The Queen of Spades (1949)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Thorold Dickinson

Writers:

Rodney Ackland (writer) and
Arthur Boys (writer) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Plot:

An elderly countess strikes a bargain with the devil and exchanges her soul for the ability to always win at cards...

Plot Keywords:

Gambling | Supernatural | Playing Cards | Pistol | Russia

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Anton Walbrook	...	Capt. Herman Suvorin
Edith Evans	...	The Old Countess Ranevskaya
Yvonne Mitchell	...	Lizaveta Ivanova
Ronald Howard	...	Andrei
Mary Jerrold	...	Old Varvarushka
Anthony Dawson	...	Fyodor
Miles Malleson	...	Tchybukin
Michael Medwin	...	Hovaisky
Athene Seyler	...	Princess Ivashin
Ivor Barnard	...	Bookseller
Maroussia Dimitrevitch	...	Gypsy singer
Violette Elvin	...	Gypsy dancer
Pauline Tennant	...	Young countess
Jacqueline Clarke	...	Milliner's assistant
Josef Ramart	...	Countess' lover (as Yusef Ramart)

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | West Germany:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12

Filming Locations:

Welwyn Studios, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

De Grunwald Productions

Trivia:

Pauline Tennant worked 14 days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ken Adam: Designing Bond (2000) (V)

10/10 - a timeless masterpiece

Adapted from a short story by Pushkin, this brilliant film is far too rarely seen or mentioned, which is tragic, because it is without question one of the best British films ever made.

I was fortunate enough to see it on cable, where by coincidence it was shown right after 'The Third Man' and just before another Brtish b/w masterpiece, 'The Haunting' -- what a triple bill! In fact there are several connections between QOS and 'The Haunting', including Jack Clayton, who produced the former and directed the latter, and composer Georges Auric, who scored both. There are also close connections with The Archers (Powell & Pressberger) -- Anton Walbrook featured in three P&P films, and co-writer Rodney Ackland also scripted one of those films, P&P's '49th Parallel'.

Watching 'Queen Of Spades' it's obvious that many of the team who made it learned their craft in the silent era -- lighting, costumes, set design and cinematography are all fantastic, and though on a slightly smaller and more restrained scale, QOS is almost on a par with Von Sternberg's baroque masterpiece 'The Scarlett Empress'.

Brilliantly directed by Torold Dickinson (who also did 'Gaslight', in which Walbrook also features), the incredible, wildly expressionistic b/w cinematography is by legendary Czech-born DOP Otto Heller, who began his career in 1922(!) and who also shot Olivier's 'Richard III', 'The Ladykillers', Powell's 'Peeping Tom' and those three classic Michael Caine films of the 60s, The 'Ipcress File', 'Alfie' and 'Funeral In Berlin.'

The casting is perfect, and it's easy to see why Anton Walbrook was one of Michael Powell's favourite actors. His portrayal of the odious Suvorin is a tour de force, and he is matched by the great Edith Evans as the Countess. The crucial scene in which Suvorin tries unsuccessfully to beg, cajole, and finally force the secret of the cards from the Countess is truly electrifying -- Walbrook is absolutely rivetting, and Evans -- who has no lines and plays the scene only with her eyes -- shows why she was considered one the greatest actors of her generation. The climax of that scene, the look of stark horror on Walbrook's face, is one of the most powerful film moments I've ever seen, perhaps only surpassed by incredible card-game scene at the end of the film.