JohnHowardReid
Well, it seems that you either adore this movie or you hate it. I'm glad to see that we who like it, have the advantage. One of the main objections to the movie seems to be that it is historically inaccurate. Have YOU ever seen a movie that was historically accurate? I haven't - unless it was a documentary, and even then it was rare to agree with everything I saw on the screen.Frankly, I don't usually care if a movie really is totally inaccurate. I see movies as vehicles of escape, not of information (either true, false or in between). And this fantastic recreation of Tsarist Russia, featuring Peter Ballbusch's weird sculpture and showing off some masterful photography (credited to Bert Glennon) is a spectacle you will never forget. The whole cast is superb! And the direction magnificent!
binapiraeus
This is Von Sternberg's work - this characterization alone is almost enough to describe this picture. As always, the great Master revels in his love for opulence, grand settings, theatrical acting, sex, intrigues, and violence; and since "The Scarlet Empress" was one of the last pictures to 'escape' the full enforcement of the Production Code, he can do so once more without almost ANY restriction.It's nothing like a historical movie, of course - except that it goes roughly along the real events in the 17th century: the young German princess Sophia is summoned by the Russian empress Elizabeth to marry her half-wit son and bring some 'fresh blood' into the decadent czarist line. And Marlene Dietrich is a WONDERFUL sight throughout all the picture: how she 'develops' from the innocent young girl that's still hoping for a beautiful prince into a disillusioned, willful, lustful woman; in the beginning she's almost shocked by the advances of the good-looking count Alexej, who turns out to be one of the greatest heart-breakers of the court - but the longer she's forced to live with her literally abominable demented husband, the new Czar, the more she gets to like the idea that 'every woman in the court has got her lovers'; and so she virtually 'commandeers' all the army officers - something which will help her a lot in the counter-intrigue she's forced to spin against the deadly intrigues of her 'husband'...So this is a REAL pre-Code movie (and certainly one of the most pompous and extravagant of all) - and it's got a very interesting and unique aspect to it concerning sex: here, the MEN are the 'sex objects', not only for the formerly innocent Sophia, who's become reckless and randy Catherine - but even for the lustful old empress Elizabeth! The only one who'd shown a similar 'attitude' in pre-Code movies was Mae West... (Who'd in fact wanted very much herself to make a movie about Catherine the Great, but Von Sternberg beat her to it; well, she turned her own ideas into a stage play later on...) So, as far away from any kind of reality as it may be - enjoy it as a Hollywood 'fairy tale' (of the 'nasty' kind...); it's one of the most entertaining ones ever made!
lugonian
THE SCARLET EMPRESS (Paramount, 1934), directed by Josef Von Sternberg, based on the diary of Catherine the Great, as arranged by Manuel Komaroff, reunites its director with his star queen, Marlene Dietrich, for the first time since BLONDE VENUS (Paramount, 1932). For their fifth collaboration, this ranks one of the most stylish, visual experience ever presented. Capitalizing on the current trend of historical spectacles based on various crown heads of Europe, ranging from Charles Laughton's Academy Award winning performance in Alexander Korda's THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (London Films, 1933) to Greta Garbo's take as QUEEN Christina (MGM, 1933) of Sweden, THE SCARLET EMPRESS goes a step further having Dietrich's Catherine the Great competing with Elisabeth Bergner's title role in Korda's own interpretation of THE RISE OF CATHERINE THE GREAT (London Films, 1934). With the grand scale Korda-Bergner production no doubt an astounding theatrical success, it's THE SCARLET EMPRESS that stands out with its most outlandish flavor of bizarre extravagance.Imitating the basic elements of a silent film epic through its continuous underscoring of classical compositions by Peter Tchaikovsky and Felix Mendelssohn, and numerous inter-titles preceding upcoming scenes of events opening with: "About two centuries ago, in a corner of the kingdom of Prussia, lived a little princess - chosen by destiny to become the greatest monarch in her time - Tsarina of all Russias - the ill-famed Messalina of the North," before its two minute prologue introducing seven-year-old Catherine, nee Sophia Frederica (Maria Sieber) of Germany, in bed being examined by her doctor. With her hopes on becoming a toe dancer, her mother has other plans for this future queen. Next scene reveals the adult Sophia (Marlene Dietrich), swinging on a vine surrounded by other young