Beth Stiner
The Seventh Seal
Dir. Ingmar Bergman, 1957
Part One: Brief Description of Film Clip
The Clip: The clip is made up of 16 shots that bring the chess match between Antonius Block
(Max von Sydow) and Death (Bengt Ekerot) to its climax. Bergman makes use of clothing and trees to frame the players in a small, close space, creating a sense of intimacy between the opponents and emphasizing how close Block has come to Death. Silence (except for the characters’ voices and, later, the wagon wheels) further makes the moment one separate from the rest of the world, outside of normal life and events. The contrast between blacks and whites seen throughout the film is used in this clip to emphasis how the sequence will ultimately end. In the shots of Death, the white pieces (particularly the king) and Death’s face stand out in stark contrast to the surrounding blacks in frame, linking Death with that piece from the beginning of the clip. Also, throughout the sequence, Death is given most of the light in the clip, again emphasizing his strength in the sequence. Block is kept in shadows for most of the clip, the only light entering frame near him shines down from the upper left corner, in the direction of Jof’s
(Nils Poppe) family, foreshadowing his move that will save them from Death.
The camera remains stationary as the shots alternate between Block and Death as they make their final moves in the game, simply fading from shot to shot. The camera gradually shifts to a high angle and lengthens the shots of Block as he loses in the game, creating a sense of defeat. Conversely, the shots of Death gradually moves to low angle, creating a sense of intimidation and grim victory. However, when Block makes his final move—knocking the pieces from the board—the camera comes in for a close up of Block and the angle levels out, elevating his position and power in the clip for his one meaningful deed. He has defeated Death through the salvation of the family. The escape of Jof’s family (movie time 1:23:33.06) is done as a long shot and infers a moving away from Death and danger by contrast to the more intimate shots in the clip. The wagon rolls upwards out of the stationary frame, intimating that the family is moving up, towards heaven, and away from the darkness consuming Block. Throughout the clip,
Death is framed over Block’s king, foreshadowing the final move, when Death takes the white king and wins the game. The importance of the final move is emphasized with a close-up of the board and the actual move (movie time 1:23:44.20). The last two shots of the clip are done as close-ups of the players, the angle even one last time, reflecting their respective victories.
Total Length: One minute
Begins: 1:22:52
Ends: 1:23:52
Shot Image Captured
Total number of shots: 16
Part Two: Shot by Shot Description
Movie Time Length of Shot
Description of Shot Annotation
1

2
1
3
4
1:22:52.00
1:22:53.24
1:22:57.20
1:23:02.28
1.5 sec
3.80 sec
5.27 sec
3.73 sec
2
The clip begins with a medium-close shot of
Death, viewed over
Block’s king. Both Death and the piece are framed by dark objects to the left and right, with the center of the frame divided between them. No sound but Death’s comment:
“You are afraid.” Block is nearly invisible, only the dark edge of his cloak at the edge of frame on the left.
Medium-long shot of
Block all but lost in shadow. Death is well in the frame, but seen at ¾ profile, keeping the focus of the shot on Block even as Death makes a move.
Like a true chess player,
Block’s face is expressionless, as he asks “Nothing escapes you…or does it?”
Only light in the shot comes from the right, foreshadowing the importance of events going on out of frame. Almost level with
Block’s head is the hilt of his sword, forming a cross on the right side of the frame.
Back to Death with another medium-close shot, with a very slight low angle. Death and the white king again split the focus of the shot, and
Block is again more or less absent from the view.
Only sound is Death answering the question:
“Nothing escapes me; no one escapes me.”
The 4 th shot in the clip is much like the 2 nd , another medium-long shot of
Block in shadow with light coming from the strongest position in the frame, the upper left corner. However, Block
Bergman heightens the power of Death’s character in the clip by giving him most of the light, both in the foreground (clear views of
Death’s face and the white chess pieces) and in the background (light in the forest). Deep focus is used along with alignment to place equal importance on
Death and the white king, and to foreshadow how
Death will soon take the piece.
Shot shifts to Block keeping the speaker the subject of the shot. The white chess piece remains the only ones clearly visible, linking them to
Block. However, their placement in the frame makes them inconsequential, hinting that for Block, they are no longer important. The distance of the shot indicates that his attention is on action occurring out of frame, instead of on the game. The hilt of the cross beside Block reflects the knight’s desire to be close
God.
This shot, like almost all the others of Death, is shot like the first, suggesting that Death is emotionless, flat, and stationary. The continuity of the repeated shots also supports the inevitability of Death’s statement.
The only real change between this shot and the second is the statement and the fact that Block has begun to raise his head. He will continue to raise his head through the following shots, meeting Death in

