Bergman's Fanny and Alexander is another wonderful film.

I feel the important thing about Seventh Seal is that despite the direct look at a bleak subject, there's so much humour and even optimism in the movie. Would love to see some Godard on the channel, Pierrot le Fou is a personal favourite but his classics are plentiful.

Max Von Sydow, who portrays Antonious Block in this film, was also the Priest in The Exorcist (1973)! One of the few European actors to evolve to Hollywood mainstream.

I’m so used to seeing Max von Sydow as an old man; he’s beautiful!

Great seeing you do some Bergman. Give Wild Strawberry a try.

Max von Sydow taking the long walk into the cursed earth.

Yes, finally. Excellent film.

I grew up in the late 70s and 80s with Max Von Sydow being in...everything. He was always one of my favorite actors. But I didn't see any of his work with Bergman until I was well into adulthood. It gave me a whole new appreciation for him. I've also come to be a huge fan of Gunnar Björnstrand, who is in a TON of Bergman movies. I hope you watch more. I avoided Bergman for a long time, because he seemed so daunting and unapproachable. But after actually watching some of his movies, he turns out to be far, far more human and humane. And he's so much funnier than I anticipated.

Wouldn't be surprised "No Country for Old Men" (2007) had some influence by this masterpiece.

I remember this one from a film class. Looking forward to your take

I'm so happy to see you, a young american directory, being curious enough to explore something else : the greatest classics of last century... when the cinema was not yet an industry for teenagers !👏👏👏 I hope you'll react to the italian cinema (Fellini's La Notte or La Dolce Vitta, Antonioni L'Eclisse,...), and to that era of the french cinema called "le réalisme poétique" (the poetic realism) : Marcel Carné+Jacques Prévert's Le Quai des Brumes, Les Enfants du Paradis, and Jacques Demy's musicals that inspired Lalaland. Old american cinema too : Mankiewicz's Laura, Orson Welles's The Lady from Shanghai, and the german Fritz Lang's "M"... So many masterpieces I can't wait to see you react to !

Wow, great reaction, wasn't expecting you to jump on this one so fast after Persona. I haven't seen this in so long, it was great to revisit! The script is fantastic, totally agree.

You should check out "Elling", a truly heartwarming Norwegian classic. I would love to see if the script translates without knowledge of the refrences and tone when reading the subtitles. It's a gem.

Hey James! I've been watching your channel for quite a while, and I wanted to say I think its great how you react to such a wide variety of films on here, old and new, popular and obscure. Especially films like this one, which are quite slow paced and wouldn't usually be considered reaction-worthy. I truly believe that every genre, era, and nationality of film has something to offer and teach. If you're ever interested in diving wayyy back into silent movie territory, I'd reccommend Metropolis or The Passion of Joan of Arc, two silent movies that really hold up to modern standards. Keep up the great work!

I have seen this film like 5 times and I have since learned a lot of Swedish.

The Sixth Seal just clapped its flippers and bounced a ball on its nose

The other film Bergman put out that year, Wild Strawberries, is a MUST SEE

Death asks the knight: "Are you prepared?" The knight answers: "My flesh is afraid, but I am not." Being a swede I would translate it this way: Are you ready? My body is ready, I myself is not. The words for ready and afraid are very similar in swedish. And if one speaks fast, which the knight does when he answers this question, it can be impossible to hear the difference. But it makes more sense to translate with the word ready instead of afraid since Death asks the Knight if he is ready. This film is one of the best I have ever seen.

Bergman binge let's GOOOO

I remember not liking Stalker when I first watched it. A little too slow. But then it got referenced in one of the books I read in grad school. The author talked about some of the themes, and it really clicked then. I've watched it once or twice since then, and it's absolutely fantastic. I absolutely love Bergman. I'm a theologian-type, and so his meditations on theology, existentialism, etc. are right in my wheelhouse. For other art films, I don't know if you've done these, but I'd love to see your reactions to Kurosawa's "Ran", Scorsese's "Silence", or something really wild like Kaufman's "Synecdoche, NY."

I've been hoping you would watch this film since I started watching you a couple years ago. Love your take on it

After seeing this you are ready to watch Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey 😂

Please dive more into Tarkovsky and Bergman! My two favorite directors (along with Buñuel) and I think you will love their other stuff :) I recommend Bergman's Hour of the Wolf, it's like a peek into what it would be like if Bergman made a horror film! Through a Glass Darkly, Summer with Monika, Summer Interlude, and Winter Light are also some excellent Bergman movies, and for Tarkovsky, The Mirror of course and Nostalghia and Solaris - I haven't seen Andrei Rublev yet or the Sacrifice but I'm sure they are also great! Also loved the Flying Lotus reference 😄

Apropos your mention of Tarkovskij’s Stalker and 2001 in the intro, check out Tarkovskij’s SOLARIS - slooow sf from the Soviet times. NOT the US remake.w. Clooney.

Thanks for watching some Bergman, James ! Next mandatory stops are "Wild Strawberries" (my personal favorite) and "Cries and Whispers".

Loved it, heroic and cathartic Poetry in vision and word. A plague is as relevant as our pandemic. The plague wiped out populations and the people did not have a clue. Wrath of G-d and judgement. Look at the works of Van Eyke. who painted visions of judgement. There is a little known movie dealing with the same time period, The Navigator 1988 A Midievil Odyssey.

