Dead of Night/The Queen of Spades

Rating:
Summary: THANK YOU, ANCHOR BAY, FOR THESE MASTERPIECES!
Review: About ten years ago, I screened THE QUEEN OF SPADES at New York's Museum of Modern Art film library. I had heard that they had, in their collection, an old 16 mm print of this almost-lost treasure. I sat with a Russian stage/film director friend, as well as actress Rosemary Harris (late of Aunt May in SPIDERMAN); the three of us were transfixed as we discovered, and Rosie re-discovered (she had seen the premiere in England), this astonishing piece of film alchemy.

Anton Walbrook's talent, like Vivien Leigh's, was ineffable. His choices, as an actor, are so outlandish sometimes that you think he will never pull off the moment - then he stops right at the edge and leaves you gasping at the utter uniqueness and danger of his choice. Dame Edith Evans, in her film debut, playing a woman forty years her senior, is all remarkable, twisted, bitter, frightened restraint. (Rosie mentioned that Edith Evan's key moment of reaction, in the film, had so frightened the audience at the time that everyone screamed out loud. Not difficult to understand, even today...)

The lighting and camera direction are at once solid and ethereal; dreamy like Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BETE, and brutally unforgiving like Welles' CITIZEN KANE.

Much has been said about DEAD OF NIGHT and deservedly so. This genuinely is the grandfather of all psychological horror films. What seems so innocuous, almost gentle at first, develops into a disturbingly laden freight train barrelling straight towards you. There will be no way to escape. You will be knocked squarely off your tracks. Completely and utterly disorienting. Warning: do not watch this film alone at night. Don't even watch this film alone on a sunny day.

The picture and sound on each are very good and rich. The liner notes and artwork accompanying the DVD are of great interest, and are a wonderful starting-off point for the viewer.

Would that more DVD-producing companies were like Anchor Bay. Could they be poised to take over the position that Criterion, up until recently (with misleading claims of restoration and a chronicity of poor quality releases), enjoyed? One can only hope.

Rating:
Summary: The perfect Double Feature: Two very distinct films.
Review: Dead of Night is one of the most stylish british films ever made. Five (no less) great tales of the supernatural. They are all great. The last one (about the ventriloquist who believes his doll to be alive) is one of the best madness-sequences ever made on film! This sequence is very famous and deserves to be seen many times. This is a film that will let you wondering about the all those great black and white TRUE horror films that we do not see today in the computer age. If you liked The Haunting (Robert Wise's original version) and Spirit of the Dead, this is a film for you: true psycological/supernatural horror.

Queen of Spades is not as famous as the other film, but it is also a true gem to be discovered. It tells the story of a russian officer who's obsessed with discovering the secret of winning at the cards. This obsession will have the most macabre implications. The production designer on this film is a true winner. So is the screenplay and the cinematography.

Here you have two great films for the price of one (positively two of the best films ever made by the Ealing Studios). Who can ask for more? The image on the DVD is fine on both films. There are no extras, but don't let that put you away: these films are worth it. If you (like me) love classic chillers, these are for you!

