Word About Biehn

The apocalyptic Seventh Sign is a kind of mixture of the divine and the ordinary. It takes from Revelations God's seven signs leading to the end of the world and places salvation squarely on the shoulders of a pregnant housewife. Now, this could be considered either ridiculous, reducing the Power of the Almighty to the level of the mundane. Or, it could be considered an important statement that each individual does play a significant role in making the world what it is. Then again it could fall somewhere in between, which is probably where it lies for me.

The film has a good look to it with regard to production values, its settings and special effects creating a properly portentous atmosphere. Add to that the mysterious figures of the keeper and breaker of the seals and of the priest following up on the signs for the Vatican, and the stage is set for the entrance of our heroine, the focal point upon whom rests the fate of the world.

Abby is pregnant, but she's been pregnant before-and lost her baby. The overwhelming grief that resulted led her to attempt suicide, and though she seems to have pulled herself together, it's clear that the loss of another child would likely be too much for her. She's desperate to have this baby; she lives for it, and she's willing to fight the powers of heaven or hell to assure its survival. But is it possible to fight an avenging God; is it possible to turn Him from His course? And if so, how? One is reminded of Sodom and Gomorrah in all of this, as Abraham bargains with the Lord to refrain from destroying Sodom for the sake of a mere ten innocents. Abraham's success shows that hope does exist that God can be turned from His wrath. In the Seventh Sign, Abby is that hope.

Both the fun and confusion of the film come in trying to figure it out. Which sign is it when the fish die or the desert city freezes or when Abby collapses in the synagogue? My son was continually shuffling through the pages of Revelations looking for the answers. Would God really allow an act of Divine power to be set off by a woman accidentally stepping on and breaking one of the seals? Were Abby's flashbacks and dreams signs from God or memories of a previous life? How did Pilate's gatekeeper always manage to be in the right place at the right time, as when he turns out to be the prison chaplain accompanying the "Word of God" killer to the gas chamber? I've watched Seventh Sign more than once, and each time I've seen something new in it, and I like it for that.

Of course my main reason for enjoying Seventh Sign, especially more than once, is Michael. He's amazing as an actor, even in a supporting role, which this really is, though it is also a significant role. Oh, to have a husband like him-loving, caring, sensitive, intelligent, protective, and (of course) gorgeous! And Michael believably conveys all of those characteristics along with the emotional stress of a man desperately trying to understand his wife's growing obsession and fearful about her health, both mental and physical. Again in Seventh Sign we see his ability to say so much without words: The way he comforts her after her nightmare; his swift move to her side when he fears David may be threatening her (the sparrow incident); his expression of terrible grief as he holds his son. Also, it's nice to see him in a domestic role that shows he's capable of playing a much wider range of parts than just those of action hero or villain. Seventh Sign may not be a perfect film, but Michael most certainly is not one of its shortcomings.

Kay