Death comes for a knight (Max von Sydow), who challenges him to a game of chess while trying to postpone his end by showing him illustrations of goodness in mankind.
The Seventh Seal is a modestly budgeted minor classic which, because of its international success and its famous shots - the chess on the beach and the dance of death sequences - is seldom analysed in detail. It is kept going by its splendid cinematic feel, and its atmosphere is that of a dark world irrationally sustained by religion. The film significantly helped director Ingmar Bergman in gaining his position as a world-class director.
The Seventh Seal is a modestly budgeted minor classic which, because of its international success and its famous shots - the chess on the beach and the dance of death sequences - is seldom analysed in detail. It is kept going by its splendid cinematic feel, and its atmosphere is that of a dark world irrationally sustained by religion. The film significantly helped director Ingmar Bergman in gaining his position as a world-class director.