Rating:
Summary: SUPERB DOUBLE BILL....
Review: Fantastic pairing of two vintage British chillers and an immediate collector's item. Bravo Anchor Bay. 1.) 1946's "Dead Of Night" is an early anthology of supernatural tales told by a group of strangers at a country house to another stranger who has seen them all before----in a nightmare. Excellent cast, good exposition of stories that have been mimicked many times since but never this well. Best: the "Haunted Mirror" sequence and the final horror tale of Hugo the dummy with a brilliant performance by (Sir) Michael Redgrave as the tormented ventriloquist. This sequence features Elisabeth Welch, the singer later to be seen in the bizarre finale of Derek Jarman's equally bizarre "The Tempest". Good print, sometimes tinny sound but not that bad---it's really OK. Weakest sequence is the golfer's story that had been excised from previous prints. Still, it's interesting to see the adult aspects in this sequence not seen in American films of the time. And, in some of the other sequences, to hear "hell" used as a swear word so many times--- also taboo in 40's American films. 2.) 1949's "Queen of Spades"---a film I had never seen before. Based on Alexander Pushkin's famous story, it tells of a Russian military officer in the 1800's who becomes obsessed with learning the "secret" of winning at Faro, a popular card game sweeping Europe at the time. He obtains a mysterious book on the occult that tells of a famous Countess who learned the secret but sold her soul to the devil in the process. The story is true so he tracks her down to learn her "secret" and finds her an aged, embittered but wealthy recluse with a pretty ward she's devoutly protective of. He surreptitiously woos the girl to get to the Countess with tragic results. He accidently scares the old lady to death when she won't talk. But her ghost comes back...with an offer he can't refuse. The details of this film---both in story content and visuals---are mesmerizing. It's darkly Gothic and creepy. The period setting is beautifully realized on film. Anton Walbrook and (Dame) Edith Evans are wonderful as the soldier and the Countess as are the rest of the cast. Brilliantly directed by Thorold Dickinson, this is a must see. A rare and unusual film for purists. Don't miss out on this worthy double bill DVD. Both films are classics to be sure but "Queen of Spades" is really something special.

Rating:
Summary: Beware THE QUEEN OF SPADES!
Review: I first saw this film on a PBS series CINEMATIC EYE over 20 years ago and have never forgotten it nor had the chance to see it again. Until now. This marvelously macabre film is based on a short story by Alexander Pushkin which is the same one used by Tchaikovsky for his opera of the same name. It stars Anton Walbrook (THE RED SHOES) and Dame Edith Evans in what marked her film debut at the age of 61. The story of a man who is obssessed with the secret of winning at cards and the woman who posseses that secret is turned into a tour de force by producer Anatole De Grunwald and director Thorold Dickinson. The movie is full of baroque chiaroscuro lighting and bizarre camera angles and looks like a cross between the films of Val Lewton and Orson Welles with a little Fritz Lang thrown in for good measure. The acting by Walbrook, Evans, and a cast of British stalwarts ranges from flamboyant to quietly repressed and suits the material perfectly. If you appreciate the old style of moviemaking where what you don't see will thrill you and all the filmmaking elements are combined to produce a delirious whole then this is the movie for you. It's a cliche' but they just don't make movies like this anymore. Couple it with DEAD OF NIGHT which is one of the truly legendary films of psychological horror (and has plenty of reviews elsewhere) at one low price and you simply can't go wrong. Thanks to Anchor Bay for making this incredible package available. Both films have superb video transfers. The audio on DEAD OF NIGHT has never been ideal but this is the best it has ever sounded. And remember the next time you play cards, "BEWARE THE QUEEN OF SPADES"!

Rating:
Summary: Must have
Review: I won't say much about DEAD OF NIGHT, as any one who will be buying this set knows how extraordinary & ahead of it's time that film is. Needless to say, the Michael Redgrave segment is the best of a good bunch, with even the 'lighter' stories offering excellent viewing.
It's the QUEEN OF SPADES that proved the surprise to me - I had never seen this film, relagating it to 'second fiddle' after DEAD OF NIGHT, when it does in fact hold it's own remarkably well.
Slow moving, but to it's benefit, the story see's Anton Walbrook, a German engineer in the Russian army, envious of the wealth & title that are automatically bestowed upon his comrades. After learning that a Russian noblewoman posesses the secret of winning at cards, he manipulates her lady-in-waiting to gain access to this secret. things go slightly awray and although he gains the secret, the aged noblewoman dies of fright.
This part of the story takes up most of the film, with the 'haunting' of the engineer forming the final act.
Although lacking any actual 'horror', this film has a definate atmosphere of unease and of meddling with things that should be left alone. Superb performances again, with the key being the utter conviction of the cast.
A film like this could not be made today, which makes it all the more important that productions like this and DEAD OF NIGHT should be cherished by fans of what the term 'horror film' really means as opposed to what it was eventually twisted into in the '80's & '90's.

