Oliver Yendell

During the 18th century, German noblewoman Sophia Frederica, who would later become Catherine the Great, travelled to Moscow to marry the dimwitted Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne. Their arranged marriage proves to be loveless, and Catherine takes many lovers, including the handsome Count Alexei, and bears a son. When the unstable Peter eventually ascends to the throne, Catherine plots to oust him from power.

Directed by Josef von Sternberg, an Austrian-American filmmaker who frequently worked with Hollywood studios. The main character, played by Marlene Dietrich, worked with Sternberg on five other films.

As drama, "The Scarlet Empress" makes no sense, nor does it attempt to. This is not a resource for history class. Its primary subject is von Sternberg's erotic obsession with Dietrich; this is apparent throughout the films he did with her. Sternbergs obsession with Dietrich created one of the most iconic people in 1930s Hollywood.