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Of the two 1934 film versions of the life of Russia's Catherine the Great, Josef von Sternberg's The Scarlet Empress was the most opulent and exotic. Marlene Dietrich plays the German-born Catherine, who is required to marry Russia's mad Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe, decked out in a Harpo Marx wig). As if her joke of a marriage .. Read more
| Starring | Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser |
|---|---|
| Director | Josef Von Sternberg |
| Genres | Drama |
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Svengali and his Muse
Josef von Sternberg directed Marlene Dietrich in 5 Hollywood movies in the 1930s and they are all still worth watching today. If you want to see where it ... read more »
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baroque extravaganza
luminous malrene dietrich leads in this baroque extravaganza.
the undoubtable highlight is the art direction; bold and unrestrained, it turns the ... read more »
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Epic of it's day
This film was unexpected. It shows really quality movie making for it's time. The budget must have been emmense, with over 1000 in the cast and dramatic ... read more »
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Fascinating Piece of Cinema History
An intriguing look back at one of the first serious attempt at making historic films in the US. Because of this, I found the Bronx accents a little offputting ... read more »
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Svengali and his Muse
Josef von Sternberg directed Marlene Dietrich in 5 Hollywood movies in the 1930s and they are all still worth watching today. If you want to see where it ... read more »
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Too dated
I do love old movies but this was just too dated, even for my tastes. The acting is extremely hammy, the script is bizarre and the constant melodramatic music ... read more »
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Interesting
How acurate this was historically I don't know, but gave some insight.
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Misleading information
Do not waste your time with this film. Although the cover showes a colour picture and it states it is re released, it is actually the original Black and White ... read more »
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Enjoyable
This is the story of Catherine the Great of Russia; it's strange, however, that despite being named 'The Scarlet Empress', it never actually shows ... read more »