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Max von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Bibi Andersson ... see more see more... , ??ke Fridell , Inga Gill , Inga Landgr_ , Bertil Anderberg , Benkt-Ake Benktsson , Tor Borong , Gudrun Brost , Anders Ek , Maud Hansson , Ulf Johansson , Lars Lind , Gunnel Lindblom , Gunnar Olsson , Erik Strandmark

Endlessly imitated and parodied, Ingmar Bergman's landmark art movie The Seventh Seal (Det Sjunde Inseglet) retains its ability to hold an audience spellbound. Bergman regular Max von Sydow stars as a... read more read more... 14th century knight named Antonius Block, wearily heading home after ten years' worth of combat. Disillusioned by unending war, plague, and misery Block has concluded that God does not exist. As he trudges across the wilderness, Block is visited by Death (Bengt Ekerot), garbed in the traditional black robe. Unwilling to give up the ghost, Block challenges Death to a game of chess. If he wins, he lives -- if not, he'll allow Death to claim him. As they play, the knight and the Grim Reaper get into a spirited discussion over whether or not God exists. To recount all that happens next would diminish the impact of the film itself; we can observe that The Seventh Seal ends with one of the most indelible of all of Bergman's cinematic images: the near-silhouette "Dance of Death." Considered by some as the apotheosis of all Ingmar Bergman films (other likely candidates for that honor include Wild Strawberries and Persona), and certainly one of the most influential European art movies, The Seventh Seal won a multitude of awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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94% liked it

48 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Release Date: February 16, 1957

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DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (3,317)

  • brooklynspo
    October 21, 2008
    brooklynspo
    Ingmar Bergman , 1918 - 2007
  • FilmFanatik
    February 20, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    Merely calling The Seventh Seal a classic film just doesn't do it any justice. The film is a masterpiece - one that is thought-provoking and hauntingly beautiful. The simple tale of a man who plays chess with death in search of answers regarding religion, humanity and the uncerta... read moreinty of what lies beyond has been echoed, parodied and just flat out ripped off since the film first made it to the US in 1957. It also solidified Ingmar Bergman's reputation as a visual poet and a true auteur of the medium. He would follow with other classic films that tackled different subject matter and visuals, but it's The Seventh Seal that will always be his magnum opus AND the film that he is most known for. A true work of art from one of cinema's finest.
  • cosmo313
    September 22, 2011
    cosmo313
    So who would have thought that Death enjoys playing chess? In all seriousness though, this truly is an excellent film that lives up to all of the praise it gets.

    The story concerns a Swedish knight who returns home after years of fighting in crusades to a land ravaged by the Pla... read moregue. He has come to believe that God doesn't exist, and despite being disillusioned with the world, isn't ready to leave it just yet. Whe nDeath comes to claim him, the knight challenges him to a game of chess (it's a pick up game that starts and stops instead of being played all at once) on the condition that if the knight wins, he gets to keep on living.

    This all sounds like a very heavy film, and yeah, it is, but it's all presented in a very entertaining way, so the heavy meditations on life, death, faith, and man's search for meaning don't come off as bloated pretentiousness but instead wonderful thigns to think about as the audience follows the knight going across the land meeting up with all sorts of people that help him better understand the world as he continually plans his straetgy for his game with death.

    This is just an absolutely beautfiul film, both to look at thanks to the wonderful cinematography and images, and it's overall message filled with allegory and symbolism. It is a period piece, but Bergman wasn't trying to make a strict historically accurate film. That's okay though because it would have been hard to do that and simultaneously make it the richly symbolic work of art that it is.

    In a way, this might be one of the most interesting films I've seen, even though the concept isn't totally new. It definitely feels like visual poetry, and I can recognize the vast influence this thing has had ever since its release. Besides having a great look and being fascinating, this film has some good performances (especially from Max von Sydow and Bengt Ekerot) and some pretty good writing.

