The Scarlet Empress

The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Josef von Sternberg
Screenplay by	Manuel Komroff (diary arranger); Eleanor McGeary;
Based on	The diary of Catherine the Great
Produced by	Emanuel Cohen; Josef von Sternberg;
Starring	Marlene Dietrich; John Lodge; Sam Jaffe; Louise Dresser;
Cinematography	Bert Glennon
Edited by	Josef von Sternberg; Sam Winston;
Music by	W. Franke Harling; John Leipold;
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	September 15, 1934;
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$900,000

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.

Even though substantial historical liberties are taken, the film is viewed positively by modern critics.^[2]^[3] The Scarlet Empress is particularly notable for its attentive lighting and the expressionist art design that von Sternberg created for the Russian palace.

The film stars Dietrich as Catherine, supported by Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, and C. Aubrey Smith. Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva plays Catherine as a child.

^ Box office / business for The Scarlet Empress (1934) at IMDB
^ Roger Ebert, The Scarlet Empress Review, January 16, 2005.
^ Derek Malcolm, Josef von Sternberg: The Scarlet Empress, May 25, 2000, The Guardian.

[1] Box office / business for The Scarlet Empress (1934) at IMDB

[2] Roger Ebert, The Scarlet Empress Review, January 16, 2005.

[3] Derek Malcolm, Josef von Sternberg: The Scarlet Empress, May 25, 2000, The Guardian.

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