6
5
7
1:23:06.06
1:23:08.08
1:23:12.16
2.07 sec
4.27 sec
1.6 sec has raised his head slightly since the last shot.
Only Block’s voice breaks the silence and as he comments: “I am worried it is true.” power in the scene.
Another static mediumclose shot of Death and the white king. Death looks at Block silently for a moment, then says,
“You are afraid”.
Another medium-long shot of Block, his head raised a bit more so that the light coming from left of the frame falls full on his face for the first time in the clip, though he remains otherwise in shadow. In a moment of decision, Block
“accidentally” knocks over the chess pieces with his cloak while shifting his sword from right
(audience’s right) to center. Silence except for the clatter of the pieces.
The shot shifts back to a medium-close of Death, like all the rest but for 2 differences. Block’s hand is visible in the frame and the white king is not.
Block’s hand is actually over the king, and he flexes his finger as if he means to grasp the piece.
Total silence as Death glances first at the scattered pieces, then at
Block.
Death remains neutral; disinterested as he asks if
Block is afraid. Everyone else in the film who has faced Death has reacted with fear, so Death assumes Block’s worry is due only to fear of inevitable death.
This is the climax of the clip, the point of the game.
Momentarily we will see why Block knocked over the pieces, but this is the only time since beginning the game, Block has taken action. Like Hamlet, he tends to be a passive character, concerned with thought and the metaphysical.
This is the only completely silent shot in the clip, giving audience and characters alike a moment to absorb what Block has done. For a moment he seems about to do more, but arrests the action. It’s amusing to note that Death, who has been shown to be a cheater earlier in the film, does not appear to approve of his opponent cheating.
3

8
9
10
11
1:23:14.04 5.63 sec
1:23:19.23 10.03 sec
Back to Block, who now holds the “cross” to his chest as he looks at the scattered pieces, then remarks, “I’ve forgotten how they stood”. Death has shifted so that he is blocking most of the light coming in from the left.
The white king is not visible.
Medium-close shot of
Death as he replaces the pieces and chuckles. “But
I haven’t forgotten; you can’t get off so easily!”
Block takes an active role in the shot, replacing two of the pieces himself and making his hands visible.
Towards the end of the shot, Death looks full away from Block.
1:23:29.24
1:23:33.06
3.06 sec
2.08 sec
Medium-long shot of
Block as Death (still ¾ profile) resets the remaining pieces, gradually make the white pieces visible once more.
Death is once more positioned so as to reveal the light coming in from the left. Block looks toward the light, his face fully illuminated for a moment. He has shifted the sword/cross to the right side of the frame, against his shoulder.
One of only two shots without the players for their subjects. A long shot of Jof’s family’s wagon, as they try to escape Death. The sound of the wagon is the only
Block has shifted the sword/cross to the front, as if holding his hope in God between himself and
Death. The absence of the white king from the shot insinuates that for a moment, Block is out of
Death’s reach.
Death shows his first true sign of emotion in this shot, chuckling at Block’s assumed attempt to reset the game. Interestingly,
Death picks up the king first, returning it to its previous position. The next piece he picks up is the castle, perhaps foreshadowing where he will come to claim Block.
Block takes an active role in a shot of Death for the first time, helping to set the board. He picks up the white knight and the bishop, referring to the plot of a knight searching for
God.
Death at long lasts makes a mistake: he assumes Block has knocked over the pieces to delay his own end. Satisfied with the obvious answer, he focuses all of his attention on the board and misses what
Block glances at out of frame. Block is given the light, indicating that he has done something more significant than simply knocking over the chess pieces, as we will see in the following shot.
The purpose of Block’s knocking down the pieces is revealed as we are shown the wagon moving away from the players. They move up to the right, into light, indicating an end and
4

