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

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writers:

Ingmar Bergman (play)
Ingmar Bergman (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 October 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Death | Knight | Chess | Plague | Grim Reaper

Awards:

7 wins & 1 nomination

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Siv Aleros	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Sten Ardenstam	...	Knight (uncredited)
Harry Asklund	...	The landlord (uncredited)
Benkt-Åke Benktsson	...	Merchant at the inn (uncredited)
Catherine Berg	...	Young woman kneeling for the flagellants (uncredited)
Lena Bergman	...	Young woman kneeling for the flagellants (uncredited)
Tor Borong	...	Farmer at the inn (uncredited)
Gudrun Brost	...	Woman at inn (uncredited)
Bengt Gillberg	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Lars Granberg	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Gunlög Hagberg	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Gun Hammargren	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Tor Isedal	...	Man (uncredited)
Ulf Johansson	...	Knight Commander (uncredited)
Tommy Karlsson	...	Mikael, Jof and Maria's son (uncredited)
Uno Larsson	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Lennart Lilja	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Lars Lind	...	The young monk (uncredited)
Monica Lindman	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Gordon Löwenadler	...	Knight (uncredited)
Mona Malm	...	Young pregnant woman (uncredited)
Josef Norman	...	Old man at the inn (uncredited)
Gösta Prüzelius	...	Man (uncredited)
Helge Sjökvist	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Georg Skarstedt	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Ragnar Sörman	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Fritjof Tall	...	Man (uncredited)
Lennart Tollén	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Nils Whiten	...	Old man addressed by the monk (uncredited)
Caya Wickström	...	Flagellant (uncredited)
Karl Widh	...	Man with crutches (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman		play "Trämålning"
Ingmar Bergman		screenplay

Produced by
Allan Ekelund	....	producer

Original Music by
Erik Nordgren

Cinematography by
Gunnar Fischer

Film Editing by
Lennart Wallén

Production Design by
P.A. Lundgren

Costume Design by
Manne Lindholm

Makeup Department
Nils Nittel	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lennart Olsson	....	assistant director (as Lennart Ohlsson)

Art Department
Carl-Henry Cagarp	....	props

Sound Department
Evald Andersson	....	sound effects
Lennart Wallin	....	sound
Aaby Wedin	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Åke Nilsson	....	assistant camera (as Åke G. Nilsson)

Music Department
Sixten Ehrling	....	conductor
Erik Nordgren	....	music arranger

Other crew
Katinka Faragó	....	script girl (as Katarina Faragó)
Else Fisher	....	choreographer (as Else Fischer)

Production Companies

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Distributors

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1957) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Janus Films (1958) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1976) (USA) (TV)
• Tartan Video (1993) (UK) (video) (laserdisc)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1994) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Svenska Filminstitutet (SFI) (1997) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2003) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Gutek Film (2007) (Poland) (all media)
• Tartan (2007) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (????) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinetel (????) (Hungary) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (????) (USA) (VHS) (laserdisc)
• Cult Filmes (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Emerald (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Det sjunde inseglet" - Sweden (original title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | South Korea:15 | Italy:T (re-rated) | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | South Africa:PG | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | South Korea:12 (2012) | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Gustavsberg, Värmdö, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

The chess pieces used in the movie was sold from Ingmar Bergman's descendent's estate in 2009 for 1m Swedish Krona (around USD$145,000 at the time).

Goofs:

Factual errors: During the game of chess played against Death, the table appears incorrectly rotated. According to the rules of chess, the upper right square of a chessboard shall always be black (and not white as seen in the movie). Death and Antonius should know better than to make this mistake.

Quotes:

Antonius Block:I met Death today. We are playing chess.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Pól serio (2000)

Soundtrack:

HÄSTEN SITTER I TRÄDET

Chilling, audacious, and awe-inspiring. An undisputed masterpiece.

The mysteries of religion and death have long been a popular focus among artists of all media, including film. And while many films question these mysteries, they seldom provide any real insight into the world of the unknown. In Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL, these mysteries are not only questioned; they are dissected, splayed, and scrutinized.

THE SEVENTH SEAL could very well serve as sort of a manifesto for existentialism. Its deep acuity and haunting imagery is powerful enough to jar even passive viewers out of their complacency and force them to examine their own reality. The delicately crafted story centers around a 14th century knight named Antonius Block and his ongoing game of chess with a shadowy, hooded figure: Death. Bergman uses this allegory not just to personify death, but to illustrate the lengths man will go to in order to avoid it. In the end, however, Death is a much better player than any of us, and though he may humor some of his opponents by letting them think that they have the advantage, the end result is inevitable: Death always wins. No matter how skillfully we plan our moves or how determined we are to win, we can never beat Death.

In Antonius's search for answers, he encounters a variety of very unique characters, each with their own outlook on life, death, faith, fear and love. Their commentary on such matters is often dryly funny and always brilliant, continuously and effectively challenging our perceptions of the world around us. For me, the dialogue was definitely the high point of the film, as it was extremely thought-provoking and carefully constructed throughout. Almost every line spoken is, in one way or another, daunting and unforgettable. Jöns's description of love as "the blackest of all plagues" is a quote that will forever be engraved in my mind.

THE SEVENTH SEAL truly is a remarkable accomplishment in the world of cinema. It is a deep, mesmerizing, and darkly beautiful work of art. More importantly, THE SEVENTH SEAL is one of those rare movies that doesn't just entertain, but also has the power to change the way one thinks.