Film
Movie theaters, reviews and showtimes in New York, plus articles, trailers and more
- Home
- Box Office
- Listings
- Trailers
- Features
Bookmark this page- Edition:
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Sternberg's penultimate film with Dietrich was the visual apotheosis of their work together: a chronicle of the rise of Catherine of Russia, with elements of burlesque and pastiche, conceived principally as a delirious, extravagant spectacle. (It could almost be read as Sternberg's homage to silent cinema, with its strong alliance of music and visuals, and its narrative relegated to intertitles; but it's also a prefiguration of Ivan the Terrible) Catherine begins as an ostensibly naive innocent, tucked up in bed to tales of the Tsars' atrocities, and winds up in male military drag, killing her halfwit husband, leading her cavalry into the palace, herself merging with icons of Christ. In other words, beneath the surface frivolities, it's tough stuff. The decor and costumes, and the mise-en-scéne that deploys them, have never been equalled for expressionist intensity.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Producer: Adolph Zukor
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Louise Dresser, Sam Jaffe, C Aubrey Smith, Gavin Gordon full cast
Genre(s): Period/Swashbucklers
Duration: 109 mins
Most popular on this site
Features
From here to maternity
Catherine Deneuve, belle maman, reigns in A Christmas Tale.
Van Dammage
With the metamovie JCVD, the Muscles from Brussels hopes to flex his acting chops.
Kind of blue
Elizabeth Banks comes undone in Zack and Miri Make a Porno.
Sim city
Charlie Kaufman dreams up a portrait of the artist as a control freak.
Oliver's army
W. returns Hollywood's provocateur to the big political canvas.
Bridesmaid revisited
Anne Hathaway crashes more than a wedding in Rachel Getting Married.
What do you think?
Post your review now