THE STANFORD THEATRE
The Scarlet Empress poster

The Scarlet Empress

1934 ★ 104 min
Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Sam Jaffe, Gavin Gordon
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Writer: Manuel Komroff
Producer: Josef von Sternberg, Adolph Zukor

The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 American historical drama film starring Marlene Dietrich and John Lodge about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff. The film stars Dietrich as Catherine, supported by Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, and C. Aubrey Smith.

Trivia

  • Director Josef von Sternberg described The Scarlet Empress as "a relentless excursion into style," and historical accuracy is sacrificed in the film for its style.
  • To show Russia as backward, anachronistic and in need of reform, the imperial court was set at the Kremlin in Moscow, rather than in Saint Petersburg, which was a more European city.
  • The royal palaces in the film are shown as made of wood and full of religious sculptures, but free-standing religious sculpture is not part of the Orthodox tradition.

Previous Showings

11 Runs • 5 Festivals

9,179 tickets sold

Original Billings: 1 run (September 12, 1934)

Original Run: September 12, 1934 (Wednesday - Thursday)

All runs on record (11):

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