Scorsese introduces The Queen of Spades Christmas screening

opens nationwide on Boxing Day with a special introduction by acclaimed director Martin Scorsese. The special digital re-issue of the classic supernatural drama, which has not been seen in British cinemas since its original release in 1949, will open on Boxing Day at key London sites as well as regional art-houses across the country. The film will also be available in 2010 on DVD for the first time (alongside Dickinson classics: ). Dickinson was a respected figure of British cinema from the late 1930s up to the 1950s and helped to found UCL?s groundbreaking film department at the Slade School, where he became Britain?s first Professor of Film Studies in 1967. Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese, one of the film?s most vociferous supporters, will provide a brief introduction before each screening. Professor Philip Horne and Dr Peter Swaab (UCL English) who co-authored the book will also present the film at a selection of the screenings in London. Set in 1806 Imperial Russia, the film sees St Petersburg in the grip of gambling fever.