MASTERPIECE thanks

I don’t know if you’ve seen it but check out The Virgin Spring! A lot of similar themes Bergman really pops off with 🤝

I hope you review some silent films some of them are remarkable pieces of art

Denzel Washington & Joel Coen's "Tragedy of Macbeth" (2021) has cinematography heavily influenced by this

This is one of the best. Glad to see you reacting to it. Pure artistic filmmaking. If you want to go further in this direction you might try Andrei Rublev from Tarkovsky.

Hell yeah :)

In relation to this you might want to check out De Düva / The Dove (1968) , also Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)! :)

14:16-14:22- Wish I could make this excerpt my ringtone

Yo yo yo you have hit the jackpot

Please man give us some more bergman and tarkofsky. They are existential masters

This is sort of out of left field, but I would love for you to do “The Cell”. Same director (Tarsem Singh) as “The Fall”. No one talks about it or watches it and I always felt it was deeply underrated.

This is a very good Bergman film.

One of my favourite Bergman films. I try to watch a movie of his every so often and when I do, I'm reminded of how exceptional he was as a director/writer. Shame is my favourite though, what a brilliant anti-war film.

A true classic! Thanks for the reaction. On films like this, I press "like" and then watch. :) My vote for the next Bergman film (hard to decide, since there are so many good ones) would go to "The magician" (originally "Ansiktet" = "The face"), from 1958, and also with Max vow Sydow.

Max von Sidow was a brilliant actor.

You Sir...have the best movie/TV series reaction channel on RU-vid. I have watched your reactions to movies I thought are hidden gems and not overtly mainstream. If you haven't, please do reactions to: -Crank & Crank: High Voltage - Anthropoid - Janky Promoters

The depiction of scenes that would have actually happened during the plague. Especially with the guys whipping themselves. I can’t think of what they were actually called but it was real. The flagellants I think.?

YES!!!!

You should react to Autumn Sonata, also by Ingmar Bergman and stars Ingrid Bergman in her final film role, personally it’s my favorite Ingmar Bergman film and one of the best movies of the 70s

Now that you’ve seen this, a good action film that references this and a few other films you’ve seen and, is a fun watch is “Last Action Hero” (1993).

a famous Swedish film from 1957

I sadly don't have your Patron, as I don't have any money but I just want to recommend to you the films of Michael Haneke. Watching your channel it seems, obviously, that you love ambition in films, particularly in how they are shot so I think his films would work well. He focuses on the realism of life in a bleak and entertaining way (his writing is also incredible) I don't see too many people like you watching his films so I would say to watch Funny Games, either the 1997 or 2007 versions first and then move onto The Piano Teacher (2001), Amour (2012), and Caché (2005). Love your content.

Now he has to watch Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Have you seen Evangelion and End of Evangelion? End of Evangelion is one of those art films for me, but it's needed to watch the show beforehand for it to work.

(Warrior) 2011..starring tom hardy..you should watch

This, The Godfather, and some Eisenstein films that the Soviet Union made are the best films ever made. Times the speed of light . Believe me brother, and study.. Much love..love

Hi there please see and review Come and See (1985) if you have not seen it it will rock you to the core both good and bad.

This movie is absolutely required watching if you want to be a filmmaker but it's not going to get you views on RU-vid.

ok @JamesVsCinema, now watch bill and ted's bogus journey. you'll understand why when you do.

A tid-bit for none-Swedes: the character Jof (the actor with the wife and daughter) is played by Nils Poppe who was mainly famous for being a comedian and light comedic actor in a sort of Chaplin-esque tradition of very physical comedy, so casting him in a quite serious role like this was an interesting choice and it was, at least for me, quite a strange and jarring feeling (and I'm sure that was the intention) to see him in a serious and quite dark movie like this, even though he admittedly plays a comedy actor of sorts in the movie, after seeing him in silly, funny light-hearted comedies.

You should have a month of watching foreign (not Hollywood/USA) artfilms! Or Criterion collection films! I would love to see you watch Jean-Luc Godard, Satyajit Ray, Sergei Parajanov, Jean Renoir, more Ingmar Bergman and Andrei Tarkovsky and others!

Now all that's left is Federico Fellini and then you've experienced the Mount Rushmore of cinema between him, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky and Bergman!

Do you collect Criterion James? Seems 100% up your alley.

really excited about you discovering Ingmar Bergman’s filmography! hope you’ll give Wild Strawberries or Fanny and Alexander a chance! :)

Major kudos to you for having the courage to stick to your format and comment on films that are great even when the general public cant get past the C-grade movie fare you typically see reviewed (again and again and again) on You Tube. The Seventh Seal is art, film at its best.

Love what you're doing with this channel. Keep it weird. ♥️

I hope one day to see you watch Carl Th. Dryer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc. It is one of the most powerful films ever made. Criterion Collection has it with a new soundtrack by Richard Einhorn that elevates the film to one of the most amazing cinematic experiences you’ll ever witness….

I think you would love Fanny and Alexander (extended version). It in my eyes is Bergmans greatest film, with very compelling characters and story.

Masterpiece of a film

absolute masterful film

All Bergman films are great, to a greater or lesser degree. Try the trilogy of "Through a Glass Darkly", "Winter Light" & "The Silence". Somewhat under appreciated movies I love of his are "Shame" 1968, "The Passion of Anna" 1969 & "Cries & Whispers" 1972.

The knight, Block, intentionally saves the lives of the actor, Jof, and his family. Jof sees Block playing chess with Death and flees with the family. Block keeps Death occupied and knocks over the pieces. Death is distracted and the family escape. Death asks if he has accomplished a meaningful deed, and he says yes.