Catherine the Great (1995) (TV)

Directors:

Marvin J. Chomsky
John Goldsmith

Writers:

John Goldsmith (writer)
Frank Tudisco (writer)

Release Date:

14 October 2000 (Israel)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

Trapped in a loveless arranged marriage to the immature future Czar, a young German Princess proves a skillful political infighter and rises to become Catherine the Great.

Plot Keywords:

Heir | Princess | Power | Czarina | Catherine The Great

Cast

Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Catherine
Paul McGann	...	Potemkin
Ian Richardson	...	Vorontzov
Brian Blessed	...	Bestuzhev
John Rhys-Davies	...	Pugachev
Craig McLachlan	...	Saltykov
Hannes Jaenicke	...	Peter
Agnès Soral	...	Countess Bruce
Mark McGann	...	Orlov
Karl Johnson	...	Sheshkovsky
Stephen McGann	...	Alexis Orlov
Veronica Ferres	...	Vorontzova
Mel Ferrer	...	Patriarch
Jeanne Moreau	...	Elizabeth
Omar Sharif	...	Razumovsky

Also Known As:

Katharina die Große (Germany)

Runtime:

Germany:180 min (2 parts) | USA:100 min | 60 min (3 episodes)

Country:

Germany | USA | Austria

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg Studios, Berlin, Germany

Company:

MR Filmproduktion

Goofs:

Continuity: When Catherine borrows the wooden cross from Potemkin, it is hanging from a simple string. But when she gives it back, it has been strung with matching wooden beads. There is no explanation if this is a different prop or if Catherine added the beads herself.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Catherine: The 21st of August 1745... my wedding day. I was fifteen. The Grand Duke Peter was two years older, and we were both pawns in a political game.

Movie Connections:

Version of Young Catherine (1991) (TV)

Marvellous Historical Epic

Catherine Zeta-Jones does an outstanding job in this movie about Catherine the Great of Russia (Zeta-Jones earns the title for herself.) The political intrigue of the 18th century Imperial Russian court comes alive as Catherine - to ensure her own survival - seizes the throne from her husband, the dim-witted and obnoxious Czar Peter, and establishes herself as Empress of Russia. Demonstrating her own political skills, she becomes absolute ruler.

There are some very good battle scenes and few weaknesses in this movie. The plight of the Russian serfs might have been made a little more clear. Their revolt against Catherine's authority dominates the latter part of the movie, but somehow we never really get any strong sense of what they were up against. I also would have been quite willing to watch this movie for another hour or so to have been able to follow Catherine's later career. As it stands, the ending left me a bit empty. All in all, though, this movie well deserves a rating of 8 out of 10.