Bakomfilm “Det Sjunde Inseglet”
Le Riprese Di “Il Settimo Sigillo” / The Shooting Of “The Seventh Seal”; Con: Bibi Andersson, Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Ingmar Bergman, Gunnar Fischer; 16mm. L.: 117 M. D.: 14’ A 18 F/S. Bn.
Film Notes
After the critical and commercial success of Sommarnattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night, 1955), Bergman no longer had to submit his scripts for approval to the producers at Svensk Filmindustri. The first film made under this newly-won artistic freedom was Det sjunde inseglet, shot in July and August 1956. In this unique document on the making of the film, shot silent on 9,5mm, we first see Bergman, cinematographer Gunnar Fischer and actress Bibi Andersson scouting locations in the south-west of Sweden for the opening sequence of Det sjunde inseglet , where the knight first encounters Death and offers him a game of chess. The film also contains footage of cast and crew between takes and we also get to see the shooting of several sequences that appear in the finished film. Det sjunde inseglet was partly shot on location and partly on the back-lot of the studio just north of Stockholm and it is amazing to see the neighbouring multi-storey buildings towering over the medieval sets.
Jon Wengström – Svenska Filminstitutet
The Film Was Shot On 9,5mm And Acquired From The Director In The Late 1980’s. From The Original Positive, An Intermediate Negative On 16mm Was Made, And From This Element A 16mm Positive Print Was Struck In 1988. The Rights Of The Film Were Handed Over To The Bergman Foundation In 2002, When The Director Also Donated A Unique Collection Of Manuscripts, Stills Etc.