Queen to Play in US cinemas
In January 2010 we already mentioned the film Queen to Play, in which a housemaid sees two people playing chess, and then falls in love with the royal game. Starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline, the film opens today in US cinemas.The official title of the French/German film is Joueuse. It was directed and written by Caroline Bottaro, together with Caroline Maly and Jeanne Le Guillou. It's based on Bertina Henrichs' 2005 novel The Chess Player. It's distributed by StudioCanal in France and Concorde Filmverleih in Germany, and opened in German cinemas in January last year.The Palm Springs Film Festival described the movie as follows:Sandrine Bonnaire and Kevin Kline (in his first French-speaking role) shine in this sophisticated feel-good comedy set in idyllic Corsica. Middle-aged chambermaid Hélène's newfound obsession with the game of chess leads her to seek the tutelage of a reclusive American expat, transforming both of their ho-hum lives in the process.
Trailer: Queen to Play
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"197","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","height":"344","width":"425","style":""}}]]Today Queen to Play opens in cinemas in the USA, and distributor Zeitgeist Films asked us to spread the word. Their 'eblast' describes it as follows:Oscar winner Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, The Ice Storm) and the luminous Sandrine Bonnaire (Vagabond, La Ceremonie) square off in this stylish and sophisticated dramedy of newfound passions and mid-life triumphs, set on the postcard-perfect isle of Corsica. Lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Helene (Bonnaire) discovers she has a knack for chess. This obsession—much to the chagrin of her husband and teenaged daughter—leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor (Kline, in his first French-speaking role)—a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives. Based on Bertina Henrichs' acclaimed novel La Joueuse d'echec (The Chess Player), Queen to Play is the feature film debut of French director and screenwriter Caroline Bottaro.
Zeitgeist trailer
Kevin Kline about the movie
Below our January 8, 2010 report we already have a few comments from people who have seen the move. Again, if you've seen it, don't hesitate to share your opinion in the comments below.Links
Peter Doggers joined a chess club a month before turning 15 and still plays for it. He used to be an active tournament player and holds two IM norms. Peter has a Master of Arts degree in Dutch Language & Literature. He briefly worked at New in Chess, then as a Dutch teacher and then in a project for improving safety and security in Amsterdam schools. Between 2007 and 2013 Peter was running ChessVibes, a major source for chess news and videos acquired by Chess.com in October 2013. As our Director News & Events, Peter writes many of our news reports. In the summer of 2022, The Guardian’s Leonard Barden described him as “widely regarded as the world’s best chess journalist.”
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