The Criterion Collection

The Scarlet Empress

Edition no. 109

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This release can only be found in the following box set: Dietrich & von Sternberg in Hollywood

Release Date: Tuesday, 03 July 2018
Country of Release: USA
MSRP: $124.95 (Box set exclusive)

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Licensor Information

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Directed by: Josef von Sternberg

Featuring: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, C. Aubrey Smith, Gavin Gordon, Olive Tell, Ruthelma Stevens, Erville Alderson, Davison Clark, Phillip Sleeman, Marie Wells

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.

Year: 1934
Time: 104 min.