The Scarlet Empress (1934) YTS - Download Yify Movie

Reviewed by CinemaSerf 8 / 10

If anyone was to have actually filmed aspects

If anyone was to have actually filmed aspects of the life of the Princess at the time, then they could hardly have come up with anything more authentic than this fabulous Von Sternberg dramatisation of the rise, and rise of Catherine the Great. Marlene Dietrich is superb as the schemed against who becomes the scheming Grand Duchess married off to the imbecilic nephew (played by a superb Sam Jaffe) of the Empress Elizabeth (an imperious Louise Dresser). Through her series of lovers and strategic alliances, she deposes her idiot husband and accedes to the throne. The (lingering) intimacy of the filming of the star - almost bordering on adulation by the camera (and the director!?); the use of light and shadow - particularly the use of candles; and the marvellous Tchaikovsky score all more than compensate for some of the "train set" model scenery and make this a scintillating story of power. Great stuff.

Reviewed by gbill-74877 7 / 10

Watch it for Dietrich and those fantastic sets

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.

Reviewed by christopher-underwood 6 / 10

like a joke

Obviously this is an amazing thing to produce with massive sets, hundred if not even thousands of people and the number of horses galloping up and down the stairs. The wonderful look of Dietrich all the time especially at the end with the white buttoned down tunic although the simpleton is like a joke and his mother as well like a crazy one and playing as if a comedy. There is nothing really in the historical story but it's a fairy tale and all kitsch. Although Dietrich still looks lovely and smiles and kisses all the time.

The Scarlet Empress

1934

Action / Drama / History / Romance / War

The Scarlet Empress

1934

Action / Drama / History / Romance / War

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Movie Reviews

If anyone was to have actually filmed aspects

Watch it for Dietrich and those fantastic sets

like a joke

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