    You should really see it. It's quite an experience.
  • imrealgod
    September 21, 2011
    imrealgod
    Being considered as one of the greatest movies ever, I'd wished to watch it since long but not overtly curious. And finally I gave it a chance.

    Penned intelligently, the parody does its trick and the performances add to its strength. The acting is par excellence but what impress... read moreed me the most was the execution of the movie. Ir's presented rather entertainingly which might otherwise have gotten too preachy.

    The movie lived up to my expectations which is something I wasn't quite expecting from it (even after taking into account that it's a masterpiece).
  • 366weirdmovies
    September 15, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    A knight returning from the Crusades plays chess with Death in a countryside stricken with the plague. Great gloomy masterpiece that bludgeons you on the head with the message "you're going to die... no one can save you... and it's going to be HORRIBLE."
  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    The Seventh Seal explores a discontented and weak faith, a pursuit for the absolute truth, and a proposal for Death. Intellectually grand. Emotionally gripping. Spiritually stimulating. An existentialist work by Ingmar Bergman that is bound to intimidate faith and the concept of ... read morereligion in general. What of a person such as I am before the Holy Grail of world cinema? "Soli Deo Gloria" (To God Alone The Glory)
  • ythelastman89
    April 20, 2011
    ythelastman89
    It's one of the most important movies ever made, there's no question about it. However, it's also incredibly beautiful and entertaining to a normal audience. The Seventh Seal isn't just an "art house" movie, it really attempts to be something that everyone can understand. The plo... read moret isn't riddled with metaphors, the concepts are dealt out to us in such a blunt and obvious way that it's almost impossible to miss the message. I think that's a great technique and frankly, it's quite humbling of Ingmar Bergman. This questions religion in a way that it never was before and really hasn't been since, maybe because it's so flawless in its attempt.

    The Bergman/Sydow team is one of the greatest of all time, but sadly it's one of the most unseen pairings by the general public. In all of their movies together, there seems to be this mutual understanding of what is going on. Max Von Sydow always seems to be the most thoughtful character and The Seventh Seal is probably the best example of that. The character of Antonius Block is asking all the questions, much like Bergman is himself. Also, you can't ask for a more dynamic and completely fascinating person to look at. Most of the time he appears on screen as a tall and dominating character, but at the same time incredibly sympathetic.

