Why certain movies don't date?
All the movie discussions over the last several days made me think of this past Friday when I saw Ingmar Bergman’s “The Seventh Seal.” I saw this 1957 movie last in 87. I was really curious to see what my impressions will be, 15 years later. I will give up nothing of the plot for those who have not seen the movie, so not to worry. Like I said, I saw this movie in ’87, and I saw it about 5 times. There were several things that struck me this time around:
- The movie feels completely fresh and new, like it was made yesterday.
- It is incredible how a “movie of ideas” manages to keep the audience completely engaged with the plot. Question: How does Bergman do it?
- Answer: Directing and cinematography, stupid.
- The central concern of the movie went over my head in ‘87
- I wonder what went over my head now, which will strike me as completely evident in 2017.
The funny thing is that I saw two movies in the cinema, which I really enjoyed that same year when I saw “The Seventh Seal” for the first time – “The witches of Eastwick” and “No Way Out.” Both movies are completely impossible to watch today – they feel horribly dated. This raises the question, what makes certain movies endure? This might be a PhD topic somewhere – and I’d love to hear people’s opinion on that. There are some movies that don’t date, like “The Godfather.” There are some movies that although clearly were made in a particular time, like “Metropolis” or “Fury,” are extremely enjoyable. Then there are movies like Michael Powell’s “Stairway to Heaven,” where it is unclear what year the movie was made. If I did not know that a very young David Niven indicates a fairly old movie there was no way for me to figure out when it was shot. The same held true for “Femme du jour.” Somehow these movies are not marked by time in terms style of acting, directing, what have you. Once again, I don’t know the answer to the question, but it seems that certain directors manage to transcend the “here and now” and create works of appeal which, while may not be timeless, lasts much longer than other works.
“The Seventh Seal” is one of those movies that have not dated. When watching it you may not say with confidence exactly when it was made. If you have not seen it, by all means, do. Don’t be like the person on whom I spent too much of my precious youth. For years she refused to see the movie having, for some reason, become convinced it was a nature show…
7:27:40 AM 
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