Product Details

• Actors: Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Plummer, Franco Nero, Marthe Keller, Maximilian Schell
• Directors: Michael Anderson
• Writers: Chris Bryant
• Producers: Michael Deeley, Neville C. Thompson, Stephen Smallwood
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: May 29, 1991
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302025192
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #190,644 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's No Drama Like the Truth, March 20, 2003

By 

H. M Pyles (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Young Catherine/TNT Version [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Frederick the Great sums it up beautifully at the end of this magnificent movie when he comments that this "frail, young slip of a girl has won herself an empire, and there is nothing anyone can do about it. Against all the odds, that is what she has done." I have always been fascinated by the bold outlines of the Catherine saga -- how she was shipped across a continent as a teenager to audition for marriage into a family renowned for its violence, how she was wed as a pawn of international politics to a strange youth who would emerge a mad sadist with autocratic power, how she survived and, although a woman and not of Russian stock, wrested a throne from the blood descendants of Peter the Great to become the dominant monarch of her age.

But how? And why? Until time travel is conquered, we'll probably never know all the answers. Meanwhile, though, this movie stands as the best "it could have happened this way" presentation of what might have lain behind the momentous historical facts. Even when there is a descent into bald speculation, such as with the non-Romanov paternity of Catherine's son, the speculation is based on a credible interpretation of known events and tracks what many court gossips suspected at the time and some historians have surmised since.

The icing on the cake of an intelligent script in the hands of talented actors is that these guessed-at events are filmed in the actual settings against which the real events played out. Sure, the palace was rebuilt after WWII more in its 19th-century garb than its 18th, and there are a few shots from Peterhof that are presented as being on the grounds of the Catherine Palace. But who cares? The sense of the grandeur of the age and the overwhelming luxury that still cannot squelch shabbiness of spirit remains intact. You'll find few, if any, historical dramas better done than this one.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grand historical drama with wit and intelligence, March 12, 2001

By 

R.L. Holly "piper909" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Young Catherine/TNT Version [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Let me first of all clear up some confusion: this seems to be the double-cassette, 180-minute version of "Young Catherine", not the badly edited 150-minute version. If so, it's the best available. Unfortunately, even this, often sold as the "complete" movie, is not really complete. The laser disc version on the Internet Movie database lists a running time of 187 minutes; moreover, when I tried to watch my copy of this video, I noticed quickly that little scenes were missing. I took out my original tapes from the TV broadcasts. Sure enough, there ARE cuts -- maybe not huge cuts, but telling cuts just the same, that sacrifice details and context to no good purpose. Seven minutes may not seem like much (if that's ALL that is missing), but the scenes I noted (before I gave up comparing and just watched my old TV taping) added significant characterization to the script and established clearer motivations for several key players. Why bother to remove these scenes? Just to save seven minutes of videotape? bah!

Enough of that. I would still recommend this film to anyone who likes a rousing good historical drama with well-defined characters, a meaty plot involving intrigue and romance, witty and believable dialogue, and thoroughly engaging performances by all players. (Plummer's droll English ambassador is especially noteworthy.) If only half the period flicks were this intelligently scripted! I knew nothing at all about Catherine the Great before watching this (except for the scandalous gossip that later grew up around her), had never seen Julia Ormond before, yet both film and actress are now firm favorites. Also commendable are Redgrave's capricious Empress and Reece Dinsdale's thoroughly madcap Grand Duke Peter, Catherine's surprise bridegroom. Dinsdale must have graduated first in his class at the Roddy McDowall School of Acting -- his resemblance to the veteran English actor is startling in this picture, and he makes a wonderfully loony (but still dangerous) Grand Duke, with his delusions, perversions, and idiocies.

Catherine, by contrast, must survive by her wits, and adding to the dangers of palace intrigue -- Watch out for that oily Pole! Beware the cunning Prussian! Trust not the serving maid who poisons your morning chocolate! -- are the risks she takes in finding love with a handsome Captain of the Imperial Guard. Slowly, Catherine gathers a circle of loyalists and advisors she can trust. When the inevitable storm breaks, and she must take a stand against her mad husband who would bring ruin to Russia, Catherine is ready to face her ultimate challenge.

The dramatic face-off between Ormond (who wears her 18th century military uniform quite well, it must be admitted, even if this places me in league with the cretinous Grand Duke) and the regiments opposed to her coup is a little too freely "borrowed" from "Waterloo" (which is in turn based on Napoleon's actual conduct), but at least it's an honest swipe. "Young Catherine" takes few other missteps. Pity we never got to see a follow-up ("Not Quite So Young Anymore Catherine"?) or more worthwhile projects like this from Ormond, an underrated actress who deserves better movies. And whatever you do, don't waste time with Catherine Zeta-Jones' recent Welsh-accented disaster "Catherine the Great"! (for my true feelings about this mess, see my amazon.com review).

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensual, Appealing, Intrique, March 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Young Catherine/TNT Version [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I originally saw this movie in 1991 or 1992 when it aired on TV. I recorded it and watched many, many times. I shared it with everyone I knew! Not a single person who has viewed this film disliked it! In college, I majored in Russian, so naturally I was drawn to it. It is breathtaking, rich, dramatic. I now teach Russian to high school students and show this movie each year. Every single one of my high school students is glued to every scene, every word, every character of this film. They comment on it, discuss it, and are enthralled by the characters, the costumes, the palaces, and of course the historical period. It has a timeless appeal and is enjoyed by anyone aged 10 to age 100. I highly recommend seeing it!