Death Plays Chess
Many filmmakers strive to achieve a level of significance in their work that will endure the test of time. Many filmmakers and their productions fail, but there are some that do not. One such example is Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 effort, The Seventh Seal. This film sets a lofty level of ambition by using a theme that is highly universal and important: the quest for the meaning of life, and how to achieve a proper resolution. The Seventh Seal chronicles one man’s journey to discovering his personal answer. This theme is reinforced using the elements of setting, dialogue, editing and transitions, and the dramatic element, cosmic irony.
The primary element used to explore the theme can be found in the setting and in the set design of the movie. I believe Bergman wants us to believe that the meaning of life is found by conquering the passage of death. Accordingly, death is shown all around us in the set design as a physical obstacle to be overcome by the main character, Antonius Block. In the beginning of the film, we are given the image of a beach cast a slew with unforgiving jagged rocks. Looming above Antonius is a gigantic cliff which casts an equally large shadow. The beach looks like it is not suitable for any living creature. Secondly, a fertile earth is rarely ever shown. In the following scene, Antonius and his squire, Jons, are shown riding horseback across land with no flowers, trees, or indication of life. A rotting monk who has apparently come out here to die from the bubonic plague is the only landmark. The sun beats without mercy on the main characters and all the landscape. Deserted villages are everywhere; and every populated town they come across appears to have been ravaged not only by the Black Plague, but also by dust storms and perhaps vandalism. No set pieces are pretty, nice, or lively in a way to suggest anything but a land for the dying.
The second most important element in enhancing the theme can be found in the sound effects and dialogue. This movie does not contain a lot of dialogue or explanations, so the few exchanges of words seem to take on more importance than they might otherwise. Many conversations, such as the one between Antonius and Death during their final game of chess, can summarize the whole movie: Death says, “You look worried. Are you hiding something?” Antonius replies, “Nothing escapes you.” Death retorts, “Nothing escapes me.” This tête-à-tête marks not only the end of their chess game, but also the close of Block’s quest for knowledge. I think the most meaningful dialogue in the film is the reading from the Book of Revelations, concerning the breaking of The Seventh Seal (which symbolizes the end of mankind and the beginning of Judgment Day.) The movie opens with the reading of this portion of the Bible, and it comes to a close with Block’s wife reading Revelations as ceremony before eating dinner. This reading is very pertinent to the story because it represents Block’s struggle with Death, and eventually leads to his apocalyptic conclusion that the end of his life was always the inevitable answer to his questions. The sound effects in the film were also essential to breathing true life in to the story. Heavy music was often choreographed to violent scenes and the appearance of characters that represent misfortune.
Another highly important element to the theme is the contrast between darkness and light using editing and transitions. Bergman frequently uses the director’s interpretive point of view to do this. For example, in the beginning of the film, we are given time to reflect upon a lasting shot of the ocean, with the loud ambience. Then we are very quickly transitioned to a shot of Death (wearing all black) standing tall against the bright rising sun, with no more sounds at all. Once Death begins to move forward, we immediately are struck at how all-encompassing his cape is. As the camera closes in, it becomes larger and larger until the screen, (and our view of Antonius) is completely covered by it, showing what a huge force Death plays in the movie. When engaging in chess, our players are framed very carefully to separate the darkness of Death from the brightness of Antonius; representing perhaps the struggle between good and evil in a highly picturesque way. While Block confides in Death during Confession, quick transitional images show back-and-forth close-ups of the exceptionally pale and sinister face of Death, and then the face of a crucified Jesus, mourning, and bleeding with a crown of thorns on. This is very effective in showing the stark contrast between Block, linked by the imagery to Jesus, and his counterpart and opponent, Death.
Possibly the most subtle contributing factor to the theme is the dramatic element, cosmic irony. It is ever present and suggested in each scene. All of the humor in the film comes from this cosmic irony. When Jons makes jokes, they are not funny in the way a clown is, but humorous in a way that mocks all mankind by showing the futility of living. When Antonius confesses to Death his deepest grievances, we can clearly hear his doubt in God, and yet realize the impossibility of killing his faith. Throughout the entire movie, we steadily become conscious of the absurdity of Antonius Block besting Death, yet we are entranced to observe the outcome. The cosmic irony runs so deep in the theme of this film, that it could go unnoticed if we are not careful.
Thanks to the elements of setting, dialogue, editing, cosmic irony, and powerful acting, Ingmar Bergman was able to help illuminate one of the shadiest of human deliberations: what is the meaning of life? Following Bergman’s direction of Antonius Block, we can see that all roads lead the Death. It is only then that he shows us the contradiction – one may only gain implication of the meaning, if one can see victory in Death. In the end, Bergman succeeds gloriously in his ambitious production, The Seventh Seal, and passes the test of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment