''The Queen of Spades'' or ''Pique Dame'' is a 1927 German silent

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by

Aleksandr Razumny Aleksandr Yefimovich Razumny (russian: Александр Ефимович Разумный, 1 May 1891 – 16 November 1972) was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter. He was a graduate of the Grekov Odessa Art school in 1914. ...

and starring

Jenny Jugo Jenny Jugo (born Eugenie Walter; 14 June 1905 – 30 September 2001) was an Austrian actress. She appeared in more than fifty films between 1925 and 1950. Biography Jenny Jugo was born Eugenie Walter on 14 June 1905, the daughter of a factory ...

Rudolf Forster Rudolf Forster (30 October 1884 – 25 October 1968) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1914 and 1968. His autobiography ''Das Spiel, mein Leben'' was published by Propyläen Verlag in 1967. He was born in Gr� ...

, and Henri de Vries. It is one of many film adaptations of the Russian writer

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

's 1834 short story "Pikovaya Dama" (" The Queen of Spades") and follows his story closely. It is an example of German Expressionism so prevalent there following the success of ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' in 1919. The film's sets were designed by

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Franz Schroedter Franz Schroedter (9 May 1897 – 14 November 1968) was a German art director.Giesen p.212 Selected filmography * '' The Black Count'' (1920) * ''The Dance of Love and Happiness'' (1921) * ''The New Paradise'' (1921) * '' The Queen of Whitechapel ...

Plot

Tomski, a Russian soldier, mentions to the other soldiers playing cards with him that, years before, his grandmother, the Countess Tomski, told him that an old sorcerer had bestowed upon her a supernatural secret to winning at cards. Another soldier named Hermann later manages to sneak into the Countess' house and tries to wrest the secret from her. The old woman dies of fright, and later her ghost returns to haunt Hermann, driving him insane.

Cast

References

Bibliography

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External links

* 1927 films Films of the Weimar Republic German silent feature films Films directed by Aleksandr Razumnyj Films set in Russia Films about gambling German ghost films Films based on The Queen of Spades 1920s historical drama films German historical drama films German black-and-white films 1920s ghost films Phoebus Film films 1927 drama films Silent drama films Silent horror films 1920s German films {{1920s-Germany-film-stub