Rating:
Summary: Must have
Review: I won't say much about DEAD OF NIGHT, as any one who will be buying this set knows how extraordinary & ahead of it's time that film is. Needless to say, the Michael Redgrave segment is the best of a good bunch, with even the 'lighter' stories offering excellent viewing.
It's the QUEEN OF SPADES that proved the surprise to me - I had never seen this film, relagating it to 'second fiddle' after DEAD OF NIGHT, when it does in fact hold it's own remarkably well.
Slow moving, but to it's benefit, the story see's Anton Walbrook, a German engineer in the Russian army, envious of the wealth & title that are automatically bestowed upon his comrades. After learning that a Russian noblewoman posesses the secret of winning at cards, he manipulates her lady-in-waiting to gain access to this secret. things go slightly awray and although he gains the secret, the aged noblewoman dies of fright.
This part of the story takes up most of the film, with the 'haunting' of the engineer forming the final act.
Although lacking any actual 'horror', this film has a definate atmosphere of unease and of meddling with things that should be left alone. Superb performances again, with the key being the utter conviction of the cast.
A film like this could not be made today, which makes it all the more important that productions like this and DEAD OF NIGHT should be cherished by fans of what the term 'horror film' really means as opposed to what it was eventually twisted into in the '80's & '90's.

Rating:
Summary: ACTUALLY TRULY SCARY
Review: One of the all-time great scare anthologies, DEAD OF NIGHT (Anchor Bay) is a classic collection of freaky supernatural stories told by strangers at a remote estate. The topper is Sir Michael Redgrave as a renowned ventriloquist who tells his tale of madness and murder when his dummy exhibits a mind of his own. The uncut, restored UK version is coupled with the wonderfully macabre QUEEN OF SPADES.

Rating:
Summary: TWO OF THE BEST BRITISH FILMS OF ALL TIME
Review: The thriller genre has seldom been so intelligently exploited as in Dead of Night, a collection of bizarre tales that are loosely linked, but that leave you with a feeling of having gone somewhere unusual, as in a dream that you can't awaken from. The photography, sets, ambiance, all superb! Michael Redgrave in the ventroloquist sequence is nothing short of astonishing. This is simply one of the great male performances on film! BUT...

But the real treasure in this DVD is The Queen of Spades. This is one of the great horror films of the cinema. Yet, it's amazingly beautiful. The scene with the young woman in that gown from the 18th century exploring the entrails of the palace...I'll say no more as not to spoil it for anyone...is just a work of art. This is a beautifully designed, photographed, and acted tale of obsession and greed. It's one of my all time favorite movies alongside UGETSU, 8 1/2, and SANSHO THE BAILIFF, and it's way up there in the same cinematic league. This is a rare find, a movie that almost nobody ever talks about...and few have seen. If you see this masterpiece, you will not forget it, I assure you. Anchor Bay has been doing a beautiful job with their classics on DVD. Although I have not seen the film on digital disc as of this writing, I saw it on video and the quality was phenomenal (many years ago). The DVD could only be better. Hopefully.

This collection, if the discs and trasnfers meet my standards of technical excellence, coul result without a doubt as a candidate for one of the top four or five must-have DVDs of this (or any) year!

Rating:
Summary: TWO OF THE BEST BRITISH FILMS OF ALL TIME
Review: Two of my favorite all-time films, together in one package and with almost top-notch presentation ! DEAD OF NIGHT never looked better, but the sound is more muffled than the previous VHS video release; no trailer included. QUEEN OF SPADES -- possibly my favorite film of all time -- receives a stellar presentation and great (for 1949) sound ! Long overdue for a proper DVD release, QUEEN OF SPADES combines excellent camera work, music score, script and performances for a truly spell-binding experience ! A great trailer, too !

Rating:
Summary: ...
Review: Two of my favorite all-time films, together in one package and with almost top-notch presentation ! DEAD OF NIGHT never looked better, but the sound is more muffled than the previous VHS video release; no trailer included. QUEEN OF SPADES -- possibly my favorite film of all time -- receives a stellar presentation and great (for 1949) sound ! Long overdue for a proper DVD release, QUEEN OF SPADES combines excellent camera work, music score, script and performances for a truly spell-binding experience ! A great trailer, too !