Fantastical, surreal and darkly disturbing medieval tale from a true auteur.
The plot:
A Swedish Knight, Antonius Block, returns to his home town after battling in The Crusades along with his manservant, Jöns, to discover that their village has been riven by The Black Death.
As they approach the village, Antonius is granted a vision from Death himself, instructing him that his time has come and that he is to perish.
Not yet ready to go, Antonius challenges Death to a game of chess with the proviso that, if he wins, he is allowed to live on.
A haunting, melancholic meditation on life, death, suffering and the futility of existence, I've got to be honest and say that I found this rather impenetrable.
Whilst the lead performances, particularly Max von Sydow are certainly engaging, I found Bergman's directorial style to be alienating, the movie imbued with a coldness, a sterility that simply prevented true empathy.
Though doubtless a significant and worthy work of art, I would rather chew off my girlfriend's face than sit through it again.
Sorry.
3 out of 5
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