The Seventh Seal (1957)
"Det sjunde inseglet" (original title)

A man seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writers:

Ingmar Bergman (play), Ingmar Bergman (screenplay)

Stars:

Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe

Top 250 #120 | 7 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Jöns, squire
Bengt Ekerot	...	Death
Nils Poppe	...	Jof / Joseph
Max von Sydow	...	Antonius Block
Bibi Andersson	...	Mia / Mary - Jof's wife
Inga Gill	...	Lisa, blacksmith's wife
Maud Hansson	...	Witch
Inga Landgré	...	Karin, Block's Wife
Gunnel Lindblom	...	Girl
Bertil Anderberg	...	Raval
Anders Ek	...	The Monk
Åke Fridell	...	Blacksmith Plog
Gunnar Olsson	...	Albertus Pictor, Church Painter
Erik Strandmark	...	Jonas Skat

Storyline

A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.

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Plot Keywords:

death | knight | chess | plague | grim reaper | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish Latin

Release Date:

13 October 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Seventh Seal

Filming Locations:

Gustavsberg, Värmdö, Stockholms län, Sweden

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The procession of flagellants chant the Dies Irae, a famous thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Tommaso da Celano. Before stopping in the village they chant stanzas 1-4 and the Lacrimosa, stanza 18. These are repeated as the procession departs.

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Goofs

In the witches' forest, you can see the windows of apartment buildings between the trees.

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Quotes

Girl: It is finished.

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Connections

Spoofed in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)

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Soundtracks

"DIES IRÆ, DIES ILLA / VREDENS STORA DAG ÄR NÄRA"
Lyrics by Severin Cavallin

User Reviews

Top ten favorites. The Seventh Seal.

Seventh Seal (1957) is one of my favorite movies. I have to rank it up there with A Touch of Zen, Seven Samurai and Battleship Potemkin. If there ever was such a thing as a perfect film, this one would have to be a nominee. I've never seen such a picture (and I probably never will) that was so moving, well shot, written, acted and directed. The chess game between the knight and death is an all-time classic. Words cannot describe how great this film is. There will never be another one like it. Truly amazing piece of celluloid.

A knight and his squire are returning home from the crusades. For the past few years he's been in the middle east fighting for Christ. On his trip home he notices a familiar face, one that he has seen many times on the battlefield. It is death and it wants him to come with him to his new home. The knight strikes a bargain with death, they'll play a game of chess if he can defeat death then he'll spare his life as well as the squire's. Death is amused by this unusual challenge and accepts it. But as long as the game is on the life will continue to live. So he uses this time to look back at life and realizes how precious it is. Along the way he meets a young couple, they're from a performing troupe. They have a baby and are content with life. The husband has visions and can see interesting things like the Virgin Mary and little Jesus. He can also see the darkness that lies ahead as Black Death ravages the countryside. Will the knight defeat Death? Can the couple weather the storm of chaos that lies ahead? To find out you'll have to watch The Seventh Seal, one of the finest films ever made.

If Bergman never made another film this one would have made him a legendary film maker. But he continued to make even more classic cinema. This one however is his finest work.

My highest recommendation possible.