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Josef von Sternberg
Director -
Travis Banton
Costume Design -
Hans Dreier
Art Direction -
Bert Glennon
Director of Photography -
Harry D. Mills
Sound -
Emanuel Cohen
Executive Producer -
Sam Winston
Editor -
Manuel Komroff
Writer
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CinemaSerf 6/13/2022 6:36:31 PM
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.
Marlene Dietrich
Princess Sophia Frederica / Catherine IISam Jaffe
Grand Duke PeterAkim Tamiroff
Bit Part (uncredited)Jane Darwell
Miss Cardell, Sophia's Nurse (uncredited)James Burke
Harry Woods
Kent Taylor
C. Aubrey Smith
Prince August