The Seventh Seal
(Sjunde inseglet, Det (1957))
http://imdb.com/title/tt0050976/An old "Black and White" Swedish film, subtitled with English in the US version. It stars Max von Sydow (The Exorcist, Dune, Minority Report) who plays a 14th Century knight who has just returned from the last crusade, only to find Sweden locked in the grip of the black plague. This of course is a factual error, since the crusades and the plague didn't coincide. However, it creates a strong setting for the story's basic premise-- that the knight's time has come, death is going to take him away... but he challenges death to a game of chess, not to ultimately save his own life, but only to buy some time to find answers for his questions of faith. This is the film that has been referenced or parodied many times over (notably Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, in which they challenge death to a variety of games, including Twister).
A dark premise, and perhaps a flat ending. However, the film is visually artistic, the performances are good for the time (especially the lead role), and it has some minor comedic moments. I'd consider it a classic.
Max von Sydow brings some elements to the knight that other actors would likely have difficulty portraying. As the knight has seen his share of death and destruction, and now searches for meaning, you can see the distant gaze in the knight's eyes that show the depth of his situation. He appears fit but not "overly fed" if you know what I mean. Today's Hollywood would probably give the role to Russell Crowe or someone like that, who's a muscular face-dude. The casting seemed more "real" in this older film, even if the costuming mixed a variety of periods.
EDIT: Added photo
