Ingmar Bergman’s most famous film is 50 years old this year (hence this rerelease), but it’s in no danger of becoming dated. Set in medieval times, and offering us an allegory on humankind’s yearning for enlightenment in the face of mortality, it stands utterly apart from the flow of trends and fashions in cinema.

Taking it completely seriously isn’t easy, as is indicated by the number of times it has been parodied. Yet it still exerts a strong hold, thanks mainly to its masterfully realised images.

Newcomers are warned to expect a few passages that get bogged down in the activities of comic yokels, but these can’t detract from the film’s many superlative scenes, which include those in which Max von Sydow’s knight plays chess with a personification of death.

Throughout, there are wonderful shots of faces: in the role of death, Bengt Ekerot presents a whitened visage that suggests a malevolent version of the man in the moon; and when the knight finds happiness in a meal with new friends, von Sydow’s features are a beautiful picture of contentment. Had its theological discussions been preachy, the film would still have been arresting, but Bergman’s tale is essentially one of human experience, and it is likely to touch atheists and believers alike.

PG, 92 mins

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