FILM · 1957 · SWEDEN
Det sjunde inseglet
- Directed by
- Ingmar Bergman
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Studio
- SF Studios
144 archived facts 7 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
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.
144 Interesting Facts About Det sjunde inseglet
Interesting Facts (33)
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The scene where Death is dancing away with his followers was shot after some of the actors had gone home for the day, using some technicians and a few tourists as stand-ins. Ingmar Bergman conceived the scene on the spot and had to improvise quickly because of an interesting cloud formation that he wanted in the background.
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Production Story (59)
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When the knight visits the actors' camp, Mia offers him a meal of "wild strawberries." The wild strawberries are referred to more than once in that scene. Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957) was released in Sweden only ten months following the release of The Seventh Seal. Thus arguably, Bergman intentionally advertised his upcoming film in his current film at that time. Wild strawberries also feature as a meal in one of Bergman's earlier films, Summer Interlude (1951).
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The screenplay is based on a one-act play Bergman wrote in 1953-54 as an exercise for his acting students at the Malmö City Theatre. He asked the students to suggest roles they wanted to portray, and based on that he wrote several pages of monologue. After the exercise, Bergman turned the material into the finished piece Trämålning (1963), which bears many similarities to The Seventh Seal.
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The scene in which Death dances with his followers was shot after some of the actors had already gone home, using the technical crew and a few tourists as extras. Ingmar Bergman conceived the scene on the spot and had to improvise quickly because of an unusual cloud formation he wanted in the background.
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Gunnel Lindblom (the Girl) and Inga Landgré (Karin — Block's wife) later both played the character Isabella Vanger in adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Lindblom in the 2009 Swedish production and Landgré in the 2011 American production. The two actresses had the distinction of playing the same character in different languages and productions.
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The script is based on a one-act play Bergman wrote in 1953-54 as an exercise for his acting students at the Malmö City Theatre. He asked the students to suggest roles they wanted to play, and on that basis wrote several pages of monologue. After the exercise, Bergman turned the material into a finished piece titled Trämålning (1963), which shares many similarities with The Seventh Seal.
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When Death finally reaches the castle, the unnamed girl played by Gunnel Lindblom speaks her first and only line in the film: 'It is finished.' This is most likely a reference to John 19:30: 'When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.' Max von Sydow later played Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
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When the knight visits the players' camp, Mia offers him 'wild strawberries'. Wild strawberries are mentioned several times in that scene. Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957) was released in Sweden only ten months after The Seventh Seal. Bergman may therefore have promoted his next film in his current one. Wild strawberries also appear as a meal in Bergman's earlier film Summer Interlude (1951).
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Behind the Scenes (8)
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The last two minutes of the film are entirely improvised. The actors performed the whole of the final scene after Ingmar Bergman spotted an unusually shaped cloud in the sky. He told the group to put their costumes back on and directed a new version of the final scene in a single continuous take.
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The scene in which Death dances with his followers was shot after some of the actors had gone home, using the technical crew and a few tourists as extras. Ingmar Bergman devised the scene on the spot and had to improvise quickly because of an unusual cloud formation he wanted in the background.
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Characters & Cast (9)
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When Death finally arrives at the castle, the unnamed girl played by Gunnel Lindblom speaks her first and only line of the film: "It is finished". This is most likely a reference to the Gospel of John, Chapter 19, Verse 30: "When he had received the drink, Jesus said, 'It is finished.' With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." Max von Sydow later played Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
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Gunnel Lindblom (Girl) and Inga Landgré (Karin - Block's wife) later played the character Isabella Vanger in adaptations of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Lindblom in the 2009 Swedish production, and Landgré in the 2011 American production. These two actors had the privilege of playing the same character in different languages and productions.
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Easter Eggs & References (4)
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When the knight visits the actors' camp, Mia offers him "wild strawberries." Wild strawberries are mentioned more than once in that scene. Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957) premiered in Sweden only ten months after the premiere of The Seventh Seal, so it can be argued that Bergman deliberately promoted his new film in his then-current release. Wild strawberries also appear as a dish in Summer Interlude (1951), one of Bergman's earlier films.
Deeper Meaning (15)
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When Death finally arrives at the castle, the unnamed girl played by Gunnel Lindblom speaks her first and only line in the film: 'It is finished.' This is most likely a reference to chapter 19, verse 30 of the Gospel of John: 'When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.' Max von Sydow later played Jesus in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965).
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When the knight visits the players' camp, Mia offers him 'wild strawberries.' Wild strawberries are mentioned several times in that scene. Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957) was released in Sweden only ten months after The Seventh Seal. Bergman may therefore have been promoting his next film in his current one. Wild strawberries also appear as a meal in Bergman's earlier film Summer Interlude (1951).
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Career & Awards (16)
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
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