#squire fridell

[loveboatinsanity]

[mygrowingcollection]

Squire Fridell

[bigchump1994]

The most toxic place on the internet is a thread on the McDonaldLand forum titled "No offense to Brad Lennon but Squire Fridell will ALWAYS be my Ronald"

Featuring no less than 25 doxxings, 47 SWATs and 12 counts of aggravated assault, the thread has faced criticism from Internet Historian Grunt Frumpler, who has been quoted saying "Those motherfuckers in McDonaldLand do not play around" (Frumpler et al. 'Musings on the McDonald's Wifi', 2018.).

[brokehorrorfan]

The Seventh Seal will be released on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on April 18 via The Criterion Collection. Neil Kellerhouse designed the cover art for the influential 1957 Swedish historical fantasy.

Ingmar Bergman (Persona, The Virgin Spring) writes and directs. Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Inga Landgré, and Åke Fridell star.

The Seventh Seal has been digitally restored in 4K with uncompressed monaural Swedish audio and an English dub. Special features (included on the Blu-ray disc) are listed below.

Special features:

Introduction by writer-director Ingmar Bergman (2013)

Audio commentary and video afterword by Bergman expert Peter Cowie

Bergman Island - 2006 feature-length documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyreröd

Audio interview with actor Max von Sydow (1998)

Tribute to Bergman by filmmaker Woody Allen (1989)

Bergman 101 - A selected video filmography tracing Bergman’s career, narrated by expert Peter Cowie

Trailer

Booklet with an an essay by critic Gary Giddins

Returning exhausted from the Crusades to find medieval Sweden gripped by the Plague, a knight (Max von Sydow) suddenly comes face-to-face with the hooded figure of Death, and challenges him to a game of chess. As the fateful game progresses, and the knight and his squire encounter a gallery of outcasts from a society in despair, Ingmar Bergman mounts a profound inquiry into the nature of faith and the torment of mortality. One of the most influential films of its time, The Seventh Seal is a stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning and a work of stark visual poetry.

Pre-order The Seventh Seal.

[shadow-manor]

This photo (from here) unearthed a long-buried memory. One of my teachers in the early 80s was friends with an actor named Squire Fridell, and she had him come in one day and talk to the class about his career. He was by no means an A- or even B-list actor, and in fact he mostly appeared in TV commercials. He discussed the concept of residuals and mentioned that he called his house "Casa Residuales." So in 40 years we've gone from a minor actor being able to support his family on residuals to most members of SAG barely making enough to qualify for health insurance.

[byneddiedingo]

The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)

Cast: Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Inga Gill, Maud Hanson, Inga Landgré, Gunnel Lindblom, Bertil Anderberg, Anders Ek, Åke Fridell, Gunnar Olsson, Erik Strandmark. Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman. Cinematography: Gunnar Fischer. Production design: P.A. Lundberg. Film editing: Lennart Wallén. Music: Erik Nordgren.

Commentators have sometimes likened the plague that threatens the world of The Seventh Seal to the threat of nuclear annihilation, but I think that misses the point: For the medieval world, the Plague was a test of faith; for the modern world, the Bomb is a test of humanity. The Seventh Seal is, yes, much too talky: Epigrams about God and Death pile up on one another tiresomely. But it's still a great film, succeeding partly because of its setting in perhaps the last age of faith our civilization will ever know, which adds an urgency to the characters' wrangling with it. The key character in the film is not the knight, Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), despite the familiar images of him playing chess with Death (Bengt Ekerot), but his squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand), the sardonic commentator on the events in the film. Jöns is our surrogate, the skeptic with a decidedly modern view of his era's religious extremism, such as the Crusade he and the knight have just been on. What we're witnessing is the merciful escape from a god that for some reason Bergman's characters in later films like Through a Glass Darkly (1961) and The Silence (1953) keep hunting: the god of certainty -- the kind of certainty that breeds fanaticism and bigotry. In the end, the knight sacrifices himself to Death so that ordinary people -- the players Jof (Nils Poppe) and Mia (Bibi Andersson) and their child -- may live to continue their secular amusements that had earlier been interrupted by fanatics and flagellants. 

[365days365movies]

March 11, 2021: The Seventh Seal (1957) (Part One)

Well, I did Cocteau this month already, so...time for another big boi director, I guess.

I’m sorry for me, too, because this one scares me a little more than Cocteau.

Ingmar Bergman. One of the greatest directors of all time, and the only prominent Swedish director that I’ve ever heard of. Also someone whom I’m DEFINITELY not qualified to judge, but here we are anyway.

Best known for Persona, Fanny and Alexander, and...one more movie, Bergman was an EXTREMELY prolific director, and far more influential on global film than you or I know. Seriously, dude influenced everyone from Martin Scorcese to Terry Jones to Peter Hewitt in one way or another. He’s passed away, as of 2007, at the age of 89. And speaking of Death...

