The Enlightenment of Chess - "The Seventh Seal"

Austin 2022-04-19 09:01:42

The plague spread all over the European continent. Jof completed the crusade and returned to the country. The beach with blue sea and blue sky is the base for veterans to place their chessboards, play chess alone, and think about their future whereabouts. The god of death appeared and pronounced the death of mortals, and there were not many days left, and it was time for Jof to calculate the gains and losses of his life.

If ordinary people faced the messenger of death, they would be so frightened that they could not see their souls, kneeling down and begging not to be taken to hell to be punished by eternal fire. However, the battle-hardened soldier showed a calm demeanor. He smiled and talked to the uninvited guest about whether God cares for the world. Jof invited the god of death to play chess, knowing that it was his hobby. The god of death was surprised and asked him How do you know? Jof replied that he had seen the picture of the god of death playing chess. It can be seen that the soldier is not a warrior who goes into battle to kill the enemy. He also likes and appreciates religion, culture and art. The two players are quite equal in chess skills. Death has not encountered such an extraordinary chess opponent in a long time. Anyway, the concept of time is the eternal corridor of Death. He can stay for as long as he can, so he is willing to play chess with the object he will take away, and talk about religious issues. .

Jesus wore the crown of thorns and looked down at the many children on earth with a sad face. Jof questioned whether his prayers reached heaven? He hoped that God would not stand by and watch the obscene, killing, and plagues done on the earth, but would show the halo of the Holy Spirit himself to answer the doubts of believers, The savior of human suffering. The statue of Jesus is on the top, the soldiers are on the bottom, and the distance is close. The love of God has not infected the bewildered and painful believers who are rolling around in the world. In fact, the word of God is faith, and after death you will have eternal life. Faith is simple, don’t question God, God will oversee it Everything, don't worry about the people.

Antonius sees through life, and when things happen, he will express the opinion that the blood is sealed: the beautiful girl is alone, without relatives, and staying in the world where people's hearts are rotten will only become the target of men's ravages, chivalrous men are simple and straightforward, and women are worse than being The housekeeper, who traveled the world with him, at least someone took care of him, and was not afraid of losing his life. Antonius was calm and thorough, and regarded troubled times as a game in the world.

The theme of "The Seventh Seal" is far heavier than that of "Wild Strawberry". The former uses the religious color of the Middle Ages to question the relationship between man and God. The original intention of the Crusades was to expel Islam from the holy city of Jerusalem. However, the holy emblem embroidered with the flag of the cross and fluttered to the distant Middle East, the blood-red oil paint brought not forgiveness, not mercy, disease, and death. After the war, the innocent girl who was rumored to be the messenger of Satan was lynched, and Jof, who was alienated from God and deceived God's will, was heartbroken. A chivalrous chivalrous man who and his friends mocked that the initiator of the Crusades was an "idealist" and taught a theological student who stole the bracelet of the dead, a sharp blade against the legacy of the so-called holy war. That being the case, why didn't God descend from his heavenly throne to judge sinners himself and allow them to do evil? That's the question Bergman asks all the time. The god of death in the film communicates directly with the protagonist, is a friend, a good partner for playing chess, and if possible, a spiritist who does not want to meet; the god of death in "Wild Strawberry" is an old scholar who is self-nostalgic and reluctant to leave his family's self-creation nightmare. The elder finally repaired the bad relationship between his son and his daughter-in-law, which is self-awareness and self-redemption. In the end, I fell asleep with a smile, I saw the calling gesture from afar, and I hope that the other side is the happiness within reach; the ending of "The Seventh Seal" is dark, the dance of death starts on the ridge, when the time comes, those who want to leave will always leave, the surviving performers What they see is not an illusion, but the law of the heavens. Life surrenders to death and dances around it. No matter how chaotic the couple is, they must raise young children and bring the continuation of life to the thunder of darkness.

Written by Patrick Chan on April 16, 2007

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Extended Reading
  • Forrest 2022-03-24 09:01:36

    The plague can only take away the human body, it cannot erode the clean and healthy soul. During the interval between the game with the god of death, Knight Bullock carefully examined and looked at his ordinary past. The young couple who performed the circus gave birth to a big fat boy and faced life with positivity and optimism; the blacksmith couple in the forest was powerful, vulgar, and disgusting; there were also those who stole the bracelets from the dead, and those who painted skeletons on the walls gave speeches with horror colors. , the sacrificed woman, etc., Bergman will focus on all levels of society as much as possible, carefully depicting the dark Middle Ages. The loss of humanity, the lack of morality, and the rampant plagues can be described as utterly ruined, and everyone's eyes are filled with fear and anxiety about death. Only in the eyes of the couple performing the circus can see light and hope. The couple is a shimmer of light in the suppressed and distorted reality world covered by the dark wheel, clear and translucent. Fear is not terrible, and death is not the end. There is also a kind of dedication in the knight. He saw the sincerity and open-mindedness of people in the circus couple. Losing the chess game against death saved them. CC number: 11.

  • Emilio 2022-04-24 07:01:05

    The constant search can only make people slowly fall into endless confusion. Around faith and death, a Ukiyo-e about human nature is displayed. Ignorance and thinking have torn apart the whole world. In an ugly wasteland, it is only the most essential face of human beings: omniscience is ignorance. Death is like a shadow, and under the symbolic expression of ritual, it is a shudder of repression and chill, and it is Bergman's doubts and speculations about the whole world.

The Seventh Seal quotes

  • Antonius Block: From our darkness, we call out to Thee, Lord. Have mercy on us because we are small and frightened and ignorant.

    Jöns: [bitterly] In the darkness where you are supposed to be, where all of us probably are... In the darkness you will find no one to listen to your cries or be touched by your sufferings. Wash your tears and mirror yourself in your indifference.

    Antonius Block: God, You who are somewhere, who must be somewhere, have mercy upon us.

    Jöns: I could have given you an herb to purge you of your worries about eternity. Now it seems to be too late. But in any case, feel the immense triumph of this last minute when you can still roll your eyes and move your toes.

    Karin, Block's Wife: Quiet, quiet.

    Jöns: I shall be silent, but under protest.

  • Witch: Look into my eyes.

    [the knight meets her gaze. They stare at each other for a long time]

    Witch: What do you see? Do you see him?

    Antonius Block: I see fear in your eyes, an empty, numb fear. But nothing else.

    Witch: No one, nothing, no one?

    Antonius Block: [shakes his head] No.

    Witch: Can't you see him behind your back?

    Antonius Block: [turns around] No, there is no one there.