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The Queen of Spades Photos

View All Photos (9)

Movie Info

Based on a short story by Alexander Pushkin, this creepy drama tells the tale of Countess Ranevskaya (Edith Evans), an elderly woman who sold her soul to the devil in order to always win at cards. Captain Herman Suvorin (Anton Walbrook), an embittered Russian soldier, becomes obsessed with discovering her secret and also finds himself smitten by her beautiful young companion, Lizaveta Ivanova (Yvonne Mitchell). As Suvorin gets closer to the truth, his quest takes an unforgettably eerie turn.

Genre:

fantasy
Original Language:

English
Director:

Thorold Dickinson
Producer:

Anatole de Grunwald
Writer:

Rodney Ackland
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 20, 2017
Runtime:

1h 35m

Cast & Crew

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

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The Queen of Spades

All Critics (21) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (20) | Rotten (1)

The story develops a morbidly exciting grip thanks to the maniacally superstitious Walbrook and Evans's otherworldly chill -- the funeral scene alone will make you jump.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

Anthony Quinn
Independent (UK)
Gripping and intricately designed.

July 6, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Opulence of Imperial Russia at the beginning of the 19th century provides a colorful background for this filmization of Alexander Pushkin's short story, which brings to the screen a legend of gambling and intrigue.

March 26, 2009 | Full Review…

Variety Staff
Variety
Wild gypsy dancing, shadow lighting and an excellent musical score are well used for mood creation in this weirdly fascinating film.

May 6, 2008 | Full Review…

Bosley Crowther
New York Times
Pushkin's marvellously histrionic tale of cupidity and terrible vengeance gets a suitably wild-eyed treatment in Thorold Dickinson's 1949 film.

February 9, 2006 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Nina Caplan
Time Out
It's more distressing to witness just how much the mood of a dark and uncompromising masterpiece can be sabotaged by a producer with his eyes on the easy uplift.

June 3, 2003 | Full Review…

Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
... full of big ideas and grand feelings along with the psychological intrigue and hint of the supernatural that give this film a special edge.

October 19, 2019 | Rating: 8/10 | Full Review…

Sarah Boslaugh
TheArtsStl
The Queen of Spades, a stylish, polished melodrama based on the Pushkin novella, is [Thorold Dickinson's] most accomplished film.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

Philip French
Observer (UK)
Otto Heller's chiaroscuro cinematography and Oliver Messel's Gothic designs play vital roles in Dickinson's thorough demolition of period genteelness for the horror in it.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
The Queen of Spades is a treasured relic of a time when the British cinema momentarily abandoned its good manners and revelled gloriously in visual and emotional excess.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

Sheila Johnston
The Arts Desk
Though it does not run as smoothly as other films directed by Thorold Dickinson, it is an outstanding and worthwhile production.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

MFB Critics
Monthly Film Bulletin
I regret to say I think it is more of a curio than a classic.

October 18, 2016 | Full Review…

Peter Momtchiloff
Electric Sheep