Discuss The Scarlet Empress

Outstanding sets, lighting and camera work make this Josef von Sternberg film an abstract expressionist masterpiece. A bit slow in the middle, but otherwise an excellent film. Interestingly, there is sparse dialog, allowing the visuals to dominate to good effect. Sam Jaffe is wonderful as Peter--very creepy and screwy.

A piece of trivia: the actress who played Catherine as a child was actually Dietrich's daughter, Maria. She grew into a beautiful and talented adult actress and, at the age of 95, is still working in film at this writing.

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Completely agree - it's a superb film, dazzling to look at and with magnificent performances by Dietrich and Sam Jaffe as the mad Duke. It's a while since I saw it but I don't remember the pace flagging at all in the middle. I need to take another look at it.

I did not know that Dietrich's daughter was still around and still working!

It's a visually impressive film, most likely one of the ones that gave von Sternberg and Dietrich's partnership so much eminence.

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