The Scarlet Empress

The Scarlet Empress Photos

View All Photos

Cast & Crew

Marlene Dietrich
Princess Sophia Frederica, Catherine II

John Lodge
Count Alexei

Sam Jaffe
Grand Duke Peter

Philip Sleeman
Count Lestoq

Louise Dresser
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

C. Aubrey Smith
Prince August

Josef von Sternberg
Director

Manuel Komroff
Writer

Eleanor McGeary
Writer

Emanuel Cohen
Executive Producer

Josef von Sternberg
Producer

W. Franke Harling
Original Music

Bernhard Kaun
Original Music

John Leipold
Original Music

Oscar Potoker
Original Music

Josef von Sternberg
Original Music

Bert Glennon
Cinematographer

Sam Winston
Film Editing

Josef von Sternberg
Film Editing

Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for The Scarlet Empress

James Gray’s Five Favorite Films

View All

Audience Reviews for The Scarlet Empress

• Feb 21, 2020

  Historical accuracy be damned. The surreal imagery, camp performances, weird little comedic bits, and Dietrich are the reasons to see this.
  

  Alec B Super Reviewer
• 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.
  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.
  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.
  

  Super Reviewer