Det sjunde inseglet (1957)

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 | Plague | Chess | 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

Also Known As:

The Seventh Seal (UK) (USA)
Riddaren och döden (Sweden) (working title)
Le septième sceau (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
El séptimo sello (Argentina) (Spain) [es]
O Sétimo Selo (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
A hetedik pecsét (Hungary) [hu]
Das siebente Siegel (West Germany) [de]
Det syvende innseglet (Norway) [no]
Det syvende segl (Denmark) [da]
Het zevende zegel (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]
Het zevende zegel (Netherlands) [nl]
I evdomi sfragida (Greece) [el]
Il settimo sigillo (Italy) [it]
Seitsemäs sinetti (Finland) [fi]
Siódma pieczec (Poland) [pl]
Yedinci mühür (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish | Latin

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | South Korea:15 | Italy:T (re-rated) | Italy:VM14 (original rating) | South Africa:PG | USA:TV-PG (cable rating) | Argentina:Atp | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | West Germany:16 | Spain:13 | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG

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:

Continuity: When Death tries to restore the ruined positions of the chess pieces we can see that the king has been damaged, but in the following last move the king is whole again.

Quotes:

J?ns: Love is the blackest of all plagues... if one could die of it, there would be some pleasure in love, but you don't die of it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Never Sleep Again: The Making of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

ÖDET ÄR EN RACKARE

The Quintessential Bergman Picture

One thing that can be certain after watching the Seventh Seal, outside of being thankful for living in this century, is that Bergman knows his film-making- and imagery. He uses subliminal and not so subliminal techniques to convey a dying, frightened world, where making a living is almost impossible and the debate of god's control over life is discussed like un-rhyming yet fascinating poetry.

The result is beautiful cinema, capturing the always foreboding fear and allure of the almighty and for the waiting death, appropriately staged in post-crusades, mid dark age Europe. Max Von Sydow gives an excellent showing as the opponent of Death (in a clever and meticulous chess game), yet the character of Death, played by Bengt Ekerot with chilling conviction, steals the show, if only for the alluring quality of the character.

Even if the story veers it veers in good and interesting territory, focusing on people who convey Bergman's point and or style. I can't reveal what the bottom line point is (many newcomers to Bergman's work won't either, especially if you're not in the mood for soul searching), but one thing is for certain, an allegory on life and death is shown perfectly in the second to last shot of the reaper and his minions following in a dance across the field. This is one of the most pure of cinema's masterpieces and certainly Bergman's best cine. A++