Abstract
The films of Ingmar Bergman have oftentimes been considered depressing and pessimistic. Nevertheless, there is enough material to claim that this is not the case. Two of his early pieces, Det sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal (1957) and Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light (1963) are two of these examples. Both films include similar protagonists who are troubled by their lack or questioning of faith, who in the end find a way out of their angst with the help of secondary characters in the films.
Highlights
This journal is published by the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh as part of its D-Scribe Digital Publishing Program and is cosponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Press
One of the common themes in his filmography is the question of whether God exists or not. Two of his films that basically deal with this issue are Det sjunde inseglet/The Seventh Seal (1957) and Nattvardsgästerna/Winter Light (1963)
In The Seventh Seal, the lead character is Antonius Block, a weary knight who has just returned from the Crusades only to find his native country afflicted with the plague and destruction
Summary
In Winter Light the audience meets the lead character – a pastor – in the first scene of the film as well: Tomas Ericsson. We watch him give a sermon from beginning to end and Tomas’ expression indicates that he is tired-out just like Antonius of The Seventh Seal. It is already settled that The Seventh Seal and Winter Light are similar in that they both include lead characters that are in doubt about God. In addition to these agnostics as main characters, Bergman adds believers and atheists in his list of characters that are in contradiction with the protaganists in terms of their beliefs.
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