IMDb RATING
6.9/10
3.2K
YOUR RATING
A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film subtly suggests Hélène's improvement at playing chess through her opening moves. At the beginning, with her mentor, she opens by moving a side pawn, a move typical for inexperienced players who don't understand chess openings. Half-way through the apprenticeship, she opens with the king's pawn, the most widely used opening move, which shows that she now understands that chess playing is more than moving pieces and has an inner logic to be followed. For her last game with her mentor, she opens with the queen's pawn, a more complex opening which requires a better understanding of the dynamics of the game.
- GoofsWhen Helene and Kroeger were playing their blind game. Kroeger calls for a move of j6, which is no such square. Obviously the person who translated the subtitles misunderstood plus doesn't know chess.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Maltin on Movies: Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Featured review
Bonnaire shines, but where's Phoebe Cates?
No need for my redundant review of this engaging French drama, driven (as the first-time director admits) by a desire to showcase the brilliant actress Sandrine Bonnaire, but the film's earliest scenes immediately had me wondering. Why didn't star Kevin Kline bring his better half Phoebe Cates with him to Corsica to play the enigmatic role of L'Américaine (portrayed instead by Jennifer Beals) in this film?
Like many a fan from the '80s, I've long awaited Phoebe's return to the screen (apart from the indulgent "The Anniversary Party" featuring her whole family with Kline), and here would be a perfect opportunity: just as Charles Bronson's wife Jill Ireland, after her own successful career, later appeared in roles of varying sizes in nearly two dozen Bronson vehicles, Cates would have been a showstopper here, not that Beals is deficient in any way. It would have at least taken away the cryptic nature of Beals showing up at all -with Cates we'd know why.
After this popped into my head during the first reel, I remembered that I had, by mere happenstance, had the pleasure of watching movies in theaters in NYC back in the '80s sitting next to both of these great beauties: at an Italian new filmmakers showcase held at the Quad Theater (Beals) and at a Times Square screening room (Cates). So I'm the Kevin Bacon, just like Kline, connecting the two, as trivial a fact as you will ever want to know or more likely not know about.
Like many a fan from the '80s, I've long awaited Phoebe's return to the screen (apart from the indulgent "The Anniversary Party" featuring her whole family with Kline), and here would be a perfect opportunity: just as Charles Bronson's wife Jill Ireland, after her own successful career, later appeared in roles of varying sizes in nearly two dozen Bronson vehicles, Cates would have been a showstopper here, not that Beals is deficient in any way. It would have at least taken away the cryptic nature of Beals showing up at all -with Cates we'd know why.
After this popped into my head during the first reel, I remembered that I had, by mere happenstance, had the pleasure of watching movies in theaters in NYC back in the '80s sitting next to both of these great beauties: at an Italian new filmmakers showcase held at the Quad Theater (Beals) and at a Times Square screening room (Cates). So I'm the Kevin Bacon, just like Kline, connecting the two, as trivial a fact as you will ever want to know or more likely not know about.
helpful•26
- lor_
- Mar 6, 2017
- How long is Queen to Play?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- €5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $478,710
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $28,092
- Apr 3, 2011
- Gross worldwide
- $2,458,601
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content