The Queen of Spades: Intertextuality in Chardynin’s and Protazanov’s silent film adaptations, Tchaikovsky’s opera, and Benois’ illustrations for the story by Alexander Pushkin

This article analyzes the reception by Pyotr Chardynin (1910) and Yakov Protazanov (1916) of Tchaikovsky’s opera, The Queen of Spades (which is considered as an intertext of the films), drawing upon both the opera and Alexandre Benois’ illustrations for Alexander Pushkin’s story. The study aims to identify the two masters’ unique cinematic poetics and how they interpreted the artistic images and semantic dominants of the opera. Five scenes serve as the focus for comparison: “Summer Garden,” “Gambling House,” “Barracks,” “Countess’s Bedroom,” and “Winter Canal.” Benois’ illustrations significantly influenced Protazanov’s 1916 film, as demonstrated through a formal stylistic analysis of its stills. Chardynin’s film uses the opera’s libretto as its foundation but centers its imagery on three cards, emphasizing the mystical and dangerous secret that destroys the characters. Protazanov, like Tchaikovsky, delves deeper into Hermann’s psychology, seeing it as a reflection of the existential themes of the Silver Age. While Chardynin employs a theatrical, box-set approach to staging, Protazanov manipulates character placement—their detachment from or proximity to each other—using montage to create a quid pro quo effect. This visual approach allows for a more nuanced interpretation of the drama.