tanty
Interesting and iconic movie about faith and the meaning of life. A must seen.
The Seventh Seal
- Fantasy
- Drama
2/16/1957
96
NR
The story of a challenge to death
When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.
- Director:
- Writer:
- witch
- dying and death
- blacksmith
- chess
- countryside
- allegory
- crusade
- artist
- juggler
- witch burning
- last judgment
- symbolism
- sense of life
- matter of life and death
- grim reaper
- black and white
- demon
- belief in god
- middle ages (476-1453)
- meaning of life
- virgin mary
- black death
- playing chess
- death personified
- death incarnate
- life teacher
- metaphysical
- 14th century
- seeking a god
- relaxed
- metaphysical drama
- metaphysics, mysticism, kabbalah, spiritism
- the virgin mary
Videos
Cast
Max von SydowAntonius Block- Bengt EkerotDeath
- Gunnar BjörnstrandJöns
- Nils PoppeJof
Bibi AnderssonMia- Inga LandgréKarin
- Åke FridellPlog
- Inga GillLisa
- Maud HanssonWitch
- Gunnel LindblomMute Girl
- Bertil AnderbergRaval
- Anders EkMonk
- Gunnar OlssonAlbertus Pictor
- Erik StrandmarkJonas Skat
- Lars LindYoung Monk (uncredited)
- Benkt-Åke BenktssonMerchant at Inn (uncredited)
Reviews
FilipeManuelNeto
The universality and invincibility of Death, the fear of dying, the importance of faith and its use by the Church in a timeless film, but not suitable for everyone.
The film, set in the late Middle Ages, begins with a knight returning to his homeland in Sweden after participating in the crusades. When he spots the figure of Death, who has come to get him, he decides to try to gain time by inviting her to play chess: if he wins the game, Death will not take him.
What follows is a huge film essay around the themes of death, beliefs, faith, religion and the role of spirituality in human experience. While the plague is raging and claiming victims, we see people increasingly scared, and blindly resorting to faith to protect themselves ...