Feature19341 h 45 min853×480

The Scarlet Empress

Josef von Sternberg

DramaRomanceHistory

Clips are not offered for this film: no licence or public-domain mark is recorded for it.

About

Marlene Dietrich stars in Josef von Sternberg’s feverishly debauched biopic as the spoiled princess Sophia Frederica, who grows up being groomed for greatness and yearning for a handsome husband. Sent to Russia to marry the Grand Duke Peter, she is horrified to discover that her betrothed is a half-wit and her new home a macabre palace where depravity rules. Before long, however, she is initiated into the sadistic power politics that govern the court, paving the way for her transformation into the imperious libertine Catherine the Great. A lavish spectacle in which von Sternberg’s domineering visual genius reaches new heights of florid extravagance, The Scarlet Empress is a perversely erotic portrait of a woman—and a movie star—capable of bringing legions to heel.

Archive
Internet Archive, in More feature films
Licence or status
The Internet Archive states none for this item.
Credit
Josef von Sternberg
Language
English
Who can watch
The archive gives no rating. Invisible Network shows it to Tweens profiles and older, judged from its collection and subjects. How films are placed