The Scarlet Empress
“The Reigning Beauty of the Screen!”
During the 18th century, German noblewoman Sophia Frederica, who would later become Catherine the Great, travels to Moscow to marry the dimwitted Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne. Their arranged marriage proves to be loveless, and Catherine takes many lovers, including the handsome Count Alexei, and bears a son. When the unstable Peter eventually ascends to the throne, Catherine plots to oust him from power.
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Cast
46 people
Marlene Dietrich
Princess Sophia Frederica / Catherine II
Known for
Witness for the Prosecution
Shanghai Express
John Lodge
Count Alexei
Known for
Little Women
Murders in the Zoo
Sam Jaffe
Grand Duke Peter
Known for
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Ben-Hur
Louise Dresser
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna
Known for
The Eagle
C. Aubrey Smith
Prince August
Known for
Rebecca
Tarzan the Ape Man
Gavin Gordon
Capt. Gregori Orloff
Known for
Bride of Frankenstein
The Bat
Olive Tell
Princess Johanna Elizabeth
Also in
Ladies' Man
Ten Cents a Dance
Ruthelma Stevens
Countess Elizabeth 'Lizzie'
Also in
Apache Drums
Not Wanted
Davison Clark
Archimandrite Simeon Todorsky / Arch-Episcope
Known for
Dishonored
Erville Alderson
Chancelor Alexei Bestuchef
Known for
The Bishop's Wife
Objective, Burma!
Maria Riva
Sophia as a Child
Also in
Scrooged
The Taming
Jane Darwell
Miss Cardell, Sophia's Nurse (uncredited)
Known for
The Grapes of Wrath
Mary Poppins
Josef von Sternberg Director · Manuel Komroff Writer Eleanor McGeary Writer
Budget $900K · United States release September 15, 1934 · Produced in United States
Box office
Budget
$900,000
Production
Paramount Pictures
Production · Studio
United States
Produced in
Catherine the Great
Working title
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United Kingdom · May 9, 1934
Theatrical
United States · September 15, 1934
Theatrical
United States · October 20, 1993
Physical · VHS
United States
March 18, 2001 · Physical · DVD
July 13, 2018 · Physical · Blu-ray
Denmark
September 17, 1934 · Theatrical
Finland
September 9, 1934 · Theatrical
France
August 31, 1934 · Theatrical
Germany
June 1, 1935 · Theatrical
Portugal
November 20, 1934 · Theatrical
Spain
November 12, 1934 · Theatrical
Sweden
August 29, 1934 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
March 15, 2000 · Physical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.