Story Line
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.
“The story of a challenge to death.”
Top Cast
Gunnar Björnstrand
Jöns
Bengt Ekerot
Death
Nils Poppe
Jof
Max von Sydow
Antonius Block
Bibi Andersson
Mia
Inga Gill
Lisa
Watch Now
Rating
8.2/ 10
Release Date
1957-02-16
Runtime
1h 36m
Genres
FantasyDrama
Similar Movies
User Reviews (3)
Andres Gomez
8/10
•1/4/2013Interesting and iconic movie about faith and the meaning of life. A must seen.
Filipe Manuel Neto
8/10
•7/5/2023**The universality and invincibility of Death, the fear of dying, the importance of faith and its use by the Church in a timeless film, but not suitable for everyone.**
The film, set in the late Middle Ages, begins with a knight returning to his h...
CinemaSerf
7/10
•8/10/2025Now of course everyone’s favourite Max von Sydow film is “Flash Gordon” (1980) but I reckon this performance for Ingmar Bergman might be almost as good! With the dreaded Black Death sweeping his homeland, “Block” (MvS) returns from the Crusades with ...