IMDB plot summary: A man seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.
Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Stars Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, and Nils Poppe.
This is my fourth Bergman film and ranks third out of all of them for me. It has moments that I absolutely love, and others that just don't set well with me, although I can't quite pinpoint what about them rubs me the wrong way. It probably says something that the two Bergman films I really, really liked were the ones most grounded in reality, without fantastical elements or dream sequences. Usually I respond very strongly to mixing fantasy with reality, but for some reason here it never quite works for me. It's a series of stories that I have trouble gelling together into one emotionally coherent whole, although I feel like a second viewing might help with that. 3 stars.
Best Part: I really liked the contrast in character between Jof and Jons, and the final two scenes highlighted that the best for me.
Worst Part: The scene with the smith and his wife was certainly entertaining, but it was one of the ones that felt really jarring in contrast with the rest of the movie.
Flickchart: Well, currently #889, but that's too low, mostly due to Cinema Paradiso being ranked too low. I'll have to do some rearranging.
2 comments:
It's funny, when I read your review I was thinking, "What fantastical elements is she talking about?". The movie is so real to me that I'd forgotten that a chess-playing personification of Death isn't reality. I hope it improves for you on future viewings. I agree that the business with the smith and his wife feels a bit superfluous.
I do think this is a movie I want to return to. It's the kind of movie I should *love*, so I'm not sure what didn't set right with me this time through. After it's had some time to settle, I want to give it another shot.
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