The Seventh Seal (The Criterion Collection)

Returning exhausted from the Crusades to find medieval Sweden gripped by the Plague, a knight (Max von Sydow) suddenly comes face-to-face with the hooded figure of Death, and challenges him to a game of chess. As the fateful game progresses, and the knight and his squire encounter a gallery of outcasts from a society in despair, Ingmar Bergman mounts a profound inquiry into the nature of faith and the torment of mortality. One of the most influential films of its time, The Seventh Seal is a stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning and a work of stark visual poetry.

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

Restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

Introduction by Ingmar Bergman, recorded in 2003

Audio commentary by Bergman expert Peter Cowie, with a new afterword

Bergman Island (2006), an 83-minute documentary on Bergman by Marie Nyreröd, featuring in-depth and revealing interviews with the director

Archival audio interview with Max von Sydow

A 1989 tribute to Bergman by filmmaker Woody Allen

Theatrical trailer

Bergman 101, a selected video filmography tracing Bergman’s career, narrated by Cowie

Optional English-dubbed soundtrack

English subtitle translation

PLUS: A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Gary Giddins