I'm watching the Seventh Seal. A friend got it for me. We saw it together once, many years ago. I was 17 or 18, I think. I lived with my mother in somewhat somber accommodations. It was a three bedroom house, roomy enough for 8 people or more by our standards. We lived on beans, rice, and homemade tortillas much of the time. We had no phone, and for some months, no power. My friend wanted to hang out with me, but I wanted to be home. We went to a video store and rented a copy of this film. He is no doubt an intellectual, but such bleak fare is seldom on his palate. The train tracks were a few yards outside my window, like a parody of the Blues Brothers. Every so often the house would shake and conversation would become impossible. My window was foiled over, no light came in. Only an 18” black light provided any visibility. The film is not bleak, really. It has a gaunt, black and white visage, don’t get me wrong, but there are visions of Life and Love; the knight is really looking for something to give meaning to his life before he dies. The same friend recently made an off-hand comment that I consider silent German cinema as light viewing. Compared to the Sorrow and the Pity, yes I do. His barb was misplaced. I enjoy films created by artists and intellectuals, not hacks and hired guns. That’s a difficult boundary, I know. Film is only made to make money for the most part. There are some exceptions, I know. I prefer things that tackle uncommon moments, embrace uncommon beauty and grace.

The pale face of Death in this film is a stark figure, looming over the frame. The idea of watching a film about a knight playing chess with Death might seem boring to some, but it sets up so many Icons that I nearly weep. The knight meets a family with a beautiful child. They hold the boy with such care and love. Their emotions flood over me. I can watch Pulp Fiction or other well-made contemporary films, but there are so few films that move me to the point of tears. I don’t cry from sadness, but from a flood of emotions that I can’t control all at once.

Does this make any sense?