The story of a challenge to death
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.
Director
Ingmar Bergman
n/a
Screenplay
Ingmar Bergman
n/a
Release date
February 16, 1957
Top billed cast
Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson
Production companies
SF Studios
Keywords
chess, countryside, witch, blacksmith, allegory, symbolism, artist, last judgment, crusade, juggler, witch burning, sense of life, dying and death, grim reaper, black and white, demon, middle ages, black death, playing chess, death personified, death incarnate, 14th century
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