RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Seventh Seal (1957)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
93 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:42

Rotten:3

Average Rating:9/10

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow), a knight, returns from a 10-year crusade with his squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand), to find his homeland ravaged by the plague. When the black-cloaked figure of... Antonius Block (Max Von Sydow), a knight, returns from a 10-year crusade with his squire, Jöns (Gunnar Björnstrand), to find his homeland ravaged by the plague. When the black-cloaked figure of Death (Bengt Ekerot) appears to claim them, Block, whose war experiences have left him cynical about the existence of God and the afterlife, challenges Death to a game of chess to stall for time and gain some insight into the meaning of life before passing on. The game is intermittently paused and resumed during the journey home while Block and Jöns meet several traveling companions, including a mute girl (Gunnel Lindblom) whom they save from a bandit, and a family of poor traveling players--Jof, a gentle visionary (Nils Poppe); his wife, Mia (Bibi Andersson); and their infant daughter. Block witnesses much suffering and anguish along the way (an encounter with a woman accused of witchcraft who is about to be burned at the stake is especially jarring) but also finds evidence of human kindness and love, prompting him to realize that even a single gesture of goodwill might make the long struggle of his existence worthwhile. The title of Ingmar Bergman's highly acclaimed allegorical film stems from the Book of Revelation. [More]

Starring: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max Von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Bengt Ekerot

Starring: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max Von Sydow, Bibi Andersson, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Gunnel Lindblom, Bertil Anderberg, Anders Ek, Ake Fridell

Director: Ingmar Bergman

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Composer: Erik Nordgren

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jun 16, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

Blu-ray Disc Features:

  • Special Edition
  • Full Frame - 1.33

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono - Swedish
  • Dubbed - English - Optional
  • Subtitles - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Woody Allen 1998 Bergman Tribute

Documentary:

  • 1. BERGMAN ISLAND - 2006 / Marie Nyrerod

Introduction:

  • 1. Ingmar Bergman - 2003

Additional Audio Material:

  • 1. Max von Sydow Archival Audio Interview

Audio Commentary:

  • 1. Peter Cowie, Bergman Expert
  • 2. Afterward To Commentary - Peter Cowie, Bergman Expert

Trailers:

  • 1. Theatrical Trailer

Text/Photo Galleries:

Filmographies:

  • 1. Bergman 101 - Bergman video Filmography / Peter Cowie, Narrator
 
 
 
 

Reviews for The Seventh Seal

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato
9/10

Christopher Long

Bergman's film about the actual figure of Death is one of his funniest and, ultimately, most hopeful works.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 25 2009 03:05 AM

DVDTown.com

tomato
4/4

Matt Brunson

As a youth, perhaps no other film opened my eyes to the wonderful possibilities of cinema as much as The Seventh Seal.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 21 2009 07:39 PM

Creative Loafing

tomato

Sean Axmaker

I never realized what an astoundingly beautiful film it was.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 18 2009 10:46 PM

Parallax View

splat
2/4

Eric Henderson

Swedish cinema titan Ingmar Bergman's mopey/earthy 1957 breakthrough The Seventh Seal may have done more than any other film to popularize and demonize the notion of world cinema as the boutique of the cultural intelligentsia.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Jun., 15 2009 08:42 AM

Slant Magazine

tomato
4/4

Peter Canavese

Perhaps no one film speaks more fully to the human condition than The Seventh Seal. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 10 2009 10:22 AM

Groucho Reviews

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 26 2009 03:16 AM

Variety

tomato
5/5

John A. Nesbit

No review available.

comment Comment | Dec., 10 2007 09:12 PM

Old School Reviews

tomato
4/4

John Monaghan

Its view of a seemingly godless landscape in the grip of plague is still bold and frightening.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Dec., 07 2007 11:39 AM

Detroit Free Press

tomato
5/5

Jason Morgan

still spiritually resonates today

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 25 2007 06:39 PM

Filmcritic.com

splat

Dave Kehr

It survives today only as an unusually pure example of a typical 50s art-film strategy: the attempt to make the most modern and most popular of art forms acceptable to the intelligentsia by forcing it into an arcane, antique mold.

