The Scarlet Empress

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Cast

Marlene Dietrich
as Princess Sophia Frederica/Catherine II

John Lodge
as Count Alexei

Louise Dresser
as Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

Sam Jaffe
as Grand Duke Peter

Maria Sieber
as Sophia (as a child)

C. Aubrey Smith
as Prince August

Ruthelma Stevens
as Countess Elizabeth

Olive Tell
as Princess Johanna

Gavin Gordon
as Gregory Orloff

Jameson Thomas
as Lt. Ostvyn

Davison Clark
as Archimandrite Simeon Tevedovsky

Erville Alderson
as Chancellor Alexei Bestuchef

Marie Wells
as Marie

Jane Darwell
as Mlle. Cardell

Harry Woods
as Doctor

Edward Van Sloan
as Herr Wagner

John Davidson
as Marquis De La Chetardie

Anna Duncan

Gerald Fielding
as Officer

Elinor Fair

James Burke
as Guard

May Foster

Belle Johnstone
as Aunt

Julanne Johnston

Nadine Beresford
as Aunt

Eunice Murdock Moore
as Aunt

Petra McAllister
as Aunt

Phillip G. Sleeman
as Count Lestocq

Blanche Rose
as Aunt

James Marcus
as Innkeeper

Dina Smirnova

Thomas C. Blythe
as Narcissuse

Clyde Brion Davis
as Narcissuse

Richard Alexander
as Count Von Breummer

Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
as Ivan Shuvalov

Jay Boyer
as Lackey

Bruce Warren
as Lackey

Eric Alden
as Lackey

George Davis
as Jester

Agnes Steele

Patricia Patrick

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Critic Reviews for The Scarlet Empress

Audience Reviews for The Scarlet Empress

• Jul 06, 2018

  Marlene Dietrich is always a treat, and in this film, the 6th of her 7 collaborations with director Josef von Sternberg, she plays Catherine the Great. The film held my interest, but I have to say, it fell a little short for both Dietrich and von Sternberg. The ornate sets are fabulous, and include Expressionist versions of icons and garish carvings, but von Sternberg relies on them too much. He gives us dramatic action and an overly loud soundtrack, but works from a weak script, and loses the human element in the process. Dietrich flips from being too wide-eyed and open-mouthed in the first half of the film, overplaying innocence, to using her feminine charms to win over support against her husband, Peter III. The film is far from historically accurate, and we also don't see anything of Catherine's astonishing reign, including her love of the arts and her advancement of Russia. What we do see are here responding to "You know that the grand duke isn't exactly pleased with the present state of affairs" by quipping "State of affairs? What affairs? I haven't had an affair for some time" with a sly look in her eyes. It's made clear that she's sleeping around, and in one scene romps happily between two men. Aside from the disservice to Catherine the Great, which I suppose you can ignore because this is Marlene Dietrich after all, even in the context of a vehicle to highlight her eroticism, there is something cold and detached about it, and she's better elsewhere. Worth watching for Dietrich and the wild sets, but temper your expectations.
  Antonius B Super Reviewer
• Aug 25, 2012

  As opulent and decadent as can be imagined, Von Sternberg's vision of early court life is suffused in shadows and grotesqueries unlike most films of this sort, bringing to mind the axiom of absolute power corrupting absolutely. The story's not so good, but the imagery will stay with you.
  Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
• May 30, 2011

  The story of Catherine the Great's rise to power in 18th-century Russia seemed unlikely to snare me, but the combination of flamboyant set design, Josef von Sternberg's elegant direction and Marlene Dietrich's charismatic performance make this film fascinating. Add Sam Jaffe's goofy turn as the demented Peter III -- weirdly reminiscent of Harpo Marx -- and "The Scarlet Empress" becomes a can't-miss historical epic. The twisted stone gargoyles incorporated into the walls and chairs of the royal palace are so remarkable that they deserve their own movie. Von Sternberg's loving, soft-focus devotion to Dietrich's face is legendary, and this film captures her beauty in so many ways -- shadows, light and gauzy veils all contribute to the portrait. Meanwhile, Dietrich handles the role's early ingenue phase better than expected (she's all wide eyes and open mouth -- it's like watching Anna Faris's grandmother), though her later transformation to sexual vixen and shrewd leader is somewhat abrupt. One flaw: Von Sternberg's decision to use title cards as transitions seems stale and outdated -- apparently, his mind hadn't entirely left the silent era.
  

  Eric B Super Reviewer
• Sep 22, 2010

  This was a good historical drama, I didn't know much about Catherine before, but this movie didn't tell me everything I wanted to know. It only covers her youth and the time she marries into the Russian royalty, but we don't get to see how she handles the country as the new empress. It was slightly better than I expected, but it let me down in the end.
  Aj V Super Reviewer

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