Catherine the Great (1995)

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.

Directors:

Marvin J. Chomsky, John Goldsmith

Writers:

John Goldsmith, Frank Tudisco

Stars:

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Paul McGann, Ian Richardson

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

In this romanticized biography, a small German principality's inexperienced princess, Catherine, becomes the bride of czarevitch Peter, the mad and abusive nephew and heir of the Russian czarina Elizabeth. From Elizabeth she learns the cynical ropes of wielding absolute imperial power at any cost, including sacrificing her lover, young guards officer Saltykov, who must give her an heir that Peter can't and is then sent abroad. After Elizabeth's death, she quickly moves to seize power with military and court support. She then works to enlarge and modernize the empire, again putting statesmanship ahead of her lover, a military genius who defeats the Ottomans and governs the conquered territories for her.

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Plot Keywords:

breasts | buttocks | decapitation | sex scene | blowing out a candle | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Details

Country:

Germany Austria USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1996 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Catalina la Grande

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

MR Filmproduktion, Patrola Film GmbH, Skylark Cine Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min (2 parts) 60 min (3 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeanne Moreau (Elizabeth) played Catherine in Great Catherine (1969).

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Goofs

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.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

Approx. 80 minutes were deleted from the US version by A&E compared to the original German version which was shown in 2 parts a 90 minutes.

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Connections

Featured in Neighbours: A 10th Anniversary Celebration (1995)

User Reviews

expectations are only risk

a visual delight. a credible Catherine. great cast. and that is not all. it is not a documentary and not a serious analysis of Tsarina reign. it is only a good axis for rainy day and not bad occasion to admire Catherine Zeta-Jones in a pretty role. the acting - a film with Jeanne Moreau,Ian Richardson, Mel Ferrer has not the problems in this domain. and Omar Sharif presence is the best sign for recognize a film who could be not very serious. a brilliant fresco about a Russian period. high ambitions, reasonable solutions. and fun at whole because not only the flavor of atmosphere is important but the nice build of fundamental moments. a film with few drops of fairy tale. good option against the Disney princes fashion.