Dead Of Night / Queen Of Spades
2 Disc Set
Dead Of Night
The Queen of Spades
Member Reviews
Queen of Spades - feliper
Based on a Pushkin tale, this story of greed chronicles the efforts of a captain in the Russian army who schemes to learn from an aged countess the secret of winning at cards, a secret she learned in exchange for her soul. Most of the movie revolves around the captain's efforts to get to the countess, as he gets increasingly desperate in his desire to know. Anton Walbrook plays the captain, perhaps a bit over the top at times, but Edith Evans charmingly pickpockets every scene she's in as the countess. The build up to the meeting seems endless, but the pay off is impressive.Queen of Spades - CaptainDave
Here's an effective little tale of supernatural horror. In order to coverup a sexual affair, a foolish young Russian countess sells her soul for the secret of winning at cards. Sixty years later an equally foolish army captain, frustrated by his inability to rise in the ranks, tries to get the secret from the now wizened old woman. He winds up killing her before getting the secret, and then...
In fact, everyone in this post-war, black and white British movie seems foolhardy, not just the countess and the captain (who thinks he's impoverished but ignores the real poverty around him). The countess's silly ward and the young officer who woos her are equally naive.
The story is slow to build and the acting is uneven. But the atmosphere is terrific. Claustrophobic sets and dramatic lighting really set the mood for this short tale of desperation and revenge.One of the few... - Chris!
"Dead of Night" is one of the few anthology horror films that I've been able to really get into. The whole thing is rather predictable, but the smaller vignettes tie nicely in to the main story, which involves a meeting of some upper-class Brits who have come together for god knows what reason. The guest of honour, an architect who is a stranger to everyone present, announces upon his arrival that he has definitely seen this house and all of its inhabitants before in a recurring dream/nightmare. A doubting psychiatrist spurs the others into recanting their own strange-but-true tales and we're treated to some surprisingly creepy supernatural tales involving hearses, murdered children and possessed ventriloquist dummies. It all builds to an inevitable yet effective conclusion as the film ends where it began (oh calm down, I haven't given anything away). Another Ealing Studios classic.
Member Reviews
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Queen of Spades - feliper
Based on a Pushkin tale, this story of greed chronicles the efforts of a captain in the Russian army who schemes to learn from an aged countess the secret of winning at cards, a secret she learned in exchange for her soul. Most of the movie revolves around ...Queen of Spades - CaptainDave
Here's an effective little tale of supernatural horror. In order to coverup a sexual affair, a foolish young Russian countess sells her soul for the secret of winning at cards. Sixty years later an equally foolish army captain, frustrated by his inability ...One of the few... - Chris!
"Dead of Night" is one of the few anthology horror films that I've been able to really get into. The whole thing is rather predictable, but the smaller vignettes tie nicely in to the main story, which involves a meeting of some upper-class Brits who have come ...