girls, later meeting with her elders with the news of her forthcoming journey to Russia accompanied by her aunt, Princess Johanna (Olive Tell), and young escort, Count Alexei (John Lodge) for an arranged marriage with her future husband. Upon their arrival, Sophia is met by the outspoken Empress Elizabeth (Louise Dresser), who not only renames her "Catherine," but demands the heir to the throne to be a boy. Catherine's girlish dreams for a tall, dark and handsome husband are shattered with the meeting of Grand Duke Peter Fyodorovitch (Sam Jaffe), a royal half-wit, whom she is to marry. The marriage goes on as planned at the Old Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan, but the honeymoon is practically over as the couple sleeps in separate quarters. In due time, Catherine is slowly driven to affairs with soldiers of the Russian Army, while Grand Duke Peter and his mistress, Countess Elizabeth (Ruthelma Stevens), plot for Catherine's murder.In the "cast of 1,000 players," only a few are credited with their names in lower case lettering, including C. Aubrey Smith as Prince August; Gavin Gordon (Gregory Orloff); Jameson Thomas (Lieutenant Ovtsyn); Edward Van Sloan (Herr Wagner); Jane Darwell (Madame Cardell). The one billed simply as "Maria," is Maria Sieber, Dietrich's real-life daughter, assuming her role as a child. For Dietrich's performance, her role of Catherine resembles of the one played in Rouben Mamoulian's THE SONG OF SONGS (1933) through her interpretation of a shy, soft-spoken innocent convincingly transformed to a strong-willed lady of the world during its second half of the story. Although there's much criticism in regards to Sam Jaffe's portrayal of Grand Duke Peter bearing the physical manner of comedian Harpo Marx, from white wig to wide eyes and hideous smile, Jaffe (in motion picture debut) appears to be more believable with this characterization than the much handsomer portrayal given by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in the aforementioned British made version. Had THE SCARLET EMPRESS been filmed as a satire rather than an epic spectacle, how amusing, or embarrassing, this production might have been with Harpo's Grand Duke Peter chasing after Catherine and her ladies-in-waiting throughout the castle. Due to her seemingly more American acting style, Louise Dresser comes across as the miscast Empress Elizabeth. While Von Sternberg might have acquired the services of natural Russian born actress as Maria Ouspenskaya, who would have been perfect as she was in the story about Napoleon (Charles Boyer) in CONQUEST (MGM, 1937 starring Greta Garbo. John Lodge, whose acting style and strong deep voice predating that of future actors Orson Welles or Van Heflin, blends in perfectly with his character of Count Alexi, and nothing more.Often compared to the directorial style of silent director Erich Von Stroheim with use of camera capturing the slightest detail, Von Stroheim participation in spectacle finds his actors, Dietrich included, competing with reproduction of 16th century Russian exteriors, sets (compliments of Hans Dreier), costumes, devilish plaster of Paris gargoyles, nude statutes, and thousands of lighted candles. The Von Sternberg method of super imposing, tracking shots over guests sitting by dinner tables and soft focus photography (by Bert Glennon) of Dietrich's facial expressions are evident and expected. Catherine's clattering up the palace steps on her white horse and climatic finish through "1812 Overture" scoring are justly famous.Revived often on television through much of the 1970s and 80s prior its distribution on video cassette and DVD, THE SCARLET EMPRESS, has the distinction of being was the only Dietrich/Von Sternberg collaboration ever presented on American Movie Classics (1992-93). In later years, has turned up occasionally here it premiered in 2002 on Turner Classic Movies. Possibly Catherine the Great never lived such a life as depicted on screen but Dietrich of Paramount certainly lived out her role as the Scarlet Empress. (***)
Anthony Dolphin (santasprees)
All the mutually-mated and mutated blue blood of the courts of Europe must have curdled into a brain-stunting stew long before 1760, so its fitting that Von Sternberg's vision of the Russian dynasty is so damaged and deranged, importing fresh Prussian genes (Dietrich as Catherine) to arrest the degenerative slide. Sam Jaffe's Grand Duke Peter (later, briefly, the Emperor Peter III) is Harpo Marx cross bred with Tiny Tim on the Island of Dr Moreau. Marlene Dietrich's Catherine, after an initial doe-eyed turn as an innocent, is an automaton of desire, arousing with one hand, castrating with the other, at once a vixen and a shrew shot through gauze and candles by a permanently stimulated lens. At its (wordless) best, a feast of ragingly intemperate psycho-sexual and psycho-historical motifs in a wobbly frame.
