The Scarlet Empress
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Synopsis
Filmmaker-svengali Josef von Sternberg escalates his obsession with screen legend Marlene Dietrich in this lavish depiction of sex and deceit in the eighteenth-century Russian court. A self-proclaimed “relentless excursion into style,” the pair’s sixth collaboration follows the exploits of Princess Sophia (Dietrich) as she evolves from trembling innocent to cunning sexual libertine Catherine the Great. With operatic melodrama, flamboyant visuals, and a cast of thousands, this ornate spectacle represents the apex of cinematic pageantry by Hollywood’s master of artifice.
Picture 5/10
The Criterion Collection’s original DVD edition of Joseph Von Sternberg’s The Scarlet Empress presents the film in the aspect ratio of about 1.33:1. There are no notes on the source but it’s obvious a theatrical print is the source and the restoration was done in standard-definition.
Although the specifications indicate a “luminous new digital transfer” this final image is still a bit of a mess. Damage is quite heavy, from large scratches, tram lines, bits of dirt, missing frames, and so on, down to tinier bits of dirt, pulsing, and flickering. You also get plenty of reel-change indicators (cigarette burns). I’m sure restoration work was done, but there’s still a lot to be removed. I could say I’m spoiled and that modern technology has gotten better at cleaning up damage (Criterion’s new Blu-ray for the film looks amazing, almost completely free of source issues), giving me unfair expectations, but even for the time it’s lacking.
It also doesn’t help that the digital presentation leaves a lot to be desired. The image does manage to deliver strong details but artifacts are fairly rampant, film grain looking noisy and messy. Contrast can also look a little blown out, harming the shadows in some of the shots. It looks messy and I’m so happy Criterion has been able to revisit it.
The Scarlet Empress - Screen Captures
Audio 5/10
The film’s audio is also a bit of a mess. Presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 mono it is edgy and distorted, delivers a heavy amount of background noise, and has a few drops and pops. Dialogue is still easy to hear, but it’s still flat and weak. The age obviously doesn’t help but the restoration probably doesn’t go as far as it could have.
Extras 4/10
Criterion only includes a couple of on-disc supplements. Outside of a navigable gallery there is also a wonderful 20-minute interview with Joseph von Sternberg. The short interview has the filmmaker talk about his life and career, but the most fascinating aspect is his demonstration on how he accomplishes his lighting, which is edited throughout the feature. It’s a really wonderful discussion and it sadly has not been carried over to the new DVD and Blu-ray editions.
The insert includes an essay on the film by Robin Wood, as well as a reprint of an appreciation of von Sternberg by experimental filmmaker Jack Smith.
And that’s it.
It leaves a lot to be desired (I’m still surprised there was nothing about Dietrich) but the included interview is pretty great.
Closing
One of Criterion’s weaker early DVDs, it delivers a poor A/V presentation and really punts it on the features. I was always surprised they didn’t put more effort into the release at the time. At any rate, I would easily skip this and just pick up Criterion’s Dietrich/Sternberg set.
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