Principal cast
Gunnar Björnstrand as Jöns, Bengt Ekerot as Death, Nils Poppe as Jof, Max von Sydow as Antonius Block, and Bibi Andersson as Mia
Film 205 of 271 on the Screen Path
The Seventh Seal
The story of a challenge to death.
About the film
The Seventh Seal at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1957 film at stop 205 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
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.
Key craft credits
Gunnar Fischer (director of photography), Lennart Wallén (editor), Erik Nordgren (original music composer), Ingmar Bergman (screenplay), and P.A. Lundgren (production design)
- Director
- Ingmar Bergman
- Release
- 1957-02-16
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Genres
- Fantasy and Drama
- Country
- Sweden
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
Try Citizen Kane →Film data and images provided by TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.