''Queen to Play'' (original title ''Joueuse'', the feminine form of “player”) is a 2009 French-German film directed by Caroline Bottaro. It is based on the novel ''La Joueuse d’échecs'' by
Bertina Henrichs.
Synopsis
The film stars
Sandrine Bonnaire
Sandrine Bonnaire (; born 31 May 1967) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 40 films. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for '' À Nos Amours'' (1983), the César Award for Best Actre ...
as a
French chambermaid on the island of
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
. She develops an interest in
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
. She has been cleaning the house of an American doctor (played by
Kevin Kline in his first
French-speaking role), and he begins helping her practice and improve. She must deal with her growing fascination with the game and with her husband and teenaged daughter.
Cast
*
Sandrine Bonnaire
Sandrine Bonnaire (; born 31 May 1967) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 40 films. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for '' À Nos Amours'' (1983), the César Award for Best Actre ...
as ''Hélène''
*
Kevin Kline as ''Kröger''
*
Valérie Lagrange
Valérie Lagrange (born 25 February 1942) is a French actress and singer. She starred in the 1960 adventure film ''Morgan, the Pirate''.Hughes p.39
Selected filmography
* ''The Green Mare'' (1959)
* ''Morgan, the Pirate'' (1960)
* ''The Corsic ...
as ''Maria''
*
Francis Renaud as ''Ange''
* Alexandra Gentil as ''Lisa''
*
Alice Pol as ''Natalia''
* Didier Ferrari as ''Jacky''
* Laurence Colussi as ''Pina''
* Élisabeth Vitali as ''Marie-Jeanne''
* Daniel Martin as ''The President of the Chess Club''
*
Dominic Gould
Dominic Gould (born 19 September 1964) is a French and American actor. He was born in Los Angeles, United States.
Filmography Film
* ''Jeux d'artifices'' (1987) - Stan
* ''Hôtel de France'' (1987) - Manu's Friend
* ''Monsieur (1990 film), ...
as ''L'Américain''
*
Jennifer Beals
Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress and former teen model. She made her film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her role in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image A ...
as ''L'Américaine''
Awards
*2010: Special Mention for John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature
Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...
*2009: Official Selection
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...
Release
The film had its world premiere on April 25, 2009 in both New York City and Los Angeles, at the Tribeca Film Festival and the
ColCoa Film Festival respectively. The national release in France was on August 5, 2009 and in Germany on January 7, 2010. The film is distributed in the U.S. by
Zeitgeist Films
Zeitgeist Films is a New York-based distribution company founded in 1988 which acquires and distributes films from the U.S. and around the world. In 2017, Zeitgeist entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with film distributor Kino Lorber. ...
and was released there on April 1, 2011.
References
External links
''Queen To Play'' at Zeitgeist Films*
*
''Queen To Play''at Video Detective
at StudioCanal
Interview with Caroline Bottaro on indieWIRE''Queen To Play'' Goes to Zeitgeist Films for U.S. Distribution on indieWiRE
{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen To Play
2000s French-language films
English-language French films
2009 comedy-drama films
2009 films
Films set in Corsica
Films shot in Corsica
Films about chess
Films based on French novels
Films based on German novels
2009 directorial debut films
French comedy-drama films
Films scored by Nicola Piovani
2000s French films