For other uses, see The Seventh Seal (disambiguation).
The Seventh Seal
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Ingmar Bergman
Screenplay by
Ingmar Bergman
Based on
Trämålning by Ingmar Bergman
Produced by
Allan Ekelund
Starring
Gunnar Björnstrand
Bengt Ekerot
Nils Poppe
Max von Sydow
Bibi Andersson
Inga Landgré
Åke Fridell
Cinematography
Gunnar Fischer
Edited by
Lennart Wallén
Music by
Erik Nordgren
Distributed by
AB Svensk Filmindustri
Release date
16 February 1957 (1957-02-16)
Running time
96 minutes[1]
Country
Sweden
Languages
Swedish
Latin
Budget
$150,000[2]
The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Denmark (Elsinore and Roskilde are Danish cities cited in the movie)[3][4] during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour."[5] Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God," which is a major theme of the film.[6][7]
The Seventh Seal is considered a classic of world cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time. It established Bergman as a world-renowned director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analysis, and parodies.
^"THE SEVENTH SEAL". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
^Bragg 1998, p. 49.
^Raw, Laurence (2009). The Ridley Scott Encyclopedia. The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. p. 284. ISBN 9780810869523.
^Litch, Mary M. (2010). Philosophy Through Film. Routledge. p. 193. ISBN 9780203863329.
^Rev. 8:1
^Bragg 1998, p. 45.
^Giddins, Gary (15 June 2009). "The Seventh Seal: There Go the Clowns". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
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