12
13
14
1:23:36:30
1:23:39.28
1:23:44.20
2.93 sec
4.73 sec
3.2 sec
5 sound heard in the clip besides the sounds of the pieces begin moved. The wagon moves up right out of frame, into the light.
A close shot of Block, his face nearly centered and lit (rather than shadowed), with the sword/cross just visible at the lower right edge of the frame.
Block’s face and the hilt form a strong contrast with the dark surroundings, just as
Death’s face and the white king did. Death comments, from out of frame, “Now I see something interesting”.
Block’s attention flicks to the board, a faint glimmer of worry, as he asks,
“What do you see?”
A close up of Death, the white king and Block completely out of frame.
Smiling faintly, Death answers Block: “You are mate at the next move.”
Close-up of the board as
Death makes his final move, mate to the white knight. His hand is centered in the frame as he reaches for the piece. ascension; a rising above death and danger, made possible by Block’s actions. The sounds of chess pieces being reset covers much of the sound made by the wagon, indicating that Death has truly been distracted.
Block has taken action to distract Death from noticing the escape of the family, his one meaningful deed, and for a second
Bergman creates suspense by having Death notice
“something interesting”.
Block, who has been keeping his face neutral so as not to give away his true motivation, shows a glimmer of fear that Death, has noticed the family.
The shot of Block’s face and the “cross” mirrors those of Death and the white king. Just as Death is reaching for Block,
Block is reaching for God, more than ever as he strives to do this one last good deed. Will God come through, or will Death truly be victorious?
Death has said nothing and no one escape him. Yet with this line Death reveals that the moving wagon has escaped him, and so has
Jof’s family. He is too busy gloating over his victory in the game to observe Block’s victory over him in saving the faithful family.
The white king is visible for the last time. Death’s hand slowly moves over the piece, gradually obscuring it from view, before claiming it with a final move. The move is metaphorical of how Death will soon reach out for
Block himself and lead him

in the danse macabre.
15
16
1:23:47.26
1:23:49.24
1.93 sec
2.2 sec
A final close shot of
Block still framed with the “cross”. Light is no longer visibly entering the frame as it was in the previous shots of the knight. His expression is again neutral, though his gaze is turned to the left side of the frame. His only comment as he loses the game and his life is,
“True”.
The final shot of the clip is a close-up of Death.
He looks first at the board, then up at Block to ask coolly, “Did you enjoy your reprieve?”
Out of frame, Block answers softly: “Yes, I did.”
Block’s last shot in the clip is another mirror shot with the “cross”. The family has indeed been saved, but
Block has been defeated.
His gaze shifts to the left as he acknowledges defeat.
Perhaps he finds peace in the family’s escape…or perhaps he is finding it cold comfort as he recognizes his own death.
Death remains oblivious to
Block’s last glance after the family, still looking at the board and gloating over his victory. He looks up only to ask a final question.
It’s likely Block’s answer is sincere, as the game gave him the chance to meet the family and save them, thus providing him with a chance to give some meaning to his life.
Part Three: Film Clip Analysis
The Seventh Seal (dir. Ingmat Bergman, 1957) is generally described as a movie about the loss of faith in God brought about by God’s silence in a time of terrible happenings.
However, the events surrounding the central characters would seem to discredit that idea.
Whether Bergman intended to show the triumph of innocence and faith over doubt and death is questionable, but the film puts forth the idea all the same. The clip of the final round of the chess match between Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) and Death (Bengt Ekerot) exemplifies the idea that faith can be victorious over Death.
6

Early in the film, Death, under the guise of a priest, asks Block why he challenged Death to a game of chess. Instead of the obvious answer—to stave off Death, perhaps even defeat
Death completely—Block says he only wants time to do one meaningful deed; something to make his seemingly pointless life worthwhile. Shortly there after, he becomes responsible for the safe passage of a devote family—a man named Joseph (Jof, played by Nils Poppe), with a wife named Mary (Mia, played by Bibi Andersson), and an infant son—through the forest. In the forest, Death comes again to finish the game. From the start of the match, the shots hint at the end of the game. Bergman sets up the shots of Death so that he looms over the white king, the piece that represents Block’s life. The silence and stark contrasts of whites with the dark background create a grim atmosphere and emphasis the importance of the events about to occur.
But the shots of Death framed (by trees and Block’s shoulder) with the white king also reveal
Death’s complete attention on the game. The clear light picking up Death’s face and the white pieces indicate that Death’s objectives are clear and simple. Death is confident of his ultimate victory, but has made himself oblivious to everything but the game and his opponent. He tells
Block that nothing escapes him, but the shots have already told us that everything happening out of frame is escaping him.
The shots of Block give us a much different view of the knight. Many of the shots of
Block show him in shadow, indicating that Block is concealing something. The chess pieces are visible, but only just so, telling us that Block’s actions in this clip will have nothing to do with moves in a chess game. The visionary Jof has seen Death as he and Block play, and Block has observed him trying to escape with his family. The only characters in the film with pure faith are trying to flee Death, and Block has been given his chance to do a meaningful deed. The light shining down on him from the upper left corner of the frame shows Block’s connection to the
7

