8.5 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.8 |
Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess.
Starring: Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Max von Sydow, Bibi AnderssonDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 87% |
Surreal | 18% |
Imaginary | 7% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.37:1
Swedish: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital Mono (192 kbps)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s timeless "The Seventh Seal" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The disc contains a newly restored high-definition digital transfer of the film with uncompressed monaural soundtrack and optional English subtitles. The Blu-ray package also contains a number of interesting supplemental features, including “Bergman Island” (2006), the 83-minute documentary on the Swedish director by journalist Marie Nyrerod. Region-A "locked".
On the beach
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
This is another fantastic release by Criterion. Last night, I popped the disc into my player and was so overwhelmed by what I saw, I completely lost track of the time and could not publish my review. Contrast and detail on Criterion's Blu-ray release of The Seventh Seal are spectacular. The close-ups in particular look unbelievably strong. Furthermore, the grayscale is the best I have seen on a Criterion disc thus far -- the blacks are rich and unbelievably lush while the whites are gentle are natural looking. Additionally, film grain is fully intact. The actual print is also notably healthy -- I did not detect any debris, scratches, dirt, or stains to report in this review. Finally, when blown through a digital projector, The Seventh Seal remains incredibly stable and tight to the frame. Simply put, this is a fantastic Blu-ray release! (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" release. Therefore, unless you have a native Region-A or Region-Free player, you won't be able to access the disc's content).
There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Swedish LPCM Mono and English Dolby Digital 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The quality of the audio presentation is as impressive as the quality of the video presentation. The Swedish LPCM Mono track is notably stable and well balanced. The dialog in particular is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow. As expected, Erik Nordgren's soundtrack is exceptionally well balanced with the dialog - I personally never had to reach for my remote control to adjust the volume. Finally, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report in this review. All in all, this is as solid of an audio treatment as anyone could have hoped for.
Audio Commentary – a commentary by film scholar Peter Cowie recorded for the Criterion Collection in 1987. An afterword to the commentary, recorded with Cowie in 2008, can be accessed from the supplements menu.
Ingmar Bergman Introduction – This introduction to The Seventh Seal was created in 2003 as part of a series of introductions journalist Marie Nyrerod recorded with Ingmar Bergman to many of his films. Shot in Bergman's screening room on Faro Island, these pieces were designed to precede the films when shown on Swedish television (1080i, 3 min).
Bergman Island – In 2004, Swedish television journalist Marie Nyrerod made a trilogy of revealing and intimate documentaries in which Bergman looks back on his long career in film, television, and theater. Those three films were edited into the feature-length documentary Bergman Island, released in 2006 and presented here for the first time on home video (1080i, 84 min).
Afterword – This afterword, made in 2008, features film scholar Peter Cowie discussing The Seventh Seal, in a follow-up to his 1987 Criterion commentary track (1080p, 11 min).
Max von Sydow Audio Interview – Film scholar Peter Cowie conducted several interviews with Max von Sydow in 1988 for his book Max von Sydow: From "The Seventh Seal" to "Pele the Conqueror". Presented here are excerpts from Cowie's audiotapes.
Woody Allen on Bergman – In this short 1998 piece for Turner Classic Movies, Woody Allen talks about his passion for the director (1080i, 8 min).
Bergman 101 – In this video piece, film scholar Peter Cowie walks us through Bergman's career by way of film stills, behind-the-scenes photos, and clips from many of the director's films and television productions (1080p, 36 min).
Trailer – (1080p, 3 min).
In addition to all of the supplemental features mentioned above, The Seventh Seal arrives with a lovely 26-page booklet containing Gary Giddins' essay "There go the Clowns" (the author's most recent books are Weather Bird: Natural Selection: Gary Giddins on Comedy, Film, Music, and Books; and Jazz (with Scott DeVeaux).
Unbelievable presentation! I am aware that many of you are weary of hearing how every other week there is a Blu-ray that looks nothing like the one before it; well, I have not seen anything like The Seventh Seal yet. Simply put, this is a perfect presentation. Very Highly Recommended.
1966
Hamnstad
1948
Smultronstället
1957
Ansiktet
1958
Otto e mezzo / Federico Fellini's 8½
1963
2003
Till glädje
1950
Riten / The Ritual
1969
Törst
1949
Efter repetitionen
1984
En passion
1969
Nära livet
1958
Skepp till Indialand / A Ship Bound for India
1947
Kvinnodröm
1955
Gycklarnas afton
1953
Tystnaden
1963
Scener ur ett äktenskap
1973
Nattvardsgästerna
1963
Såsom i en spegel
1961
Fanny och Alexander
1982