There have been a LOT of incarnations of Death in media. Hell, we literally looked at one two movies ago, in Orpheus. You could argue that Ugetsu also revolved around death, but I’m talking about Death, the physical embodiment of the concept.

Now, the most common incarnation seen is the Grim Reaper (pictured above), but there are MANY other well-known versions. Here, have a few different versions, just for taste.

Yeah, that’s a lot. Kudos if you knew all of them! But that last one...I mentioned Peter Hewitt earlier. He directed Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey, and in it, the two meet that films version of Death, a Swedish-accented ghoul. And if you’ve ever wondered about that, or about this joke from the opening song of Muppets: Most Wanted:

...Well, keep reading. Like I said, Bergman was influential, and perhaps NONE of his films was quite as influential as The Seventh Seal or Det sjunde ingelet. Welcome to a show about Death.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/2)

ONCE AGAIN, The Criterion Collection logo brings us in, followed by the opening credits and music from that should accompany a Dark Souls boss, followed by a quote from Revelation 8:1-6, about the opening of the Seventh Seal. Roll credits?

Well, no. Instead, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, we meet a knight, resting there and praying to God, as his horses drink from the salt water. This is Antonius Block (Max von Sydow), a knight who is resting here with his squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand). As Block takes out his chess set, he is joined by...

ALREADY?

Holy shit, I didn’t expect this scene to happen FOUR MINUTES IN??? Dear Lord, if this is happening now, what the hell is the rest of this movie? I am afraid of that answer now.

Anyway, yes, this is Death (Bengt Ekerot). And yeah, dude is indeed a CREEPY motherfucker. He’s been at Block’s side for a long time, but has now finally come for him, at last.

However, Block, ever clever knight that he is, capitalizes on rumors that he’s heard about the character, and challenges him to a game of chess. They start, with Block playing white and Death playing black.

But as they’re about to begin, we cut to Block and Jöns leaving the beach. Huh. OK then, I guess we’ll get back to that, huh? Jöns speaks of ill omens, and they see a pair of corpses, rotted after a long time dead. As their journey continues, we shift focus from them to a small group of actors in a caravan.

One of these actors - Jof (Nils Poppe) - sees a vision of a woman walking with her infant child, as angelic music plays in the background. He runs back to the caravan, where he wakes the sleeping Mia (Bibi Andersson), his wife. He tells her that this was the Virgin Mary and her baby boy, Jesus. Um...wow. Holy shit, my man.

Mia takes her husband’s vision as his active imagination, while he takes it as pure fact. Apparently, he’s very prone to having these kinds of visions. Mia warns him to tamp those visions down, or people will think him a fool. All of this rouses both fellow actor Jonas Skat (Erik Strandmark), and Jöns and Mia’s infant son Mikael (a cute chubby baby).

The troupe is on their way to Einsmore, performing for a group of priests. They will perform in a play about Death, once again making me think about Beetlejuice the Musical, which is really need to watch.

Block and Jöns arrive at a church, where real-world painter Albertus Pictor (Gunnar Olsson) is painting a Danse Macabre. Jöns asks why paint something so...well, macabre, and Pictor notes that it’s not a bad thing to remind people that they will die. This is especially as the Black Plague sweeps across Europe. YUP. IT’S THAT TIME PERIOD.

The two speak more on the absolute HORROR of the Bubonic Plague, a topic that clearly bothers Jöns. Meanwhile, Block goes to pray in a confessional, where he reveals that he doesn’t truly understand the point of prayer in this world. He’s clearly struggling with his faith, which must be HELL for a knight. And he delivers these confessions to his ever-present companion: Death.

Block wants God to speak to him directly, and questions whether or not God truly exists. He wants to do one last, meaningful thing before he meets his inevitable end. Block hasn’t yet realized that he’s speaking with Death, and openly talks about the chess game they began that morning. Death replies that they will continue their game in a nearby inn. This is how Block intends to prolong his own life.

He goes back out to meet Jöns, who’s still speaking with the painter, and the two leave the church. Directly outside, a woman is in the stocks, and is preparing to be burnt at the stake for learning carnal knowledge of Satan. She’s also being blamed for being the cause of the Black Plague itself. Just gotta say, big if true, goddamn. Black wants to know if she’s met the Devil himself, but she’s not quite all there.

Block and Jöns continue their journey, making their way from farmlands. Jöns goes into one of the barns in a village, where a dead body lies. He then hides as another man enters, and steals jewelry from the woman’s corpse. This is Raval (Bertil Anderberg), and he’s quickly caught in the act by a mute woman (Gunnel Lindblom).

