The Queen of Spades (1949)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Thorold Dickinson

Writers:

Alexander Pushkin (short story "Pikovaya dama") and
Rodney Ackland (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

Color:

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:

Gordon Begg replaced an actor who dropped out.

Movie Connections:

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

Great atmosphere in a fine British chiller

This macabre little fantasy has so far largely remained under the radar, which is a shame, because it's one of the better British productions of the '40s and '50s. It's the kind of highly stylized costume mystery/horror, that will undoubtedly appeal to lovers of old British cinema.

The story is based on Alexander Puschkin's novella, "The Queen of Spades (1834), about a young captain in the Russian army (Anton Walbrook), an outsider (because he's German) who secretly covets the wealth and position of his fellow officers. When he discovers that an aged countess has sold her soul to the devil in exchange for eternal fortune at the card table, he attempts to gain entry to the household by seducing the countess' naive ward, but his envy envy leads to the dowager's death, a loveless marriage, and Herman's descent into madness.

The production initially ran into some trouble with director Thorold Dickinson entering the project when a great deal of the pre-production was already done. With his limited resources and the inadequate sets and sound stage facilities of the Welwyn Studios, he incorporated as many camera, lighting and special effects as he could devise, and with good effect. The film looks great. Atmosphere in these kind of films is half the work, and they surely did a great job. The acting is somewhat stagy and highly stylized, but this was probably a common characteristic in British acting in those days, and I don't think of Anton Walbrook as a great actor, but the rest of the cast is fine, with Edith Evans in great form as the countess. All in all, not an undiscovered masterpiece, but a fine British chiller with a great period atmosphere.

Camera Obscura --- 8/10