Things to Watch for in The Seventh Seal

The following are some things to watch for as you view The Seventh Seal a second time:

• The title of the film comes from Revelation 8:1 – “And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.” The silence refers to the silence of God in our world. Notice how that is a theme throughout the film.
  
• Notice how the chess game goes on throughout the entire movie. This could be a parallel to everyone’s life. In a way, we’re all playing a chess game with Death.
  
• When it was released, many critics compared The Seventh Seal to Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc. Do you see a resemblance?
  
• Block is the main character who is ravaged by the silence of God. Notice how he spends the film unable to believe, but unwilling to not believe.
  
• Does the relationship between the knight Block and his squire Jöns remind you of the relationship between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza?
  
• Bergman’s representation of Death and his main character playing chess with Death has been parodied many times. Where else have you seen these representations?
  
• Notice how Death here doesn’t seem to be taking people to judgment, but taking people into the unknown. He seems to not be working for God at all.
  
• Notice the intentional use of Jof and Mia as parallels to Joseph and Mary.
  
• Notice the how Eucharistic the strawberry and milk picnic seems. Conversely, notice how bread and wine are man-made items while strawberries and milk are natural.
  
• Notice how organized religion and its representatives are portrayed in the film.
  
• The movie is based on Bergman’s play "Wood Painting." Notice the similarities between the movie and a play: simple scenarios and camera movements.
  
• Note how Jof represents the artist and how he, like Block, can see death.
  
• Note how the mute girl appears to see Death in the castle before anyone else. Why?
  
• Trivia: The inspiration for this film was said to be drawn from the period films of Akira Kurosawa, of which Ingmar Bergman was a big fan.
  
• More Trivia: The chess pieces used in the movie was sold from Ingmar Bergman's descendent's estate in 2009 for 1m Swedish Krona (around USD$145,000 at the time).