Herman Suvorin (Anton Walbrook) is a captain in the Russian army, serving in St. Petersburg in the early 1800’s. Herman is poor compared to his fellow officers. He hangs out at the local gambling establishments and watches as the others play a popular card game called Faro. Herman himself never plays.
One evening, Herman overhears some of the other officers talking about an old woman, Countess Ranevskaya (Edith Evans). According to gossip, the countess, in her youth, sold her soul to the devil to learn the secret of how to win at cards. It is said that using the secret she was able to amass wealth at the card tables. Sixty years later the countess is old and lives with her young ward, Lizaveta Ivanovna (Yvonne Mitchell), in the family estate.
Fascinated by the story, Herman visits an old bookseller and purchases a book called “The Strange Secrets of the Count de Saint Germain”. The book details various stories of people who sold their soul to the devil. One of the stories concerns a countess referred to as “Countess R****”. Herman is convinced that the story refers to Countess Ranevskaya.
Determined to learn the secret, Herman launches a campaign to woo Lizaveta hoping that through her he can get to the countess. He convinces Lizaveta to let him visit. When the Countess goes to a ball, Herman sneaks into the mansion and hides in the countess’ rooms. When the Countess returns, he confronts her, looking to learn the secret of the cards. He tells her that he is willing to take over her pledge to the devil. She refuses to divulge the secret. He threatens the old woman, causing her to have a heart attack and die. Herman is devastated and confesses to Lizaveta what happened. The young woman sends him away.
Later, Herman is visited by the spirit of the countess. She tells him that she is ordered to tell him what he wants to know. She then tells him to play three cards in succession, the three, the seven and the ace. Herman rushes to the gaming tables to play for his fortune.
“The Queen of Spades” was released in 1949 and was directed by Thorold Dickinson. It is a British horror fantasy with paranormal aspects. The film was based on the 1834 story by Alexander Pushkin. At one point the film was considered lost.
This is one of the better versions of the story. The atmosphere is very gothic with some of the best fake snow ever. Much of the film’s eerie imagery is nicely captured due to the wonderful restoration of the film done by Sudiocanal. Anton Walbrook’s performance as the obsessed Russian captain is really good. He goes from a poor soldier to a greedy, entitled villain whose fixation on wealth brings out his true self.
Born in 1799 in Moscow, Russia, Alexander Pushkin died in 1837, at the age of 38, from injuries sustained in a duel with one of his wife’s lovers.