Jag sa förbanne mig inte ett ord om änglar

[sovay]

I am very pleased to report that the Criterion Blu-Ray of The Seventh Seal (1957) has fixed the serious, serious problems I had with the subtitles on their DVD. Some of the lines are still noticeably elided from the Swedish and I could have done with a more formal language in a few scenes, but the traveling players are once again named properly—Jof and Mia—the duel of invective between the blacksmith and the ham actor is intact in all its rude glory, and there is no longer the reckless simplification of dialogue that took out half the humor, subtlety, and mystery of the original script; seriously, I found Criterion's earlier transfer almost unwatchable. I recommended against it in favor of the old Janus VHS. Now I don't have to do that. And this is a good thing, because The Seventh Seal is one of the films I love best (as I have for ten years now) and want to share. It offers no answers. "Jag bär inte på några hemligheter," Death says—"I have no secrets." It is instead, itself, a question. But whether it's fifty years or seven centuries later, it's one that's still worth asking.

(For karmic balance, this year the Boston Lyric Opera is not selling T-shirts for The Turn of the Screw or any other production. I am frustrated in my quest to wear my favorite operas. At least I've still got Rusalka and Les contes d'Hoffmann.)

Comments

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

Just as a consumer note, in conjunction with its Blu Ray release of The Seventh Seal, Criterion has replaced its old DVD of the film with a new DVD that uses the newly-subtitled version, so those of us unable to watch Blu-Ray can rest easy, secure if not in the knowledge then at least in the forms of the question. That being the case, I do think it's about time I saw this movie again.

[sovay]

Just as a consumer note, in conjunction with its Blu Ray release of The Seventh Seal, Criterion has replaced its old DVD of the film with a new DVD that uses the newly-subtitled version, so those of us unable to watch Blu-Ray can rest easy, secure if not in the knowledge then at least in the forms of the question.

Good! I didn't feel comfortable recommending the DVD until I knew they'd fixed it as well, but I couldn't tell from looking at their site. Thank you for letting me know.

That being the case, I do think it's about time I saw this movie again.

I think I've seen it five times now. I expect to see it again. It holds up.

[mamishka.livejournal.com]

I was just about to ask this! Thanks for answering it pre-inquiry! :)

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

My pleasure. The new version has a 2009 copyright date, and includes a second DVD with an 83-minute documentary from 2006 called Bergman Island.