The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress
During the 18th century, German noblewoman Sophia Frederica, who would later become Catherine the Great, travels to Moscow to marry the dimwitted Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne. Their arranged marriage proves to be loveless, and Catherine takes many lovers, including the handsome Count Alexei, and bears a son. When the unstable Peter eventually ascends to the throne, Catherine plots to oust him from power.
Tyler S reviewedMay 29, 2025
For all the elegance and style used by Sternberg here what makes this movie work for me is Marlene Dietrich, she's one of those actress's I can just stare at and be happy, she was a star that had a screen presence that completely commands your attention (Sternberg clearly knew this, half the runtime is her framed beautifully in close-up). As for the plot, it doesn't really draw you in until the halfway point and gets surprisingly horny, you can tell this was a Pre Code film. Worth checking out for Dietrich with a side bonus of some extravagant costumes, set designs and some creepy as hell gargoyle statues.
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6.5/10