The Queen Of Spades (1949) (SiRiUs sHaRe) torrent

The Queen Of Spades (1949)

An elderly countess strikes a bargain with the devil and exchanges her soul for the ability to always win at cards. An army officer, who is also a fanatic about cards, murders her for the secret, then finds himself haunted by the woman's spirit.

A Classic from the golden age of British Cinema.

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

Director: Thorold Dickinson

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041776/

Codecs: DivX 5 / MP3

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.

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This is a wonderful, unusual suspense story - the black and white cinematography is masterful, adding to the creepy atmosphere. Anton Walbrook plays Capt. Suvarin with his characteristic silky menace. Everyone in this film is just perfect, even the charming prince who falls in love with the little paid companion - a thankless role frequently played with insipidity. And Edith Evans is utterly unique as the old Countess, haunted by her fear of death and unable to find peace. The card scene at the end of the film is unforgettable.

I don't know why this film is so unknown. It reminds me a little of "The Haunting" based on a Shirley Jackson novel, in that one is never really sure if supernatural activity is really going on, or if the main character has finally lost his mind and is imagining everything.

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* Gordon Begg replaced an actor who dropped out.

* Brown Derby replaced Fred Groves.

* Clement Mccallin is dubbed by Gerard Case.

* Ivor Barnard was working on Paper Orchid at the same time.

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