"Photoplay Productions present in collaboration with Thames Television" "Restored and tinted version from an original nitrate negative" "Music HENRI RABAUD" "Directed by CARL DAVIS" "THE CHESS PLAYER" "Adapted from the novel by Henri Dupuy-Mazuel" "Production (1926):" "Historical Film Society" "Part One" " THE SONG OF INDEPENDENCE" "In the first partition of Poland, between Prussia, Russia and Austria" "Polish Lithuania falls into the hands of Catherine II, Empress of Russia" "In 1776, Vilnius, the old citadel of Polish Lithuania, suffered under the yoke of new Russia" "In the silence of the night, a house in the suburbs, is the stage for strange things" "In this mysterious residence, a strange man had lived from time immemorial, who was said to have been the court advisor at the court of Vienna, and long before the favorite Russian Czarina Catherine II" "This was the Baron Kempelen, the automata builder" "There were, among others, a machine made exactly like a man" "Baron Kempelen:" "Mr. Charles Dullin (Director of the Théâtre de l'Atelier)" "Nearby, in the vast park where the Vorowski palace is located, there is always kept alive the spirit of Polish independence" "To test the loyalty and resignation of Poles" "Catherine had created a mixed regiment and selected as colonel Count Boleslas Vorowski to lead it" "Count Boleslas Vorowski:" "Mr. Pierre Blanchar" "Sophie Novinska inherited her name from her adoptive father, who had raised Boleslas as her brother." "She was the hope of an oppressed people, the very symbol of the country, and young Poles loved her with all their hearts" "Sophie Novinska:" "Ms. Edith Jehanne" "Those present begin this day, Novinska Sophie's birthday, singing the anthem of independence, which was prohibited by the Russian governor under penalty of imprisonment" "Equipped with a special talent for mechanics," "Kempelen had built numerous machines that reminded him, in a tangible form, of the various events of his extraordinary life" "These mechanical soldiers were the faithful guardians of the secrets of the Baron" "Fifteen years ago, this old Gypsy had been revered by the Poles." "Before she died, she prophesied that freedom would be reborn one day in the form of a woman ..." "Sophie said ... and" "Ten years will soon have passed since the Countess Vorowska, who Baron Kempelen had loved without hope, had died and who had entrusted him with the guardianship of her son, Boleslas, and little Sophie, whose origin remained a mystery." "The next day" "In the cavalry barracks, the Mixed Regiment," "Russians and Poles fight at the slightest pretext" "Despite his convictions, Boleslas Vorowski had formed a deep friendship with a Russian lieutenant, Prince Serge Oblomoff" "Prince Serge Oblomoff:" "Mr. Pierre Batcheff" "Roubenko was the orderly for Lieutenant Serge Oblomoff" "Roubenko:" "Mr. Armand Bernard" ""Do not forget that we are celebrating" "Sophie's sixteenth birthday ... we are counting on you"" "Baron Kempelen works on a new automaton." "He has been inspired by a Polish dancer" "A dancer of Catherine II, the Empress" "The dancer, Wanda:" "Miss Jacky Monnier" ""Oh, it is but a small group modeled from another time ..." "Boleslas and Sophie"" ""They look a lot alike ... but clearly they are not brother and sister"" "Wanda was expected in the military club." "She had promised to dance that day in front of the officers of the Russian-Polish regiment" "In the opinion of all, only one man had any chance of winning at chess against Boleslas Vorowski." "This was Major Nicolaieff" "Major Nicolaieff:" "Camille Bert" "Pola:" "Miss Fridette Fatton" ""It's a gift from Boleslas"" "May I give you a rematch?" ""Let's have some fun ... after all, she is no more than a Polish dancer!"" "In the Vorowski palace, the servants and peasants prepare to celebrate the birthday of the young mistress" "I may be late for dinner." "Please do not wait for me." "Boleslas" "The fight, which had occurred between Russian and Polish officers, would be the spark that, again, would inflame Poland, resigned to endure the yoke of the oppressor" "The banner, painted with the image of Sophie, symbol of Polish independence, was dragged through the mud" ""You are Russian, I am Polish; your place is not here tonight." "The city has risen to expel the thieves of our country!"" "The Russian troops withdrew to the outskirts of the city." "Their numbers and artillery would allow