Following the success of The Private Life of Henry VIII, it’s no surprise Alex Korda tried to make lightning strike twice, so we had private lives of Don Juan, Catherine the Great and Rembrant – but none of these matched the success of the earlier film. Catherine, like Henry, was as famous for her personal life as anything else she did but this film lacks Henry VIII’s vision. Henry VIII was an irreverent, lively film that centered around his different wives (ambitious, stupid, ugly, pretty and stupid, nagging). This doesn’t have a similar focus.
Elisabeth Berger’s Catherine starts as a shy noblewoman who marries the womanising wastrel Peter (Douglas Fairbanks Jnr). She tries to arouse his interest by dressing up in male drag and saying she’s had lots of lovers – but she’s only pretending to get his interest, which is cheating. For a moment they get along, but he goes progressively insane and eventually he’s overthrown – although Elizabeth hangs back for a lot of it, which makes her passive.
Why make a film about Catherine the Great if you didn’t want to tackle her having lovers? Or make fun of the sexual peccadilloes of the Russian aristocracy? What’s the point? Certainly I don't think audiences have the same affection for her they did for Henry VIII. (Why didn't Korda do The Private Life of Charles II?) So for most of the time this is flat, even if the sets and costumes are impressive, and Fairbanks delivers a strong performance. Berger’s Catherine isn’t for all tastes – certainly not mine. Flora Robson is terrific as Empress Elisabeth, though.
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