escaping family. It is the only source of light in the shots of Block, shining like a light of grace from Heaven. The significance of faith in the clip is reinforced with the sword Block holds throughout the game. He holds it hilt up, in the sign of a cross. The “cross” is framed with
Block just as the white king is framed with Death: while Death reaches out for Block’s life,
Block reaches out for God.
Death observes Block’s unease despite the knight’s efforts to keep his face impassive.
But Death is so focused on the game that he mistakes it as fear of defeat instead of tension as
Block subtly observes the family’s preparations for flight. The escape has been silent thus far, but it’s impossible for the wagon to move silently. To cover their escape, Block knocks over the chess pieces. He does his one meaningful deed by helping faith triumph over Death. He knocks over the pieces while pulling the sword to his chest, at last drawing God close to him if only for a moment, and putting faith between himself and Death. The importance of this action is emphasized through the one completely silent shot in the clip. The shot shifts to Death, where we see the white king has been knocked out of the frame and momentarily covered by Block’s hand hovering over the board like the hand of God. For an instant, Block has been taken out of
Death’s reach, and Death is clearly put out about the idea. He shifts to block the light in the following shot of Block, coming between Block and the light of faith.
The moment of triumph ends and Block shifts his sword to his shoulder once more.
Death, chuckling, begins to retrieve the pieces Block says he cannot replace. The first piece
Death replaces is the white king, once again establishing his ultimate ownership of Block’s life.
He then foreshadows the place where he will come to claim Block’s life by picking up the castle.
But Block’s connection to God in the salvation of Jof’s family is re-enforced as the knight picks up the white knight—a traditional symbol of rescue and salvation—and the bishop—the symbol
8

of faith. Death seems oblivious to what’s really going on; he’s too busy telling Block he can’t get off that easily. (The line echoes what Block said to Death in the previous round, just after the picnic with Jof’s family, when attempted to distract Block, and the knight answered lightly that
Death could not get ofgf so easily.) But Death’s efforts to reset the board cover the sound of the wagon as the family makes their escape. While Death looks at the board, Block steals a glance in their direction. The wagon ascends, moving up out frame toward the same light that has been shining down on Block throughout the clip. Block has aided faith; allowed it to rise above
Death.
However, Bergman creates a tense moment after the board has been reset. Death remarks, “Now I see something interesting.” Were the film truly about the loss of faith, then here would be the place show it. The idea that God is either gone or He never existed is brought up again and again throughout the film, and Block fears that is true. If Bergman were really trying to say that faith is meaningless, then it would make perfect sense for Death to notice the family attempting to escape. “No one escapes me,” Death has said, and if faith cannot save and
Death is unavoidable, they will fail. Yet, when Block asks Death what he sees, Death replies that he sees Block will “be mate on the next move”. The tension breaks—something has escaped
Death; some one has escaped Death. The “holy” family, the representatives of faith, have succeeded in rising above Death. The last two shots of Block in the clip frame him with only the “cross”, further linking faith and Block to the triumph over Death.
Meanwhile, Death is too preoccupied with his relatively minor victory of the game and
Block’s life. He is focused entirely on making the move that will win him the game and misses
Block’s glances up to the light which again shines down on him; up to the faithful family. Even as Block admits defeat, he looks to the light. Perhaps he cannot reach that faith himself, and his
9

doubt has prevented him from beating Death. But faith can defeat Death; he has seen it happen, and he continues to look towards faith for himself, even in defeat. The game is ended, and
Death asks if Block has enjoyed the reprieve. With a last glance towards the light, he answers yes. He has been given his chance for a last meaningful deed, and he has witnessed the triumph of faith over Death. The “cross” remains at his side in a mirror image of Death with the white king, a last reminder of what he has just accomplished.
Were the true message of the film the hopelessness of faith, a clip such as this could not exist. The actions of the final chess sequence support the idea that faith can triumph over anything, even Death, if one only believes and does not doubt. Block may truly represent doubt, just as Jof’s family represents faith, but the character demonstrates that despite doubt, faith in
God is not meaningless. Pure faith can rise above anything.
10