As the film opens, a knight, Antonius Blok, and his squire, Jöns, have just returned from the Crusades to a Sweden being ravaged by the plague. As they journey toward his castle, the knight struggles to forestall Death in a game of chess. He encounters a trio of wandering players—Jof, Mia, and Skat—and conducts them through the forest to avoid the plague. Subsequently, he diverts Death′s attention so that Jof and Mia can escape with their baby, while he and his company are trapped in his castle and forced to join in the Dance of Death. A 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal is considered a classic of world cinema, as well as one of the greatest movies of all time. As it won Jury Special Prize at Cannes that year, it established Bergman as a world-renowned director and contains scenes that have become iconic through homage, critical analysis, and parody.