The Scarlet Empress
Director: Josef von Sternberg
Year Released: 1934
Rating: 4.0
Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich effectively do Eisenstein, throw in bleak humor and sexual nudge-nudge-wink-winks. The future Catherine the Great (Dietrich) gets pulled away from Prussia to wed positively daffy, action-figure mad Grand Duke Peter (Sam Jaffe) - their 'marriage' is unfulfilling for her, so she starts working her way through the Russian Army. Dietrich's not exactly good at playing 'innocent,' so her early scenes of supposed naivety require suspension of disbelief, though when she's able to do 'sultry' and cunning she's in a league of her own, with von Sternberg's camera loving the sweet hell out of her bright visage. It's an aesthetic marvel too - you might argue that there are one too many intertitles, but that's just nitpicking, especially with the elaborate sets, meticulous lighting and imaginative editing. Historical accuracy, be damned!