them to easily withstand the furious assaults of the Polish rebels" "In her excitement, Sophie imagined a battle much more beautiful and fortunate to fly the flag" "A few weeks later" "The attempted revolt of the Poles had been suppressed, and order had been restored fully in Vilnius." "But the leader of the independence movement had disappeared" "PROCLAMATION" "By order of Her Most Glorious Majesty, Catherine" "Tsarina of All Russia, whoever gives information on the whereabouts of the traitorous and treacherous, Boleslas Vorowski, will receive a hundred thousand rubles." "Anyone who aids him will be put to death." "Meanwhile, Boleslas was at the home of Baron Kempelen he had been saved, with his legs broken, the evening of the battle" "I leave for Warsaw." "I beg you to leave" "Vilnius without delay if you want to save your life." "Prepare to depart with me tonight." "Have courage and confidence." "Not even the greatest difficulties can prevail over love." "Serge" "Kempelen, does he have an idea?" "Eight o'clock at night" "By order of Her Most Glorious Majesty, Catherine" "Tsarina of All Russia, whoever gives information on the whereabouts of the traitorous and treacherous, Boleslas Vorowski, will receive a hundred thousand rubles." "Anyone who aids him will be put to death." ""Did you see the proclamation?"" "Tonight at the fairgrounds, Baron Kempelen will present the marvel of the century, the automaton, the "Chess Player,"" "which will defeat all other players it faces" "Who wants to be the next challenger?" "Part Two The Great Deception" "In Warsaw, a few weeks later." "King Stanislas Poniatowski, an old favorite of Catherine II, having heard the enthusiastic reports about the "Chess Player," expressed a desire to see it himself." "The emissaries of the king found Baron Kempelen, at the time, who was, after a triumphant tour, preparing to travel to Germany with" "Sophie and Wanda, in order to display his prodigious automaton" "King Stanislas Poniatowski:" "Mr. Pierre Hot" ""Major Nicolaieff, you will play against the automaton"" ""I am absolutely sure the dancer is alone in the room"" ""Have patience, Boleslas, tomorrow morning we depart for Germany, and will soon end your sorrows"" ""..." "The invitation to the automaton is a compliment that one cannot fail to appreciate, as clever and as passionate a chess player as the Empress is ..."" "Okay, but do please tell Kempelen, the Empress should be left to her win." "The Empress does not like to lose"" "The inn where Baron Kempelen and his companions are staying" ""We must keep a discreet watch, per the orders of Major Nicolaieff!" "..." "I, Roubenko, am in charge!"" "Major Nicolaieff, having departed, in great mystery, preceding the small company, en route to St. Petersburg" ""I questioned her skillfully ..." "Lieutenant"" ""Tell Baron Kempelen that I need to speak to him"" ""King Stanislas, impressed by your automaton begs you accept this as testimony of his admiration"" "On the other hand, Her Majesty wishes that, as soon as possible your "Chess Player" is to be brought to the Empress Catherine II." "She asks that you leave this morning at dawn, and has asked me to do you the honor of caring for you and escorting you to St. Petersburg"" ""We have only two options." "We leave here ..." "And no doubt you're trapped!" "..." "Either we continue with our deception, thanks to which you have eluded the spies that are spying on us ... and with the help of God, not one month will pass before you've crossed the border." "We also know that Wanda will accompany us and she may be useful there"" ""As a precaution, we should immediately hide you in the automaton." "Since we are leaving in the morning, I fear it is not possible to wait otherwise"" ""So tell me, is Boleslas in Germany ..." "Imagine, that since the publication of the imperial proclamation," "I was only living to think that one day I could meet him and then I'd see myself faced with an obligation to arrest him ..." "I love him as if he were my brother"" "And the next day, Boleslas Vorowski began the most painful stage of his ordeal" "In St. Petersburg, at the Winter Palace" "Crazy Olga, who, for the Empress, replaced the traditional jester of kings, savored in her own way the understanding between Major Nicolaieff and Catherine II" "Olga:" "Miss Alexianne" "Empress Catherine:" "Mrs. Charles Dullin" ""..." "And thus, in three days at the latest, the leader