The Rise of Catherine the Great
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Peter III.
- Elisabeth Bergner: Katharina
- Flora Robson: Empress Elisabeth
- Irene Vanbrugh: the young Catherine
- Gerald du Maurier: Lecocq
- Joan Gardner: Katushienka
- Griffith Jones: Orlov
- Clifford Heatherley: Ogarev
- Diana Napier: Countess Voronthova
Catherine the Great is a British biopic from 1934 by Paul Czinner. The film, whose script is based on the play The Czarina by Lajos Biró and Melchior Lengyel, tells a very free version of the career of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. In Germany the film was released on 15 July 1949 in the cinemas. After the premiere in May 1934, the film was banned by the Nazi regime.
Action
Russia in 1745., The heir to the throne Peter, who is regarded as spendthrift, undergoes his displeasure that he should marry. The command comes from his aunt, the Empress Elizabeth, who he secretly despised. Peters wife to be the young and petite German princess of Anhalt -Zerbst -Dornburg. However, the young woman must have been their religion and their names change to be a suitable bride for the heir to the throne. Elizabeth lets the princess in Catherine RENAME. Peter, who rejects the planned wedding and Elisabeth hurts so is held by Catherine for an officer. Peter is enchanted by the woman and changes his mind. But just before the wedding he feels tricked himself. The wedding night spends Peter with another woman.
Later, Catherine tells her husband that she had had 17 people in the last two years. However, your mother in law exposed the story as a lie, to remind her son jealous. Peter and Catherine speak out and reconciliation. The now aged and diseased Empress Elizabeth is sure that Catherine can prevent the planned shipment of food an impending revolt of the citizens. Moreover, should not the revolutionary leader to be hanged, but the Minister responsible for adversity.
When the Empress died, Peter on his legacy. But the formerly ignored by the citizens of new Tsar is mentally unstable. He orders to ban all women from the court. In addition, he sets out to search for a mysterious unknown soldier. Catherine now lives in a remote wing of the palace. To her mortification, Peter takes a new mistress, the Countess Vorontzova. The officer Orlov, who is in love with Catherine, she informed of a planned coup attempts. He urges her to claim the throne for himself. She accepts, Peter is deposed and imprisoned. Citizens celebrate Catherine. But Orlov informs them that Peter was killed in prison, and that was the price of power.
Reviews
The lexicon of the International Films writes: " Well maintained, although historically very free verfahrendes chamber play by historical motifs; thanks to the fine art of acting - in particular in the title role -. still remarkable, " Mordaunt Hall of the New York Times described the film, in spite of all cinematic freedom, as" significantly closer to history than most gleichartigem productions " It would involve. a " respectable movie." time out was, the film fell sharply against the U.S. at the same time released film the scarlet Empress by Josef von Sternberg with Marlene Dietrich from. But director Czinner could rely on Vincent Korda's buildings and the fabulous performances of the actors.
Background
According to Variety, the film cost about 400,000 dollars ( 7.235 million euros ), making it the most expensive up to then British film production.
The Australian Robert Krasker worked there as a camera technician. Vincent Korda, the brother of producer Alexander Korda, who himself took over the government in some shots, was responsible for the equipment in this film.
Elisabeth Bergner, the actress who plays Catherine, was the wife of the director Paul Czinner.
The film is in the public domain and can be viewed on the Internet Archives in the original version.