The Seventh Seal (1957)

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96 min - Drama | Fantasy - 13 October 1958 (USA)

8.3

Ratings: 8.3/10 from 63,115 users
Reviews: 229 user | 108 critic

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

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Videos

The Seventh Seal -- Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess.

Photos

Still of Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot in The Seventh Seal

Still of Bengt Ekerot in The Seventh Seal

29 photos | | 156 news articles »

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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

Full cast and crew »

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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. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | Latin

Release Date:

13 October 1958 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

El séptimo sello See more »

Filming Locations:

Gustavsberg, Värmdö, Stockholms län, Sweden See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF) See more »

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

See full technical specs »

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The inspiration for this film was said to be drawn from the period films of Akira Kurosawa, of which Ingmar Bergman was a big fan. See more »

Goofs

Continuity: When the group enters the castle from the rainstorm, they are perfectly dry. See more »

Quotes

Death: Ingenting undgår mig. Ingen undgår mig.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in "The Critic: I Can't Believe It's a Clip Show (#2.10)" (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

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