of the Party of Polish Independence will be at the mercy of Your Majesty"" ""God forbid that I should order the death of Boleslas Vorowski!" "Furthermore, since he has disappeared ... we cannot find him!" "..."" ""Yes, I know her... it's Sophie Novinska!"" ""Sophie Novinska?" "..." "Call her by her real name:" "Princess Diacovleff, of pure Russian blood." "The documents that prove her lineage are in Vilnius, in the hands of Baron Kempelen." "Go and get them." "It will be a nice joke when everyone learns that" "The heroine of the Polish Independence was ..." "Born in Moscow!"" ""Go." "Major Nicolaieff, and think of the reward that you will receive on your return, to your reputation and with my gratitude ..."" ""Mamoutcha, you are wonderful!"" "Sophie, moved by the nobility and the suffering Boleslas endured, felt, little by little, that she was having in a more tender feeling than brotherly affection for the young Pole   And on the night of the seventh day, when everyone was asleep ..." ""I can not tell you the joy I feel at the thought at the revelation of the deception that has made a Russian the symbol of Polish independence"" "St. Petersburg." "Baron Kempelen and his company arrive during the Carnival" "The Empress had decided that same day, on rising, to see for herself the famous "Chess Player"" "My cousin Stanislas has told me of the many wonders of your "Chess Player" ..." "I am very happy to be able to compare my power with it"" ""You know that the Czarina is first class in this game"" ""This machine is truly extraordinary ... if it bests the Czarina!" "..."" ""I think Mamoutcha is not playing by the rules"" ""She will, no doubt, take note of what the robot does" ""This automaton is really fun ..." "So, I have decided to bring a festive ending to the carnival." "Tomorrow morning at dawn after the dance ..."" ""The "Chess Player" will be shot"" "for being guilty of the crime of lese majeste."" ""Don't worry, you can make another!"" "To celebrate carnival, Czarina Catherine II has planned tonight, at Court, a masked ball" "In a small room of the Winter Palace" ""I am determined to confess to Serge that it is Boleslas who is hidden in the automaton ..." "Some time ago he wanted to be treated like a brother ..."" ""Not a bit of beauty ... she strangely resembles" "Roubenko, Oblomoff's orderly!"" ""I swear that if, by tomorrow, we encounter a means of helping Boleslas, I will save him"" ""Do not forget that I have been called to Warsaw ..." "I can wait before leaving; can I hope, before my departure, for your consent to be married?"" ""So he swore that if he had the chance, he would save him?" "four o'clock" "Wanda, who remembered that she had unwittingly delivered Boleslas into the hands of the enemy long ago, when he fought in Vilnius, wished, if she could, to assist in his escape" ""Now, let's drink to the health of the soul of the "Chess Player"!"" ""Come on, all in chorus, let's give one last goodbye!"" ""ATTENTION!" "..." "Her Majesty, the Czarina"" ""There were three who went in behind the automaton" "Likewise, three have come out ... but ..."" ""I have changed my mind." "The automaton will be shot at dawn to end the night on a festive note."" "That night in Vilnius, Major Nicolaieff, following the orders of the Empress, entered Kempelen's house" "In the courtyard of the Winter Palace" ""The automaton is bleeding!"" ""You have no right to take a turn, even because of your sacrifice"" ""I do not know what happened ... it may be that Roubenko prevented him from fulfilling his mission"" ""Majesty, you owe me the life that was confided in me sixteen years ago," "I now demand in return the life of Boleslas Vorowski"" ""Good move!" "Don't you think?"" ""It's nothing, just a scratch ... but there is something more urgent," "Boleslas is searching for you, is waiting for you;" "I will follow later."" ""How can I ever forget what have you done for me?"" ""What would make me even happier ... be happy ..." "Sophie and you ..."" ""Kempelen was inside the automaton." "Despite what he says, I think he is seriously injured ..." "But be happy because the Tsarina just signed your pardon and you are regaining your freedom"" ""Freedom ... freedom ..." "Sophie!" "..." "I feel it so close!" "..."" ""..." "And yet so far!" "..."" ""Boleslas, now the future is yours ... the future is ours ..." "Believe me, one day, your most beautiful dreams will come true ..."" "END"