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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
THE RISE OF CATHERINE THE GREAT..., April 7, 2002
This 1934 film is an interesting historical drama. Flora Robson is wonderful as the Empress Elizabeth, intelligent and politically astute, though wanton. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is well cast in the role of the Grand Duke Peter, playing him as a weak, lascivious, rake of a fellow. The role of Catherine is well played by Elisabeth Bergner. At first, Catherine, a German princess intent only upon marrying the Grand Duke Peter, the man to whom she has been promised since she was ten, seems to be a humble, simple soul. They marry, and Peter proceeds to treat Catherine badly, humiliating her at every turn. When his aunt, the Empress, dies and Peter becomes Emperor, it becomes clear that he is not fit to rule. Catherine, however, tries to ameliorate some of Peter's harsh edicts and rulings. It soon becomes clear as time passes that it is Catherine who is fit to rule and in the interest of Russia to see to it that she does. How this comes about, and what happens to ensure that Catherine becomes Empress, is interesting, making it a film worth watching. Unfortunately, I do not know whether this film is historically accurate or not. It is moderately entertaining, nonetheless, with good performances by the entire cast.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Elisabeth Bergner, an almost-forgotten actress. . . ., December 4, 2008
...plays the title character in this film (also known as "Catherine the Great"). Her co-stars are Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Flora Robson -- who, at 32, was five years younger than Bergner, although Robson plays a much older woman, namely, Empress Elizabeth of Russia. The empress's nephew (Fairbanks) says of her, "She's the most shameless rake who ever wore petticoats. If she weren't on the throne she'd be on the street." This is a surprisingly accurate historical drama, a rarely seen film that's well worth watching. Unfortunately, the print presented on this VHS tape is flawed -- the quality of the picture is only so-so, and 30 to 45 seconds are missing from one scene. Even so, it deserves four stars; and if the missing footage were present I would give it five stars for the fine performances of Bergner, Fairbanks and Robson. P.S. for film buffs: this movie was directed by Bergner's husband, Paul Czinner; they were the real-life models for Margo Channing and her husband in "All About Eve," which was inspired by actual events.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
THE RISE OF CATHERINE THE GREAT..., May 21, 2006
This 1934 film is an interesting historical drama. Flora Robson is wonderful as the Empress Elizabeth, intelligent and politically astute, though wanton. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. is well cast in the role of the Grand Duke Peter, playing him as a weak, lascivious, rake of a fellow. The role of Catherine is well played by Elisabeth Bergner. At first, Catherine, a German princess intent only upon marrying the Grand Duke Peter, the man to whom she has been promised since she was ten, seems to be a humble, simple soul. They marry, and Peter proceeds to treat Catherine badly, humiliating her at every turn. When his aunt, the Empress, dies and Peter becomes Emperor, it becomes clear that he is not fit to rule. Catherine, however, tries to ameliorate some of Peter's harsh edicts and rulings. It soon becomes clear as time passes that it is Catherine who is fit to rule and in the interest of Russia to see to it that she does. How this comes about, and what happens to ensure that Catherine becomes Empress, is quite interesting, making it a film worth watching. Unfortunately, I do not know whether this film is historically accurate or not. It is moderately entertaining, nonetheless, with good performances by the entire cast.
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