The Queen of Spades

Synopsis: 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.
Genre: Drama, Horror
Director(s): Thorold Dickinson
Production: HBO Video
  Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.4
Rotten Tomatoes:
95%
Year:
1949
95 min
239 Views


For heaven's sake, don't play the Queen of spades.

She's unlucky.

What's the matter?

They're all unlucky for me tonight.

But you can back any spade.

My win.

Your win.

My win.

Your win.

My win.

Your win.

Mine.

The unlucky card!

What a fool to risk the Queen.

You win.

Good night, Andrei Andreiovich.

Thank you.

Don't go, Petrov. Don't leave us.

I think I'll be getting to bed.

Have a glass of wine first.

All my year's pay is gone.

Oh, never mind.

You'll have another year's pay in another year's time.

Petrov, I challenge you.

I challenge you to one more hand.

Fyodor, no, no. It's getting too late.

Gentlemen, let's drink.

There's food on the side tables. Help yourselves.

I want to go on playing.

I don't care if I lose every kopek.

Who'll play for double stakes?

Sit down. We'll have another hand later.

No need to scare. Leave me alone.

Hey, why doesn't he play?

Yes, you , sir. Standing here every night

like a French spy watching us.

Haven't the engineers quarters of their own?

Don't listen to him, German.

It's only the wine talking.

I want an answer to my question.

Stop it, Fyodor !

Captain Suvorin is here as my guest.

He has every right not to play, if he doesn't care to.

Well, I beg your pardon.

But tell me this, sir.

If you're so interested as to come here

night after night,

Why do you never touch a card?

Tell us !

Yes, I've often wondered how he can resist playing.

Are you trying to work out a system ?

Pray, it interests me very much.

But I cannot afford to risk unnecessarily the hopes

of winning the Super Cross.

Marshenka!

Bravo !

Bravo !

I'll show them all one day.

Why does German Suvarin come here every night ?

Yes, why ?

He never plays cards. He's the sort of man who'd be afraid

to stake anything unless he was sure of winning.

Can anyone be sure of winning ?

No.

What was that you were telling us

about your old grandmother, Fyodor ?

The Countess Ravenskaya?

She's a wonderful old woman.

Is it true she's over a hundred ?

Are you speaking of old Countess Ravenskaya ?

Why? Do you know her?

No, but I soon shall.

My aunt is going to persuade her to ask General Volkoninov

to make me his aide-de-camp.

Oh, really?

My aunt swears she's the most grotesque

creature you ever saw.

With a high powdered wig like they used to wear

fifty years ago.

And a quilling to match.

I believe she's a witch.

Nonsense!

That's absolute rubbish.

But it is true that the old countess

had the secret of how to win at cards.

It's certainly true though that on one occasion she won

an immense amount of money.

By selling her soul to the devil.

For a secret like that I'd sell mine.

The secret of how to win at cards?

Get to bed! Drunkard!

Yes, sir.

Shut the stove.

Good night, sir.

Get out !

Good night, your honor.

I'm sorry about Fyodor Pavelvich's behavior tonight.

I...

I came to apologize.

Thank you.

You seemed less put out by it than I was.

Perhaps you prefer me not to come

to your card parties.

Oh, no, of course not. Why should I?

I mean...

I may embarrass you.

You see, I'm only a poor captain in engineers.

You are rich aristocrats.

Guard officers.

I think you're exaggerating things a bit.

You see, poor old Fyodor was..

Well, he was well in his cups and...

German, why not come back?

Don't you like listening to the gypsies?

Gypsies.

Why not call them what they are?

Don't be quite so hard on them, German.

What chance have they born in such circumstances?

You never blame anyone, do you?

No, not if I can help it.

I believe all human beings are fundamentally good.

I'm convinced of it.

Oh, yes?

Yes, and I believe also...

that evil is a force, a mighty force

that is abroad in the world

to take possession of men's souls,

if they will allow it to.

I'm not interested in problems as good and evil.

To me they're beside the point.

Why don't you come back, German?

No.

But, aren't you fascinated by that gypsy dancer,

Marchenka?

Yes, I've seen her.

Don't you agree?

I've told you.

I'm not interested in that sort of woman.

Then perhaps you'll come as my guest.

You're very kind. But no, thank you.

Look here, German,

I know I have to be careful about money.

But, after all, we have been paid today.

And you needn't spend much.

I cannot afford to spend anything.

You're always too proud

to accept anything from anyone, aren't you?

Well, deuce, you're quite right.

It's senseless to go back there.

I could do with some sleep.

Good night.

Good night.

So they have paid you at last, have they?

It must be almost a year.

Ten months.

Don't you want to keep one of these things?

I've taken enough for my needs.

I've never saved a kopek in my life.

I've spent it all on food, and drink, and women.

So here I am.

Fifty-four and a wretched notary.

Vodka?

But I'm content. If I was to be put

under the ground tomorrow....

I wouldn't grumble.

I've got everything I want out of life.

God's been very good to me.

Everything a man could want.

Well, I haven't.

You've done very well.

You're a captain.

Yes, in engineers at my age.

Over here no one can win promotion

unless he's rich.

Or unless he has some important and powerful relatives

to use their influence on his behalf.

Exceptional men have stifled

and never had the chance to succeed.

Look at France.

Napoleon Bonaparte, he was a general at 26.

My advice to you is to be content.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Rodney Ackland

Rodney Ackland (18 May 1908 in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex – 6 December 1991 in Richmond upon Thames, Surrey) was an English playwright, actor, theatre director and screenwriter. Born as Norman Ackland Bernstein in Southend, Essex, to a Jewish father from Warsaw and a non-Jewish mother, he was educated at Balham Grammar School in London. In his 16th year he made his first stage appearance at the Gate Theatre Studio, playing Medvedieff in Gorky's The Lower Depths and later studied acting at the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art. He married Mab Lonsdale, daughter of the playwright Frederick Lonsdale, in 1952; she died in 1972. more…

All Rodney Ackland scripts | Rodney Ackland Scripts

0 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Queen of Spades" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/the_queen_of_spades_21143>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    The Queen of Spades

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.