However, before he can do anything to this poor girl, he’s stopped by Jöns, who recognizes him from the seminary, ten years prior. He tells him to shove off, and offers the mute woman a place as his housekeeper. And, uh...yeah, Jöns is kind of a dick, but more of a cad, y’know? He’s not likeable, but he also isn’t hateable.

In town, the actors’ troupe is performing, and the leader of the troupe - Skat - is seduced by a woman during the performance, and they have sex in the bushes behind the stage. As all of this is happening, the performance is interrupted by a group of flagellants, extremist priests that whip themselves and parade through the town, showing their extreme devotion to their faith. Fuckin’ yikes, this is a thing that ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

And as these people, devoted in their faith and pain, march through the town, the townspeople are moved to tears by this act. And this act has real blood, sweat, and tears poured into it. The head priest of the parade then gives a fatalist sermon to the townsfolk, noting that death will come for them all with the plague, and berating them for their seeming ignorance of their fate.

And dude is MEAN. He mocks people’s appearance, and screams to all of them that they’re doomed, and will die painful deaths. Watching on is not only the actors’ troupe, but also Block, Jöns, and the mute girl (yeah, she never gets a name, goddamn it). The pain parade moves on, singing their solemn hymns all the way. And I’m not gonna lie...it’s intense. Especially knowing that this shit actually HAPPENED? Damn.

Once they pass, Jöns notes his disbelief at this display, never believing how far people will go, or the stories that they’ll tell. He’s interrupted by blacksmith Plog (Åke Fridell), who’s looking for his wife. Meanwhile, inside, a group of townspeople talk about the spreading plague, and wonder if this is the end times indeed. Plog comes in and asks Jof where his wife is. He also doesn’t know, but it’s revealed that this is the woman that Skat ran off with in the bushes. The conversation is joined by thief Raval, who outs Jof as an actor, and a friend of Skat.

Raval and Plog both threaten him for information on Skat and Lisa’s whereabouts, and humiliate him in front of the entire tavern. It’s actually quite hard to watch as well. This poor, poor guy, who seems like a nice enough dude, is essentally tortured for the transgressions of his asshole friend. But it’s interrupted by Jöns, who stops Raval in his tracks, and slashes his face, which he said he’d do if he ever saw him again.

Excellent spot for Part 2, I think! See you there!

[earpeeler]

The Five Count – Ronald McDonald – Squire Fridell Interview This is an exclusive interview with actor Squire Fridell from The Five Count radio show in Mankato, Minn.

[dangerzone334archive]

Watching the 1990 Animated special The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island, with Squire Fridell who was Ronald McDonald from 1985-1991! #ronaldmcdonald #squirefridell #90s #hitopsvideo #dicentertainment #russitaylor #howardmorris #lennieweinrib #timblaney #susanblu https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq5bfzOFZux/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=168b3mu0xpe7t

[rosie-love98]

Anyone Know Where These Clips Came From?:

I was on Twitter where an account, Out Of Context Ronald McDonald (who also doesn't know where they came from), had posted this following clips.---This one was either the Squire Fridell or Jack Doepke Ronald. It looked like it was promoting either the Ronald McDonald House, or a camp or something:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1412814609392848899

-These two are most likely from the same source. In this one David Hussey's Ronald is being interviewed

https://twitter.com/i/status/1410815048654667778https://twitter.com/McDonaldsOOC/status/1412587878203408384

I've been trying to look but I'm still stumped. Please help.

@sesamepinwheel24  @applepie-mcflurries @mcdonaldland @mcdonaldlands-blog @smilez4milez 

[dollstand]

Squire Fridell vs. Oscar Pistorius

[yoichiro-ashida-blog]

Day 6-12

Day 6 (Jan. 9th, Mon) Pt. Reyes with David

Day 7 (Jan. 10th, Tues) Art Lecture and Vineyard/ Winery (Squire Fridell and Chris Bowen) + Film “Ishi”

Day 8 (Jan. 11th, Wed) Sunny morning, left Sonoma (Westerbeke) and headed to Sacramento

Day 9 (Jan. 12th, Thur) Crocker Museum

Day 10 (Jan. 13th, Fri) Visiting State Capitol

Day 11 (Jan. 14th, Sat) Free in the morning + “Art & The Environment” Gary Snyder and Tom Killion

Day 12 (Jan. 15th, Sun) Day-off. Working on the reading and writing a paper for Art history class.

[kwebtv]

Squire Fridell and Tony Roberts in “Rosetti and Ryan“. 

[dangerzone334archive]

Watching the 1990 Animated special The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island, with Squire Fridell who was Ronald McDonald from 1985-1991! #ronaldmcdonald #squirefridell #90s #hitopsvideo #dicentertainment #russitaylor #howardmorris #lenniewein… https://t.co/vAGJjqclBl https://t.co/eI4hFEKTpT

http://twitter.com/Markiegee55