Lyla Dejesus
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 American historical drama film about the life of Catherine the Great. The film stars Marlene Dietrich as Catherine, supported by John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, and C. Aubrey Smith. Rubinstein's Kammenoi-Ostrow is the wedding song in the film, which plays during the entire wedding scene where Catherine marries Grand Duke Peter.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Film name | The Scarlet Empress |
| Year | 1934 |
| Genre | Historical drama |
| Director | Josef von Sternberg |
| Producers | Josef von Sternberg |
| Screenplay | Eleanor McGeary |
| Based on | Diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff |
| Starring | Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, C. Aubrey Smith |
| Song | Rubinstein's "Kammenoi-Ostrow" |
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What You'll Learn
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 film
The film begins with an innocent and obscure German princess, Princess Sophia Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, who is sent to Russia to marry Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the throne. Her dreams are shattered when she discovers that her new husband is a childish imbecile. She soon starts taking lovers from the military guard and eventually flees the palace with her loyal troops. This leads to a coup, with Catherine ringing the bell signalling the start of her rule as Empress.
The Scarlet Empress is one of the great, unheralded films of the 1930s, known for its lush and grotesque imagery. The Russian royal palace is depicted as a charnel house full of gargoyles, grotesque figures, and twisting statues. The film sacrifices historical accuracy for style, with the imperial court set in the Kremlin in Moscow to portray Russia as backward and in need of reform.
The wedding scene, which is largely silent, features Rubinstein's "Kammenoi-Ostrow" arranged for chorus and orchestra. The camera focuses on close-ups of individuals, blurring their faces to convey the loneliness of the bride, Princess Sophia, as she marries the vulgar and insane Grand Duke Peter. The scene is filmed in an immense, yet claustrophobic cathedral, creating an emotional and voyeuristic experience for the audience.
The Scarlet Empress is part of a series of von Sternberg/Dietrich films exploring how a woman asserts herself in a male-dominated world. While the films have been criticised and misinterpreted, modern critics view The Scarlet Empress positively, recognising its unique style and artistic expression.
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The film is loosely based on the diary of Catherine the Great
The 1934 film The Scarlet Empress is a highly fictionalized biopic of Catherine the Great, based on the diary of Catherine II. The film is directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg, who described the film as a "relentless excursion into style". The Scarlet Empress is known for its unique style and expressionist art design, with intricate lighting and camerawork, and has been well-received by modern critics despite taking substantial historical liberties.
The film begins with a young, innocent German princess, Sophia Frederica, who is chosen by Queen Elizabeth of Russia to marry her nephew, Grand Duke Peter, in order to produce a sane male heir to the throne. Her dreams are shattered when she finds her new husband to be a childish imbecile. Her innocence soon fades, and she begins taking lovers from among the military guard.
The Scarlet Empress features a stellar cast, with Marlene Dietrich playing the role of Princess Sophia, later Empress Catherine II, and John Lodge as Count Alexei, her Russian fiancé's emissary and one of her military lovers. The supporting cast includes Sam Jaffe as the insane Grand Duke Peter, Louise Dresser as Empress Elizabeth, and C. Aubrey Smith as Sophia's Prussian father. Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva also makes an appearance as the young Catherine.
The film is particularly notable for its artistic style, with intricate lighting and expressionist art design. The Russian royal palace is portrayed as a charnel house full of gargoyles, grotesque figures, and vast doors that require a half-dozen women to open. The film's style has been described as "Russian Gothic", with wooden architecture and religious sculptures that differ from the airy rococo palaces of the real Empress. The Scarlet Empress is also known for its unusual dialogue and mise-en-scene, creating a hyperrealist atmosphere of nightmare.
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The film's director is Josef von Sternberg
The 1934 film The Scarlet Empress was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg. The film is an American historical drama starring Marlene Dietrich and John Lodge. It is based on the life of Catherine the Great, and is adapted from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, which was itself loosely based on the diary of Catherine, arranged by Manuel Komroff.
