At the same time I was watching Almost Famous I was also watching the 1949 original The Wolf Man in preparation for the remake that is being made, but it was another one that went by the wayside, and I never got to it. I felt bad never writing anything up because it is one I absolutely loved, no joke. There is something to enjoy about old school monster movies. The Wolf Man, it’s one of those stories that outweighs the fact that the visual effects are primitive. I feel the same way about the original series of “Star Trek”. It isn’t the effects that are interesting, it’s the character development and the stories being told that capture my interest. The Wolf Man did this and I can only hope they don’t muck up the remake.
Next on the docket we won’t go as far back in time, but we are going to head overseas as I checked out two films from Swedish helmer, Ingmar Bergman who passed away just last year. I started with Wild Strawberries, a film I didn’t instantly enjoy, primarily because I felt the story of Dr. Isak Borg was far less compelling when compared to that of his daughter-in-law Marianne played by Ingrid Thulin. I understand this is simply a matter of me connecting with Marianne’s character through the tumultuous story of Isak Borg, but it also meant the film, for me, was lacking, but I am sure I will revisit it again in the future as I have learned snap judgments aren’t always the best approach to appreciating film.
On the other hand, The Seventh Seal is absolutely brilliant. This is a film that can be studied and scrutinized from every angle and you will always find something new and different to talk about. Personally, the mere fact that the knight, played by a very young Max von Sydow, is playing chess with Death opened so many doors in my brain that I was instantly intrigued. The conversations between the two are ridiculous if you don’t buy into it, but if you allow yourself to open up to the film and see it for all its symbolism you can really get lost in the story. It also played to a major interest of mine, the mixing of religion and fiction. I love religious symbolism in films and this one has a healthy dose and I definitely recommend it as this may actually be in my top ten films of all-time, but that is just a guesstimate at this point.
