After five consecutive films and recent declining revenues, Paramount separated Marlene Dietrich from her Svengali-like director, Josef von Sternberg , assigning her to Rouben Mamoulian for the marmoreal SONG OF SONGS/’33, a pairing that did little for either party. Hence, Dietrich’s quick return to Sternberg’s loving care & idolatrous attention in this obsessive bio-pic on the unlikely, but triumphant rise of Catherine the Great from childhood in Prussia to Empress of Russia. An extravagant, one-of-a-kind folly that lost a fortune, it showcases Sternberg at his most visually extreme in thrillingly over-detailed sets, costumes & decor, following a cruel storyline that’s really not much more fictionalized than an average naturalistic bio-pic. Bartered as a teen for political purposes, Catharine finds herself engaged to the future Peter III, a man stunted physically, mentally & morally, a personal disaster that ends up freeing her sexually, intellectually & politically. The work, fascinating & beautifully controlled, combines the visual & narrative compulsions of Erich von Stroheim, along with something of his curdled humor, and Sergei Eisenstein's monumental Russian Orthodox iconography. (Indeed, anticipates Eisenstein.) The soundtrack, a disappointing assemblage of (mostly) Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn, is the only element in the production that doesn’t feel radically advanced. A monstrosity in many ways, you’ll see why it failed at the time, but also a great cinematic thrill. And in John Lodge, able to stand up to (or is it withstand?) the force of Marlene’s personality, a leading man who got away. Sternberg was never this extreme again.
CONTEST: There are two Catherine The Greats in this cast. Name the other Catherine, and the film where she played the role, to win a MAKSQUIBS Write-Up of a film of your choice.
DOUBLE-BILL: Dietrich & Sternberg weren’t the only actor/director team to reunite via Catherine the Great. The recently restored Ernst Lubitsch delight FORBIDDEN PARADISE/’24 (another lux visual stunner from Paramount) found Lubitsch calling shots for the fifth and last time with old partner Pola Negri, four years after they co-starred in his SUMURUN/’20. (Hopefully a beautiful new restoration from 2019 will soon show up in some video format.)
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