Full Review Source: | comment 4 Comments | Jul., 30 2007 07:05 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato

David Jenkins

The Seventh Seal is an existentialist masterpiece packed with stunning symbolism and mordant humour. It's also far more accessible that you might think. Go see it. Or else.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 06:36 AM

Little White Lies

tomato
5/5

Stuart McGurk

A cinematic masterpiece no film fan should miss.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 06:14 AM

thelondonpaper

tomato
5/5

Derek Malcolm

Bergman's superbly shot wintry images, much like those of a silent film, print themselves indelibly on the mind, while the Knight's search for a God who never answers foreshadows the pessimism of the director's later work.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 04:50 AM

This is London

tomato

Anthony Quinn

Not a friendly film, but in the consciousness of suffering, the search for meaning and the acceptance of death, all (or nearly all) of Bergman is in it.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 04:41 AM

Independent

tomato
5/5

Jonathan Crocker

Guaranteed to thunder on the big screen.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 03:57 AM

Total Film

tomato

Tim Robey

It is endlessly imitated and spoofed; it is also an august pinnacle of high-risk, high-art filmmaking, and one with a reputation for being far more forbidding and humourless than it actually is.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 03:41 AM

Daily Telegraph

tomato
5/5

Peter Bradshaw

Ingmar Bergman's dark masterpiece effortlessly sees off the revisionists and the satirists; it is a radical work of art that reaches back to scripture, to Cervantes and to Shakespeare to create a new dramatic idiom of its own.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 03:27 AM

Guardian [UK]

tomato
5/5

James Christopher

Ingmar Bergman’s black and white masterpiece The Seventh Seal has matured like a great wine over 50 years.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 03:16 AM

Times [UK]

tomato
5/5

Jamie Russell

Full of haunting, iconic images and a touch of hopeful humanity, The Seventh Seal is cinema at its most artful, a philosophical meditation on the meaning(lessness) of this mortal coil.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 03:10 AM

BBC

tomato
3/5

Matthew Leyland

Fear, peril and hoplessness soak every frame.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 20 2007 02:51 AM

BBC

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Seventh Seal

January 21, 2009: Ingmar Goes to Aspen Opens in new window
How in the world did the former owners of an Aspen theater end up with the (still-disputed) rights to Ingmar Bergman's entire library? Read on to find out. More...

July 30, 2007: Through Bergman's Past, Brightly
With the passing of Ingmar Bergman Monday, the world of cinema lost one of its most unique and important voices. Thus, we at Rotten Tomatoes decided to pick our favorite Bergman... More...

July 30, 2007: Legendary Director Ingmar Bergman dies at 89
Ingmar Bergman, the "poet with a camera," died in his sleep at his home in Faro, Sweden Monday at the age of 89. The director of such influential films as The Seventh Seal,... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
77% 77% The Hangover
88% 88% Inglourious Basterds
66% 66% Public Enemies
24% 24% G-Force
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
82% 82% Paranormal Activity
58% 58% 9
44% 44% Jennifer's Body
58% 58% A Perfect Getaway

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Critics' Best & Worst

Critics' Best & Worst

RT's critic friends offer their choices

Total Recall

Total Recall

We list 10 New Year's Eve-themed films!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Stay up on the latest awards and noms!

Forever After

Forever After

Celebrate Shrek's return with this trailer!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • New Moon Tops Moviefone's 2009 List Source: Hollywood Reporter
24
  • Star Trek Tops 2009's Most-Pirated Movies List Source: Hollywood Reporter
19
  • Weekly Ketchup: Peter Jackson's Secret Sci-Fi Project
108
  • New Toy Story 3 Clip, Photos Posted Source: Slashfilm
26
  • Danny Trejo Talks Machete, Possible Sequels Source: Collider.com
14
  • It's Official: Jackass 3-D Coming in 2010 Source: Collider.com
16
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar, Sherlock, and Alvin Team Up To Break Records
308
  • RT's Best of the Decade!
176
  • RT Editors Choose Their Favorite Films of 2009!
95
  • Weekly Ketchup: Peter Jackson's Secret Sci-Fi Project
36
  • Critics Consensus: Sherlock Holmes Is Worth Investigating
34
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: 9 and Paranormal Activity
27
  • Critics Choose Must-Sees and Worsts of 2009
15
  • Friday Harvest: Sherlock Holmes, Toy Story 3, and more!
10
  • Total Recall: New Year's Eve Movies
5
  • What We're Watching on Blu-ray from 20th Century Fox!
0
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
72
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Seventh Seal at Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh Links

Featured
Best Dozen of the Decade
Best Dozen of the Decade External Link

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Top 50 of 2009
Top 50 of 2009 External Link

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Santa's Naughty List
Santa's Naughty List External Link

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.