NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Imprint Blu-ray (June 2024): Imprint have also transferred Thorold Dickinson's "The Queen of Spades" to Blu-ray. It is advertised as "from a 4K restoration of the original nitrate negative". There is quite a difference from the older Kino. While the Imprint has a lower bitrate it may be the superior 1080P image. We can see that one has an issue with the ratio (stretched or compressed.) I don't know which is more theatrically accurate but the Imprint is marginally cropped on all four edges, is in the correct 1.37:1 and has richer, deeper black levels plus a tad improvement in detail most of the time. I can only say I really enjoyed the HD presentation, fairly clean and it exports a pleasing texture. I can only say I had no issues and if forced to choose - I would opt for the Imprint.   

NOTE: We have added 54 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Imprint use a linear PCM dual-mono track (16-bit) in the original English language. I couldn't distinguish much difference from the Kino in terms of audio but the Imprint may support the higher end slightly more adeptly. We are privy to an alert score by Georges Auric (The Mind Benders, The Lavender Hill Mob, Heaven Knows Mr. Allison, It Always Rains on Sunday, Dead of Night, The Innocents, Lola Montes, Rififi, Wages of Fear) exporting a seething depth and advancing the haunting atmosphere via the uncompressed transfer. There are some unique sound effects (ex. a jet engine played in reverse) that add rich flavor to the viewing experience. Imprint include optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray.

The Imprint Blu-ray offer two commentaries. The second, which is also on the Kino, is by critic Nick Pinkerton (author of Goodbye, Dragon Inn: - Decadent Editions) who describes why The Queen of Spades is not a archetypically British production referencing the European principles in cast and crew and the setting (Russia). He makes the case for it being a distinctly continental film, also discussing Napoleon, DP Otto Heller (The Ipcress File, Peeping Tom), the dancer Maroussia Dimitrevitch, the short story by Alexander Pushkin and much more. I found it, as I always do with him, education and set at a nice pace to re-watch the film. There is also a new commentary (the first offered on the disc) by Pamela Hutchinson (author of 30-Second Cinema: The 50 most important ideas, genres, and people in the history of movie-making, each explained in half a minute.) She talks about the life of the author, whose best known short story The Queen of Spades was adapted; Alexander Pushkin, his play, Boris Godunov and his novel Eugene Onegin, his young death, debt and his wife's infidelity. She also talks about other film adaptations of the story including German ands Russian silent films. She discusses how Thorold Dickinson's film utilizes expressive editing, composition, lighting and symbolism, as well as a very bold use of sound. Pamela talks about Dickinson, Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, Yvonne Mitchell and others. She moves at quite a clip and it may be an academic commentary you need to listen to twice to get full advantage of her analysis. She can sound like she is reading but, regardless, I thought it was quite thorough filling the film's running time with well-researched data on the production, tangential cinema and the era. Luck of the Cards is a previously unreleased 5-minute interview with actor Michael Medwin who played Hovaisky in The Queen of Spades. Also included is 20-minutes of Anna Bogutskaya (author of Unlikable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate) on The Queen of Spades, Anton Walbrook and more details about the story and production. It's very deep and well-researched. Bravo! “The Nightmare People” has Thorold Dickinson on Saturday Night at the Movies a Canadian-based show hosted by Elwy Yost from 1974 - 1999. I have quite the connection with Elwy as he lived near me, taught at my school, briefly worked at my father's place of employment and as a child I watched his daily show at 6:30 every night where he would show a half hour of a, usually older, feature film and talk about it - showing the next 1/2 hour the following evening. It was my first exposure (I might have been 12 years old) to Hitchcock's The 39 Steps. He also hosted Saturday Night at the Movies showing older, quality, films with discussions or interviews. The series presented almost 1,500 films and over 1,000 interviews. It was kind of the precursor to DVD extras and he definitely had a part in my burgeoning film appreciation. A wonderful man. Thank you Elwy. He passed in 2011. His son, Graham Yost, is a screenwriter best-known for Speed, Broken Arrow, and Hard Rain. Anyway this Imprint Blu-ray extra is a 35-minute interview with Thorold Dickinson by Elwy Yost conducted in the south of England. The director talks about his recollections filming The Queen of Spades, and the critical reaction, with anecdotes. Repeated from the Kino Blu-ray is a short introduction by Martin Scorsese and a revealing 20-minute analysis by film critic Philip Horne (author of Thorold Dickinson: A World of Film) with the director's rare mastery of style, thrilling eroticism, and a preoccupation with the psychology of betrayal all explored. We get two, meager quality, audio interviews - 18-minutes with director Thorold Dickinson at the British Federation of Film Societies and a 1/4 hour 1968 screening Introduction by Thorold Dickinson. I *think* these have been on the previous DVD edition and the audio is sub-standard. Lastly, is a theatrical trailer and photo gallery.

Thorold Dickinson's "The Queen of Spades" is an exemplary fantasy-horror. It is based on Alexander Pushkin's short story The Queen of Spades involving Captain Herman Suvorin (Anton Walbrook) compulsive avarice and his divining of supernatural, mystical, forces to achieve an overpowering obsession fueling greed seeking the "secret of three winning cards". He feels that his ultimate goal may be fulfilled by a book he purchases, entitled The Strange Secrets of the Count de Saint Germain and becomes further encouraged after reading a chapter "The Dead Will Give Up Their Secrets." Beyond the brilliant story, The Queen of Spades" has an opulence of decor and costumes, a brilliant sound design and creative cinematographic use of mirrors and a seething subtext of desire. Like Martin Scorsese, I love "The Queen of Spades" and also consider it a masterpiece. On their Blu-ray, Imprint stack the package with two excellent commentaries (new and old,) deep analysis, interviews, and more. It is the best digital package of the film and we strongly recommend this Imprint Blu-ray for your library.  

***

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (October 2019): Kino have transferred the wonderful cerebral mystical horror The Queen of Spades to Blu-ray. It is on a dual-layered disc with a max'ed out bitrate. I liked the way this looked in 1080P. There are still a few marks and speckles but contrast is nicely layered and there is pleasing detail in some of the stirring close-ups. I think it looks very good, if not pristine - requiring a film-level restoration to advance further - and that may never be in the works. I was happy enough with it obviously advancing beyond SD-quality.

It is another lossless DTS-HD Master transfer (16-bit) for the film's audio. Kino offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

Kino include an audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton who describes why The Queen of Spades is not a archetypically British production referencing the European principles in cast and crew and the setting (Russia). There is a short introduction by Martin Scorsese and a revealing 20-minute analysis by Film Critic/Author Philip Horne (author of Thorold Dickinson: A World of Film) with the director's rare mastery of style, thrilling eroticism, and a preoccupation with the psychology of betrayal. We get two audio interviews - 18-minutes with director Thorold Dickinson at the British Federation of Film Societies and a 1/4 hour 1968 screening Introduction by Thorold Dickinson. I *think* these have been on the previous DVD edition. Lastly, is a theatrical trailer and a couple of other film trailers.

I've always loved The Queen of Spades for its suspense and keen cinematography. What a 150-year old story! - involving an obsession with cards and a deal of sins. It's a intellectual horror rather than relying on graphic obviousness. The more I watch it the better the film gets. A fabulous choice for Blu-ray. The commentary and other supplements give it even more value - we give this a very strong recommendation!

Gary Tooze