For better and worse, Ingmar Bergman's 1957 historical fantasy epic THE SEVENTH SEAL has quite a reputation. Since establishing his career as one of the preeminent auteurs of his time, Bergman's spiritually-charged tale of a crusader confronting his mortality as he journeys home across plague-stricken Europe has been both celebrated and dismissed as intellectual, philosophical, austere, and unapproachable. But how does the film's reputation stack up to the actual experience of watching it – especially in the midst of a plague of our own? On today's episode, SEVENTH SEAL newbies Jason and Harry join crusading veteran Cody to discuss the masterful – and often surprising – ways Bergman conditions the viewer to see the film's subject matter in a certain light, uses humor to both offset and further illustrate his themes, and repositions medieval and religious symbolism to make an ironically modern point about faith, pride, and a life worth living. We also discuss how we will confront and overcome Death when we face him ourselves. RIP to Antonius, but we're different. Follow us at @trylovepodcast on Twitter and email us at trylovepodcast@gmail.com to get in touch! Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: Procession scene from THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957).