    The story of The Seventh Seal is dense to say the least. There is more content in its ninety minute running time than a lot of three hour epics. Ingmar Bergman makes a habit in all of his movies (excluding the 7 hr cut of Fanny and Alexander) to make every single shot and every single line of dialogue mean something. This is a type of movie that you simply can't watch on a casual level or even take your eyes away from for a minute. So much is being told to us through images, sometimes even more than the dialogue. Bergman covers pretty much every medieval topic: plagues, religion, the crusades, feudalism, etc. Antonius Block and his begrudging servant essentially travel through a collage of the time period; something that's just really ingenious.
  • sanjurosamurai
    March 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    a second viewing was even better than the first. such a masterpiece, easily one of the best films ever made. the shots were chosen and executed with such care, and the dialogue is among the best ever written. a film about the search for meaning, and God, the movie perfectly bl... read moreends emotion, intellect, and humor, to bring a message that is still relevant more than 50 years after its release. full of wonderful cinematography, iconic images, and excellently imagined characters, the film has enough intrigue to inspire multiple viewings.
  • hunterjt13
    December 17, 2010
    hunterjt13
    Bergman's The Seventh Seal is a complex, intellectual meditation on the existence of God and surrounding issues of faith and spirituality. Particularly, the film focuses on the doctrine that suggests that God causes suffering in order to set Him/Her/Itself in relief. The... read more film's strength is that it doesn't didactically propose an authorial belief, but rather, the conflict is resolved on a compelling, character-specific level. Thus, the film is able to merely present reflections on and challenges of faith-based discourses and allow us to walk away with more questions than we came in with. Additionally, the film seems to lampoon those with blind, ardent faith and focuses primarily on those who will always question.
    Another positive aspect of this film is the imagery. In most films, I fail to see the significance of visual poetry, but the opposite is true of Bergman. It is clear that the opening shot of the ocean is meant to represent constancy, indifference, and uncertainty. The chipmunk on top of the felled tree signifies that life will continue, indifferent to the death of one man. To watch Bergman is to witness one of the masters of cinema.
    Though it is set in medieval times, I was troubled by the film's misogyny, which seemed unnecessary. One could say that Christianity has a long, sordid history in its relationship with women; after all, I quote from Milton's Paradise Lost: "He for God alone; she for God in him." One could say that Bergman was satirizing Christianity in this film, but I don't see it. From what I can tell, women are merely helpers, wives, or mercurial strumpets who lead men astray. After all, one of the characters even jokes, "Without women life is hell; with them life is hell. It's best to kill them now while it's still fun." Yes, it's a joke, but there isn't much to combat the film's negative portrayal of women.
    Overall, I recommend this film for those who have questioned or are questioning the problems associated with faith. And if you're not, now's as good a time as any.
  • danperry17
    November 10, 2010
    danperry17
    An original and heavy film that's gone on to become a classic of world cinema, Bergman's The Seventh Seal is at once simple and complex, earnest and ironic, sacred and profane, serious and funny. Appropriate, for a piece set in the Middle Ages (read Bakhtin, Rabelais, etc.). Wher... read moree this movie shines is in its novel use of a classical metaphor to put a genuine allegory on screen - not the easiest of tasks. A film that does show its age, and one that's hard to understand without some background in religion or the classics, The Seventh Seal is both a simple story of faith lost or found, and a complex intertext that could be analyzed from nearly any critical angle. Essential viewing, though I don't know that I'm the guy who will watch it over and over again...

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Critic Reviews

John Monaghan
December 7, 2007
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

Its view of a seemingly godless landscape in the grip of plague is still bold and frightening. Full Review

Dave Kehr
July 30, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

It survives today only as an unusually pure example of a typical 50s art-film strategy: the attempt to make the most modern and most popular of art forms acceptable to the intelligentsia by forcing it... Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Essentially intellectual, yet emotionally stimulating, too, it is as tough -- and rewarding -- a screen challenge as the moviegoer has had to face this year. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is an uncompromising film, regarding good and evil with the same simplicity and faith as its hero. Full Review

Scott Nash
January 17, 2012
Scott Nash, Three Movie Buffs

90 minutes of iconic imagery, some deep questions and a surprising amount of humor. This is Art with a capital A, but that doesn't mean it's not entertaining at the same time, which only makes its art... Full Review

Emanuel Levy
June 16, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Ingmar Bergman's provocative existential drama was the first to garner him great international attention. Full Review

Charles Cassady
December 15, 2010
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media

Symbolism-filled classic a tough sell for kids. Full Review

Christopher Lloyd
September 13, 2010
Christopher Lloyd, Sarasota Herald-Tribune

The Seventh Seal is a film not about the end of time, but the silence between man and God. Full Review

Christopher Long
July 25, 2009
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis

Bergman's film about the actual figure of Death is one of his funniest and, ultimately, most hopeful works. Full Review

Matt Brunson
June 21, 2009
Matt Brunson, Creative Loafing

As a youth, perhaps no other film opened my eyes to the wonderful possibilities of cinema as much as The Seventh Seal. Full Review

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    • The Knight Antonius Block: No man can live faced with death, knowing everything's nothingness.
    • Jons: If everything is imperfect in this world, love is perfect in its imperfection.
    • Jons: Love is the blackest of all plagues, but you don't even die of it and usually it passes.
    • The Knight Antonius Block: I met Death today. We are playing chess.
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  • What is the name of the knight in the 1957 Swedish movie "Det sjunde inseglet" (The Seventh Seal)?  Answer »
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