History Film / TheSeventhSeal

Not to be confused with the Creator/DemiMoore ReligiousHorror movie ''The Seventh Sign'' (though both titles reference the same part of the Literature/BookOfRevelation).

* VolleyingInsults: An smith and an actor cuckolding him trade more and more elaborate insults back and forth to one up each other. The smith has trouble one-upping the performer, but clever Jöns whispers ideas behind his back to give him an upper hand.

* StandardSnippet: The "Dies irae" Gregorian chant shows up several times in the soundtrack as well as being literally sung by a mob of religious penitents.

** Jöns's housekeeper is all too ready to go with Death; as Death closes in, she speaks up for the first and only time, to calmly say, "It is finished."

** Though Block is TheAntiNihilist, Jöns -- as his {{foil}} -- falls squarely into this role. He believes that love is just "lust and lies" and is convinced that death only leads to emptiness (see page quote) and that nothing remains after death, mocking Bock's faith and hopes to find meaning throughout the film.

* LeFilmArtistique: {{Averted}} for many people, often somewhat to their surprise, as the film contains a surprising amount of comedy, isn't too difficult plot-wise, and contains very relatable (if depressing) themes.

* PrimalFear: Death is an everpresent companion, who will follow you all your days. And God, or Jesus, or anything else? It's a comforting hope at best, an outright lie at worst. But Death is always there.

*** What's more, it wasn't called "Black Death" in any language until the 16th century (the most widespread contemporary term being "great mortality"), though the language in which "black death" as a moniker for the 14th century epidemic is attested for the first time is precisely Swedish.

* FiveManBand: Not really a formal grouping, but Block is TheLeader, Jöns is TheLancer, Jof is TheSmartGuy, Mia is TheChick and Death is TheBigGuy.
* {{Foil}}: Jöns serves as Block's foil.

* {{Wangst}}: In-universe example. The village smith is trying to [[DrowningMySorrows drown his sorrows]] after the actor and director from Jof and Mia's troupe runs away with his wife. {{J|erkass}}öns takes great pleasure in ridiculing him for it.

** Though it's debatable whether Death is actually evil at all, or simply doing his necessary job.

* CrapsackWorld: It's Medieval Sweden ravaged by the Black Death, what did you expect? On top of that, men and women -- driven into despair -- believe it's the end times, so they've taken to roaming around the countryside flogging themselves. They also accompany other religious zealots who burn innocent young women suffering from mental illness. Our two (anti-) heroes are shown to be too ineffectual (as in as ineffectual as normal mere human beings are) to change things and the best one can honestly hope for is to live as long as possible. It's a mad, empty, horrible world.

* WarriorPoet: Antonius Block. His squire Jöns arguably more so.

* OhGodWithTheVerbing: At the end, the actor Jof sees a vision of the knight and his family doing a dance of death. His wife, Mia, turns to him and says: "You with your visions and dreams."

* KnightInSourArmor: Block. Very much so.
* TheLancer: Jöns effectively functions as this to Block's [[TheHero Hero]].

* ManipulativeBastard: Death. Is anyone surprised?

* NothingIsScarier: When they're holed up in the forest and Death is nowhere to be seen... But neither is God.

* {{Chiaroscuro}}: Ooh boy, big time.

* ASaintNamedMary: The kind, happy couple from ''Film/TheSeventhSeal'' is made up of a young child and his young parents, Mia and Jof (the Swedish transliteration of Mary and Joseph). To drive the connection further, Jof even has a vision of the Virgin Mary and a young Christ in the scene that introduces them. They serve as a representation of simple faith in contrast to the main character's existential doubt and fear.

** It's sometimes thought that the references to the plague are also anachronistic, as the disease supposedly didn't arrive in Europe until 1348. [[DatedHistory Modern medical historians]] believe, however, that plague has always existed in Europe as a low-level simmering endemic disease which flares into epidemic status when a new strain of the bacteria arrives from Asia. The earliest plague epidemic known to history was in 541 CE, but that was unlikely to have been the first.