* BeamMeUpScotty: The most famous line of the film is "I am Death. I have come for you". Needless to say, it doesn't happen, or rather, it is an exchange between Block and Death.
-->'''Block''': Who are you?
-->'''Death''': I am Death.
-->'''Block''': Have you come to take me?
-->'''Death''': I have already walked by your side for a long time.
* BillingDisplacement: Creator/MaxVonSydow is billed fourth, even though he portrays the main character.
* BreakthroughHit: For Creator/IngmarBergman.
* CaliforniaDoubling: Except for the seaside scenes, the whole film was shot in movie studio backlot locations in suburban Stockholm.
* CreatorRecovery: Creator/IngmarBergman credited the film with helping him overcome his crippling fear of death. Because the film dealt so overtly with the subject, he found it a highly cathartic experience.
* DoingItForTheArt:
** Bergman, bored with the comedies that he'd made his name with, took on this project with this attitude, writing "It's better to do this than a bad comedy. I don't give a damn about the money."
** Also invoked in the film by church painter Albertus Pictor, who scoffs at the idea of making people happy with his art.
* IronyAsSheIsCast: Creator/MaxVonSydow has admitted he's actually a terrible chess player.
* NoBudget: Because of their concerns about the film's commercial prospects, Svensk Filmindustri only gave Bergman a shoestring budget and a short filming schedule (36 days).
* PlayingAgainstType: Nils Poppe, Sweden's biggest comedy star, in a brooding drama, though he still plays Jof, the film's most lighthearted character.
* SelfAdaptation: Creator/IngmarBergman wrote the script based on his play ''Wood Painting''.
* StarMakingRole: For Creator/MaxVonSydow.
* ThrowItIn: The iconic TheDeadCanDance scene at the end. The actors had already gone home when Creator/IngmarBergman caught sight of the sun setting over the hill, quickly had [[FakeShemp a few crewmen and tourists dress up as the characters]], and shot the scene.
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