Directed by:
Josef von SternbergCinematography:
Bert GlennonCast:
Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, C. Aubrey Smith, Gavin Gordon, Olive Tell, Ruthelma Stevens, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski (more)Plots(1)
Marlene Dietrich stars in Josef von Sternberg’s feverishly debauched biopic as the spoiled princess Sophia Frederica, who grows up being groomed for greatness and yearning for a handsome husband. Sent to Russia to marry the Grand Duke Peter, she is horrified to discover that her betrothed is a half-wit and her new home a macabre palace where depravity rules. Before long, however, she is initiated into the sadistic power politics that govern the court, paving the way for her transformation into the imperious libertine Catherine the Great. A lavish spectacle in which von Sternberg’s domineering visual genius reaches new heights of florid extravagance, The Scarlet Empress is a perversely erotic portrait of a woman—and a movie star—capable of bringing legions to heel. (Criterion)
(more)Cast
![Marlene Dietrich](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/267/267967_a78635.jpg)
Marlene Dietrich
German Empire
Best movies:
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
The Blue Angel (1930)
![John Lodge](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/126/158126131_ee6f9b.jpg)
John Lodge
USA
Best movies:
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Little Women (1933)
Murders in the Zoo (1933)
![Sam Jaffe](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/272/272982_cb133b.jpg)
Sam Jaffe
USA
Best movies:
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Spies (1957)
Lost Horizon (1937)
![Louise Dresser](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/505/505214_62138f.jpg)
Louise Dresser
USA
Best movies:
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
The Eagle (1925)
Mr. Wu (1927)
![C. Aubrey Smith](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/421/421430_08db3c.jpg)
C. Aubrey Smith
UK
Best movies:
Waterloo Bridge (1940)
Rebecca (1940)
Madame Curie (1943)
![Gavin Gordon](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/158/245/158245621_d0b185.jpg)
Gavin Gordon
USA
Best movies:
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Notorious (1946)
![Olive Tell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/153/626/153626346_f9f485.jpg)
Olive Tell
USA
Best movies:
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
Ruthelma Stevens
USA
Best movies:
Harvey (1950)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
The Fountainhead (1949)
![Hans Heinrich von Twardowski](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/162/099/162099086_f67c4a.jpg)
Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
German Empire
Best movies:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Casablanca (1942)
From Morn to Midnight (1920)
![Edward Van Sloan](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/496/496859_16c0c1.jpg)
Edward Van Sloan
USA
Best movies:
Love Crazy (1941)
The Song of Bernadette (1943)
The Phantom Creeps (1949) (TV movie) - a.f.
![Jane Darwell](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/164/348/164348342_2f5b4f.png)
Jane Darwell
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Love Is News (1937)
Caged (1950)
![Kent Taylor](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/499/499990_81a0e1.jpg)
Kent Taylor
USA
Best movies:
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
One Hour with You (1932)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
![Jameson Thomas](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/505/505318_cab476.jpg)
Jameson Thomas
UK
Best movies:
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
The Invisible Man (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
![Akim Tamiroff](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/272/272389_d5fa40.jpg)
Akim Tamiroff
Russian Empire
Best movies:
The Reluctant Saint (1962)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Touch of Evil (1958)
May Foster
USA
Best movies:
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
The Docks of New York (1928)
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
![Richard Alexander](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/886/157886701_57630c.jpg)
Richard Alexander
USA
Best movies:
The Great Dictator (1940)
Modern Times (1936)
The Mysterious Lady (1928)
![Julanne Johnston](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/157/886/157886207_eedb16.jpg)
Julanne Johnston
USA
Best movies:
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
The Big Parade (1925)
The Scarlet Empress (1934)
![Leo White](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/000/276/276205_b052c0.jpg)
Leo White
German Empire
Best movies:
The Great Dictator (1940)
Casablanca (1942)
The Invisible Man (1933)
![Harry Woods](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/105/792/105792725_afc459.jpg)
Harry Woods
USA
Best movies:
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
The Viking (1928)
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
![James Burke](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w88h116crop/files/images/creator/photos/159/961/159961965_a40f08.jpg)
James Burke
USA
Best movies:
The Power and the Glory (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
The Young Philadelphians (1959)