When it comes to historical illustrations of feminist empowerment, few female leaders have been given the pop culture treatment as frequently as Russian Empress, Catherine the Great. The coup that saw her order the assassination of her husband Emperor Peter III has lent itself to countless modernised interpretations, many of which have mined its value as a metaphor for the death of the patriarchy rather than its historicity.
The most recent screen adaptation of Catherine’s story is The Great, starring Elle Fanning in the lead role. It describes itself as “an occasionally true story”, and indeed it takes a blackly comedic spin on the Empress’ life to paint her as a disillusioned, intelligent, and charismatic woman who wouldn’t be out of place in a modern political setting. In fact, the version of 18th century Russia that The Great constructs often feels exactly like a modern political setting, complete with brash male leaders, petty power plays, and plenty of backstabbing.
In contrast to The Great is one of the earliest screen adaptations of Catherine’s story, Josef von Sternberg’s 1934 film The Scarlet Empress. This was a film that broke boundaries in an industry that was growing steadily more conservative, depicting decapitations, naked women being burned at the stake, and any number of elaborate torture devices. Von Sternberg himself described it as a “relentless excursion into style”; if anything, that is an understatement. The dense décor of von Sternberg’s Russian palace is populated with grotesque gargoyles, and the palace doors are so overwhelmingly large that they require a dozen people to push them open. The impression the film gives isn’t one of historical accuracy – The Scarlet Empress is a twisted, chaotic fever dream that Catherine must learn to embrace to assert her rule.
The two adaptations couldn’t be more dissimilar in style. One is essentially a political satire, while the other is a warped, nightmarish period piece. But in both The Scarlet Empress and The Great, Catherine transcends her original historical context to reflect either the suffragette movement of the early twentieth century in the former, or the feminist ideals of today in the latter. Her rise to power in The Scarlet Empress sees her learn how to take ownership of her sexuality, emerging from years of misogynistic oppression to become the longest ruling Empress of Russia. While The Great does not dispense with the obvious sexual undertones of her rule, it spends far more time on the planning of the coup and the political machinations of life in court.
The Scarlet Empress has not aged so well in some aspects, such as its use of expository intertitles. But Josef von Sternberg’s incredible attention to detail in his mise-en-scène to emphasise the perversity of patriarchal leadership makes it one of the most impressive and innovative historical biopics in Hollywood history. Though The Great attacks the same metaphorical enemy, it stands in stark contrast with its sharply satirical writing and biting dialogue that parodies the inept male leaders of our current era. On their own, both adaptations are brilliant pieces of historical revisionism. But together they complement each other in unexpected ways, demonstrating just how relevant and empowering Catherine the Great’s story has remained through the decades.
