A medieval Swedish knight and his earthy squire return home after twenty devastating years spent in a futile Crusade. They return to a land haunted by plague, social disintegration and the figure of Death. The Knight encounters a group of itinerant actors and offers to escort them through a frightening forest. Meanwhile, he plays an ongoing game of chess with Death itself, gaining a temporary reprieve for himself and his companions. The Knight battles his own doubts about the existence of God, while he protects a carefree young family of actors from the clutches of his otherworldly opponent.
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The review of this Movie prepared by Jan Thompson
The knight Antonius Block returns to his homeland, medieval Sweden, with his squire Jons after 10 years of fighting in the Crusades. The Black Death is ravaging the land. When Death himself meets Block and tells him his time has come, the knight requests a game of chess with his life as the stake. Death agrees. While they play, Block also roams the countryside, looking for his castle and wife, and seeing how the populace is dealing (or failing to cope) with the plague. Among the people they meet are a troupe of travelling performers, including a young couple with a child, who are still optimistic and drunk on life. This stark 1957 film brought writer-director Ingmar Bergman international fame. British director Peter Greenaway has said that when he saw this movie, he knew he had to become a filmmaker.
The review of this Movie prepared by David Loftus
