The Seventh Seal (1957) d. Ingmar Bergman

What’s it about?: On his way back from a ten year stint of Crusading, a weary, disillusioned knight is confronted by Death. Right before Death can do his deed, the knight challenges him to a game of chess. The stakes? If the knight wins, Death must let him live. Never one to back down from a game of chess, Death takes him up on his offer. As the movie progresses, the knight meets up with a small theatre troupe who try to entertain the masses as a distraction to the Black Plague that is sweeping across the land. As he leads the group towards the safety of his castle, the knight embarks on his own personal journey to try and discover whether or not God really exists. Meanwhile, he continues to play that game of chess with Death…

Thoughts: If you’ve never seen any Bergman, then you haven’t really seen film. True horror aficionados are probably most familiar with Bergman’s The Virgin Spring, which as we all know (or should know, at least) was later remade by Wes Craven as The Last House on the Left. The Seventh Seal is probably Bergman’s most famous film and its probably my favorite. Max von Sydow plays the knight obsessed with discovering what is beyond death. Ten years of killing in the name of God only to return to a country being ravaged by the plague has left him jaded and skeptical of God’s existence. One of the most powerful scenes in all of film as far as I’m concerned is when the knight looks into the eyes of a woman being burned at the stake because she claims to know the Devil. Great stuff. This is one of those movies that is often characterized as anti-religious and in fact, the Vatican actually condemned the movie upon its release. I won’t spoil it, but the great thing about Bergman is that he never spells things out for you. I won’t bias your viewing experience by giving you my take, but if any of you watch this, I’d love to hear what you think.

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The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) d. Victor Erice

What’s it about?:The setting is a sleepy village in rural Spain around 1940, just after the conclusion of the Spanish civil war. The rural community is incredibly isolated and resembles medieval life in the peoples’ use of horse drawn carriages, oxen, and crumbling brick buildings. One of the most anticipated community events is the weekly screening of a movie, which is brought in by a couple of entrepreneurs for a screening before they head on to the next village. Two sisters end up seeing James Whale’s Frankenstein, causing the younger of the two to embark on a search for the Monster’s spirit, which she finds in the person of a young soldier who has deserted the army. In the meantime, her father (a beekeeper) and mother must come to terms with their lost dreams, the banality of life, and their lost love for each other.

Thoughts: Using Frankenstein as a metaphor for life and death, both literal and emotional, Spirit of the Beehive uses James Whale’s film as a reflection on childhood innocence, imagination, and dreams. The adults of the film are stuck in a bee like repetition of life (the father’s job as a beekeeper and his honeycomb-esque glass windows emphasize this) that they can never escape and thus have grown a part from each other. The children, particularly Ana, search out the Monster in hopes of connecting with a kindred spirit and as a substitute for the emotional separation from their parents. The entire film is shot as if it were a dream. It doesn’t follow any traditional narrative and requires the viewer to figure out the symbolism and structure for themselves. The last act of the film, in which Ana comes face to face with the Monster and the possible implication of the films final shot is incredible. A non-horror film that should be of extreme interest to horror fans, if that makes sense.

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