Rating: 
Summary: Excellent. Better in English dialogue than subtitled.
Review: The film itself is technologically limited: No special effects; black and white; original aspect ratio of 1.33. This refreshingly imposes the need to tell a weighty story, and this one is told well. The interpretive commentary told more about Bergman than the film itself.
Rating:
Summary: Top 5 of All-Time
Review: This movie touches on the most difficult subject of our existence. Facing death without knowing if there really is a god. A must have for those who collect films.
Rating:
Summary: Great Work of Art
Review: This is one of Bergman's best films. The story of a medieval knight who returns from the Crusades and one day encounters with death himself,and, in order to save his life, challenges him to play chess, is powerful, deep, and a truly work of art. The film has a fantastic realism, thanks to the wonderful photography by Gunnar Fischer. But it also talks about religion and existencial matters; the knight(played wonderfully by Max Von Sydow)is constantly questioning the existence of God, and this is a constant in Bergman's filmography. The title of the film is about the secrets of God, locked with seven seals. A masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: An eerie, profound experience!
Review: This film cleverly manipulates words, gestures, and looks to convey difficult moral and emotional issues simply and beautifully. The fear of death is used as a backdrop for a portrait of the human condition, revealing extremes of fear and content, despair and innocence. This is one of my all-time favorite films.
Rating:
Summary: A great classic movie, timeless, artistic and cultural.
Review: Last year at this time, a family member brought this video to share, and we found ourselves mesmerized by it. A classic in B & W with subtitles, it left such an impression that I've decided I need to have it in my collection. If you like artistic movies with meaning, try this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Very good, but a little bit expensive
Review: I have seen the movie long years (ca. 20) ago on TV, and I can still remember many scences. I found it pretty impressive
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant
Review: A profound, affecting movie. Excellent dialogue and performances. Stark black and white cinematography. One of Bergman's greatest films. In fact, one of the greatest films of all time.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing and thought provoking movie.
Review: This film is absolutely amazing. It is one of the few movies I watch more than once or twice.
It is an achievment in style. The film manages to look amazing by virtue of Bergman's skill with lighting and cinematography alone. Especially compared to the big budget, color Hollywood titles of the time (such as The Ten Commandments) which look plastic despite their "special effects" and use of color (this film is black & white).
The subject of the movie is man's search for the meaning of life and the question of whether or not God exists. The film is both thought-provoking and blunt in its presentation of this subject and the answers which Bergman provides are suprisingly blunt.
The DVD quality is great, as it always is with Criterion Collection DVDs, and Peter Cowie's commentary is particularly good.However, I will admit that this film is not for everyone. It also seems to require (for me anyway) one to be in a certain "mood" to view it. If you want to simply be entertained then this is not a film for you, but if you want to view a skillfully directed and wonderfully thought-provoking (if a bit dated) film then go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful DVD for a masterpiece
Review: The seventh seal is one of Bergman's masterpieces, and you will easily find volumes of reviews by movie critics and historians, and who am I to add my humble opionion to theirs? So, let me just write a few words about Criterion's DVD. This is a gem of a DVD. The film has been very well restored, and both image and sound are clear and crisp. You can either listen to the English version, or to the original version in Swedish, which will allow you to really appreciate the acting. But what really make this DVD special (beyond the movie, of course...) is the commentary by film historian Peter Cowie. It is an outstanding commentary, deep and illuminating on the many meanings that would remain hidden to a novice like me. This is the kind of commentary that will substantially enhance your ability to enjoy a movie, as you will learn to appreciate its artistic significance, both from the point of view of the cinematography, and from the point of view of the content. Those who are looking for a "plot", or for entertainment, should instead look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Shoulder to Shoulder with "Hamlet"
Review: This film asks all of the big questions, though it centers around the absence of God's directing enfluence on earth. The characters all fit into certain timeless roles. The vocations of the characters may seem antique, but one can easily sympathise with them because they represent archatypes and not stereotypes. The film is full of classic moments that reverberate long after they leave the screen and though many complain of Bergman's depressing overtones, it is the struggle to triumph, and not the victory itself that is celebrated here.
Eventually, we all lose to death, we all pass beyond the veil and nothing can prevent it. We all know this, though most of us bury it in our subconcious so that we may instead enjoy our lives without the spectre of death looming over us (much like a skull floating over a Sunday picnic).
Bergman, in this film forces us to confront our mortality, but why?
To answer the question we must ask ourselves what makes a commodity precious. The answer is resources. The more limited the resource, the more precious. This is EXACTLY what makes life precious- we only have a limited amount. Embrace the fact, and live your life based on that knowledge. As the character of the knight proudly proclaims "...I, Antonious Bloch play chess with death." The princable is spelled out in every possable way thoughout this minor key masterpiece. It's no epic, but it is a highwater mark for all cinima.
We're all put in checkmate eventually, this film teaches us to play the game with every ounce of our spirit!
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