Director: Thorold DickensonÂ
Writers: Rodney Ackland, Arthur Boys (script) Alexander Pushkin (story)
Starring: â Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, Yvonne Mitchell, Ronald Howard, Anthony Dawson
Year: 1949
Duration: 91 mins
BBFC Certification: PG
Championed for years by none other than Martin Scorsese, The Queen of Spades has generally been revered as one of the jewels of supernatural cinema. Despite its reputation, however, this 1949 adaption of Alexander Pushkinâs short story by British director Thorold Dickinson has proven to be, if not exactly elusive, then at least far less well known than it should be. This is a situation that hopefully wonât continue for much longer. Benefitting from a new 4K restoration from StudioCanal, a prestigious slot at least yearâs BFI London Film Festival and now a new Blu Ray and DVD release, The Queen of Spades is finally looking to escape from the confines of cinephile discussions and gain the appreciation of the wider public.
Set in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, the film centres around Herman (Anton Walbrook) an Army Officer with a serious chip on his shoulder. Desperate to improve his social standing, Herman knows that he will never achieve the respect and status he deserves because he has no access to wealth or fortune. He hangs around smokey clubs each evening, watching superior and aristocratic officers gamble away vast sums of money playing Faro (a hugely popular 19th century Russian card game) knowing that until he gains a fortune of his own, he will never be able to be one of them.
Anton soon learns, however, of a local Countess (Edith Evans) who, legend has it, sold her soul to the Devil for a secret card trick that would help her win back her family fortune. Herman attempts to seduce the Countessâ Ward Lizaveta (Yvonne Mitchell) in the desperate hope that this might allow him to gain access to the Countess and thus learn the dark secret that will finally bring him a fortune of his ownâŠ
Perhaps one of the key things that strikes you about The Queen of Spades upon a first viewing is the opulence and grandeur that oozes from almost every frame. At times, it is very easy to forget that this is a British film from the 1940s, made by a film industry and country still feeling the privations of the war that ended only a few years previously. You wouldnât guess that watching The Queen of Spades. The magnificence of the sets and costumes often threaten to take the breath away. This is very much a far cry from the stereotypical kitchen sink fare of British post war film making; The Queen of Spades, in bringing its historical setting to life, emerges as one of the most impressive and ambitious British films of the 1940s.
The opulence of the sets is matched by Dickinson and DP Otto Hellerâs (famous for shooting a whole range of classics, from Peeping Tom to The Ladykillers) striking photography. Wonderfully atmospheric lighting in conjunction with bold, authoritative camera work ensures that The Queen of Spades positively drips with atmosphere, reaching impressive crescendos towards the latter third of the film, when the more supernatural aspects begin to make themselves felt.
All of this would be impressive enough, but perhaps one of the most startling facts about The Queen of Spades, and Dickinsonâs involvement, was how quickly the director jumped on board. When the filmâs original director was fired, Dickinson was hired with only five days notice. He hadnât even read Pushkinâs original short story, so he had to cram a hell of a lot of research and prep into little under a week before he turned up to the set to begin filming. As Scorsese notes in his introduction to the film (included on the disc) what makes this so remarkable is how precise and controlled The Queen of Spades is. It feels like Dickinson had been planning it for months. The fact that he pulled everything together in just a few days goes quite some way to prove what a remarkable director he was, and it is a crying shame that his work (which, alongside The Queen of Spades, most notably includes the original British version of Gaslight) is not better known.
Adding to Dickinsonâs list of challenges is the fact that the film boasts two debut film performances from theatrical legend  Edith Evens (playing The Countess) and Yvonne Mitchell. The fact that their performances seem so confident and accomplished seems to have been as much down to leading man Anton Walbrookâs patience and generosity off camera as Dickinsonâs carefully guiding hand.Â
Walbrookâs performance itself is the dark heart of the film. Brilliantly capturing a sense of desperate greed while never quite shaking off a sense of vulnerability, it is a grand, almost over the top performance that nevertheless manages to perfectly suit the storyâs grand exploration of avarice and human weakness.
And that, really, is the key theme of the film and where the majority of the focus lies. Yet The Queen of Spades is lauded as one of the best supernatural films of all time and for me, this is where it faltered slightly. Its reputation might lead one to suspect that The Queen of Spades is a stablemate of other classic supernatural tales, such as Dead of Night or The Innocents; in reality, it feels far more like a fable or morality tale (albeit a dark one) with the supernatural element of the film being more akin to A Christmas Carol or Wuthering Heights.
This is reflected in the filmâs pace. Admirably taking its time in setting up the characters and plot, the majority of the film is concerned with Hermanâs seduction of Lizaveta and the love triangle that ensues. It is only in the final third that the more supernatural elements begin to emerge from the shadows. There is no doubt that Dickinson conjures up some undeniably creepy moments (a scene set at a funeral will likely give many people the chills) and there are key scenes that certainly drip with atmosphere (thanks as much to chilling sound design as striking visuals). Yet anyone expecting a degree of fear or malevolence that recalls the work of M.R. James or the insidious atmosphere of The Innocents will come away disappointed.
This shouldnât detract from what is a remarkably accomplished and brilliant piece of film making. As a fable and exploration of human greed, combined with a sense of scale and opulence that elevates the film above the ordinary, The Queen of Spades is easily one of the most impressive and essential British films of the 1940s. Its reputation as a cornerstone of supernatural cinema is perhaps harder to justify, where terror is more often evoked by the shallowness and cruelty of human behaviour that the malevolent spirits of the dead.
Film:
The Queen of Spades is being released on StudioCanal’s Vintage Classics label on Blu Ray and DVD on the 23rd January. Clearly aware of the film’s stature, the company has pulled out all the stops for this release. This begins with a new 4K restoration of the film which looks, for the most part, absolutely fantastic. There is an instance during the first fifteen minutes of the film where the quality dips slightly, but this must be due to the quality of the source material available. The rest of the disc looks magnificent, revealing the film’s stunning sets and costumes in breathtaking detail. The original mono soundtrack is clear and legible throughout.
The disc is also brimming with extra features. First up is a commentary by Nick Pinkerton. He provides a very detailed look at the film’s cast and crew, offering a wealth of background information on all the key players, as well as reading from other sources in order to flesh out and provide other valuable information and trivia.
There are two interviews with critics on the disc, each around 20 minutes in length. The first, by Anna Bogutskaya, offers a more thematic analysis of the film while the interview with Philip Horne offers more historical and biographical information. Both are certainly worth a watch.
There are also, remarkably, three separate interviews with Thorold Dickinson himself on the disc. The first and most substantial is a segment from Saturday Night at the Movies, where Dickinson is interviewed at his home in England. He mostly discusses The Queen of Spades, but also offers thoughts on his wider career and other films (including Gaslight). The other two interviews are audio only but are still well worth a listen. Reordered in 1951 and 1968, we hear Dickinson once again discuss various aspects behind the making of The Queen of Spades.
The disc is rounded out with a very short introduction from Martin Scorsese, two stills galleries (one of which is devoted to showing the film’s magnificent sets being constructed) and an original theatrical trailer.
StudioCanal’s Vintage Classic line has been vital over the last several years in shining a light on the depth and variety of British post war cinema. They have started 2023 by filling in a huge blank by finally releasing The Queen of Spades, which will now no doubt become one of the jewels of their catalogue. For fans of British cinema and of dark, atmospheric tales, don’t hesitate to pick this up.
Disc/Extras:
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