Josef von Sternberg is known for his stylistic approach to filmmaking, and The Scarlet Empress is no exception. The director has been quoted as describing the film as "a relentless excursion into style", and indeed, the film is known for its hyper-stylised aesthetic, with a unique approach to lighting and expressionist art design. The film's Russian palace setting is a far cry from the airy rococo palaces of the real Empress Elisavieta Petrovna. Instead, the set is filled with wooden architecture, featuring railings and balustrades carved into the shape of peasants in attitudes of great suffering. The palace is also filled with statues of human figures "crying, screaming, or in throes of misery", designed by Pete Babusch, which line the hallways and even decorate the royal thrones and serving dishes.
The film's wedding scene, in which Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, later Empress Catherine II, marries Grand Duke Peter, is a key moment in the film. The scene is filmed in a series of close-ups of individuals and long shots that blur the characters' faces, creating a sense of isolation. The camera cuts closer and closer to the veiled face of the bride, creating a sense of voyeurism and intensifying the suffocating atmosphere. The wedding banquet table is presided over by a skeleton, adding to the sense of morbidity and claustrophobia.
The film's style has been described as "Russian Gothic", with a focus on creating a hyperrealist atmosphere of nightmare. The film's aesthetic is a key part of its appeal, with modern critics viewing it positively despite the substantial historical liberties taken. The Scarlet Empress is a striking example of Josef von Sternberg's directorial style, with its unique approach to lighting, expressionist art design, and attention to detail in set design.
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The film's stars are Marlene Dietrich and John Lodge
The 1934 American historical drama film The Scarlet Empress stars Marlene Dietrich and John Lodge. The film is about the life of Catherine the Great and is directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg. The film is based on the diary of Catherine, arranged by Manuel Komroff, and tells the story of her rise to power.
Dietrich plays Princess Sophie Friederike Auguste von Anhalt-Zerbst-Dornburg, later Empress Catherine II, and is supported by Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, and C. Aubrey Smith. Dietrich's performance as a shy, soft-spoken innocent who transforms into a strong-willed woman in the second half of the story, is particularly notable. John Lodge and Gavin Gordon play Catherine's military lovers.
The film is known for its surreal and stylized imagery, with a focus on the Russian royal palace, which is depicted as a charnel house full of grotesque gargoyles and artistic ghouls. The palace is filled with fantastic statuary, twisting and writhing in silent, unspeakable pain. The film also includes brief glimpses of bare-breasted women and highly sexual scenes, which were unusual for the time due to the impending Hays Code, which sought to remove immoral content from cinema.
The Scarlet Empress is part of a series of films exploring the question of how a woman can assert herself in a male-dominated world. This theme is particularly evident in von Sternberg and Dietrich's collaborations, with The Scarlet Empress marking the extreme pessimism and bitterness of their final two films together, The Scarlet Empress and The Devil Is a Woman.
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Rubinstein's Kammenoi-Ostrow is played during the wedding scene
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 American historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and John Lodge. It is based on the life of Catherine the Great, an innocent and obscure German princess who is sent to Russia to marry Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the throne. The film was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg and stars Dietrich as Catherine, supported by Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, and C. Aubrey Smith.
The film is particularly notable for its unique style, lighting, and expressionist art design. It features several striking scenes, including a royal wedding banquet filled with gargoyles, grotesque figures, and a skeleton presiding over the table. The wedding scene, in particular, stands out for its emotional impact and voyeuristic camera work, capturing the innocence and vulnerability of the bride, Princess Sophia Frederica, in an immense yet claustrophobic cathedral.
During this iconic wedding scene, the film's score features Rubinstein's "Kammenoi-Ostrow" arranged for chorus and orchestra. The inclusion of this musical piece adds to the atmosphere and emotional depth of the scene, enhancing the audience's experience of the film.
The use of "Kammenoi-Ostrow" in this context showcases the attention to detail in the film's score, contributing to the overall impact of The Scarlet Empress as a memorable and influential work of cinematic art.
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Frequently asked questions
Rubinstein's "Kammenoi-Ostrow" is played during the wedding scene in The Scarlet Empress.
During the wedding scene, Princess Sophia Frederica, who later becomes Empress Catherine II, marries Grand Duke Peter.
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 American historical drama film about the life of Catherine the Great.
