Runtime: 95 minutes
Directed by: Thorold Dickinson
Starring: Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, Yvonne Mitchell, Ronald Howard, Mary Jerrold
From: De Grunwald Productions/Associated British Pictures Corporation
A movie watched because it’s about to leave Shudder in a matter of hours. I realize this news won’t benefit most or that I’ve heard the few other titles to be gone from the platform include The Blood on Satan’s Claw and The Manitou but this was information only privy to me shortly before I went to bed on Monday. As I’ve known of the film for a bit and was intrigued by the plot…
Based on an Alexander Pushkin story (explaining the 1806 Russian setting) the general story is that a haughty man who is a Russian officer is petrified of gambling on faro-a card game whose mechanics does not need to be explained here-yet still desires more money as unfortunately that is required for career advancement. He hears a legend about how an aging countess once sold her soul to win a faro game. Yes, a singular game; the reasons why are complicated.
The journey the viewer goes on is unique--it's a plot that envelops you; henceforth, the details of the plot won’t be revealed by me. There was intrigue, mystery, horrifying moments, and even a romance involving a put-upon young woman. Who the viewer has sympathy towards and what the focus turns towards is one of the pleasant surprises. This was swell both behind and in front of the camera; it was a pleasant surprise then that this was on a platform like Shudder for a few months, no matter how often someone was like me and took a chance on an obscurity.
No comments:
Post a Comment