Sweden - 1957 - black and white - 91' - Swedish with English subtitles With Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Nils Poppe, Inga Landgré, Bengt Ekerot, Bibi Andersson
Disillusioned knight Antonius Block heads back to Sweden after fighting in the Crusades, only to discover that the plague is ravaging his homeland. Upon his arrival to the beach, Death appears to him informing him his time has come. Block challenges Death for a chess game as a chance to live more.
Special Jury Prize, 1957 Cannes Film Festival
“My fear of death–this infantile fixation of mine–was, at that moment, overwhelming. I felt myself in contact with death day and night, and my fear was tremendous. When I finished the picture, my fear went away.”
Ingmar Bergman