Every element of the story is essential, and executed with maximum effect and style. Petersburg, Hermann wanders from the spooky booksellers' shop directly to the old countess's house purely by chance. Everything associated with the story seems to take place in quick succession. The story is told very directly and the plot moved along efficiently, with no superfluous action, which adds to the unreal atmosphere of the piece. The shadowy look of the film, along with some oddly angular or distorted shots, is suggestive of expressionist style. Even in this pristine presentation, the cinematography is very dark and deeply shadowed. The look of this film is also extraordinary. It's this film that made him one of my all time favorite actors. The Vienna-born Walbrook (originally named Adolph Anton Wilhelm Wohlbrueck) exaggerates his Teutonic accent to Peter Lorre-like intensity, to great effect. But Walbrook makes this brooding, scheming, petty, and utterly reprehensible nonentity with a Napoleon complex into a fascinating character study - a real tour-de-force. Sounds like a thoroughly unpleasant fellow. As for sloth, he exerts extraordinary effort into fulfilling his schemes, which are entirely self-serving. Gluttony is not an issue, as he lives in poverty in order to horde what money he has. As for lust, he lusts only for power, money and influence, his declarations of love being completely false. His personality is dominated by four of the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, and greed. Hermann is a strange sort of cinematic hero with no redeeming characteristics whatsoever. The cast is uniformly excellent, but it's his performance as Hermann that really makes the film memorable. Anton Walbrook may have played more multi-dimensional characters in other films, but never with the same frightening intensity as in this one. I would pay three times as much for the "Queen of Spades" alone. Anchor Bay's new DVD set includes a beautiful presentation of it, along with the 1945 anthology horror film "Dead of Night." I've read nothing but good things about "Dead of Night," but haven't gotten around to seeing it yet. I ask for the last time, are you going to tell me the secret of the cards? Or are you not?Īt long last, "The Queen of Spades" has appeared in a form worthy of its excellence. Oh, speak! Speak to me! You old sphinx.Ĭapt. That's it, isn't it? I'll make a bargain with you tell me your secret and I'll take your sin upon my soul. The secret is connected with some terrible sin. Herman Suvorin: For the love of God! If you've any human feeling in your breast, you can't refuse me. What would another fortune mean to him, a wastrel and a spendthrift? But I'm not a man of that sort. What good is the secret to you? For whom are you keeping it? For your grandson? He's rich enough. Please! Just think those three words aloud. Please! Oh, it's no use pretending you don't know anything about it. But to me, it will bring happiness for the rest of my life. Herman Suvorin: Don't cry out! Don't be alarmed, please, don't be alarmed.
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