The Corner Penthouse

The Criterion Collection is set to release The Seventh Seal (1957) on 4K UHD/Blu-ray on April 18, 2023. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

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.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The black & white movie is presented in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:36:53 (4K UHD) and 1:37:38 (Blu-ray). The movie has not been rated. Audio languages include the original Swedish and dubbed English. Subtitle languages include English.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found on the Blu-ray disc. The audio commentary is the only thing found on both discs.

• Audio Commentary - with film scholar Peter Cowie, originally recorded for Criterion in 1987.
• Ingmar Bergman Introduction (2:58) - An introduction from the movie's director recorded in 2004.
• Bergman Island (1:23:26) - Swedish television journalist Marie Nyrerod's intimate 2006 documentary in which Ingmar Bergman looks back on his long career. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles.
• Afterword (10:33) - Recorded in 2008, film scholar Peter Cowie follows-up his 1987 Criterion commentary track.
• Max von Sydow Audio Interview (19:53) - Excerpts from the audiotapes of film scholar Peter Cowie's interviews with Max von Sydow in 1988 for his book Max von Sydow: From The Seventh Seal to Pele the Conqueror.
• Woody Allen on Bergman (7:13) - Woody Allen talks about director Ingmar Bergman in this 1998 piece for Turner Classic Movies.
• Bergman 101 (35:22) - Film scholar Peter Cowie discusses Bergman's career using photos and clips from many of the director's films and television productions.
• Trailer (2:38) - This vintage trailer is presented in Swedish, with optional English subtitles.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

An illustrated fold-out booklet featuring critic Gary Giddins's essay "There Go The Clowns" is included inside the thick clear two-disc Blu-ray case.

[ NOTES ]

The Seventh Seal is available on 2-Disc 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. While this type of movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, I found it quite enjoyable. It was also quite interesting seeing Max von Sydow, the voice of Vigo the Carpathian in Ghostbusters II (1989) and Father Merrin in The Exorcist (1973), as a young man.

This item has been provided by the Criterion Collection for review on this site.