Catherine the Great
by John Goldsmith, Marvin J. Chomsky
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DVD details
Actor: Brian Blessed, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ian Richardson, John Rhys-Davies, Paul McGannDirector: John Goldsmith, Marvin J. Chomsky
Brand: A&E
Writer: John Goldsmith
Producer: Carla Thoeren
Producer: Fred Sidewater
Producer: Konstantin Thoeren
Producer: Kurt J. Mrkwicka
Writer: Frank Tudisco
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-02-27
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: A&E Home Video
DVD Reviews of Catherine the Great
DVD Review: Very Poor Film - No Credit to Its Subject
Summary: 1 Stars
Catherine the Great is one of the most colossal and legendary figures of Russian and Western history. And this movie does her absolutely no favors, not to mention the gross historical liberties taken to push this disjointed aznd rotten "fairy tale" along.
True, the costuming and interior shots are lush and generally well done. But the acting and wooden script can be most charitably characterized as "horrible." Zeta-Jones turns in a wooden performance as a kind of Russian "barbie doll" that does her subject no credit, and the young actor playing Potemkin falls into the same trap. He is less intellectual powerhouse than moody and wishy-washy to the point of just being plain annoying. And John Rhys-Davies, in my opinion, rather just walked around looking embarassed. Further, the historical Catherine never met Pugachev, and was far less a bed-hopper than the script portrays, altough Zeta-Jones manages here and there to capture a glimmer of Catherine's powerful intellect as well as her sometime intellectual pretentiousness. And the main focus and contribution of Catherine's amazing life - her reformist zeal, legislative genius, but ultimate failure of Enlightenment vision - is barely touched on at all. All in all, it's a crashing, sophomoric bore. And with a subject that interesting, that's unforgiveable.
A very bad movie on too many levels to adequately detail here. Avoid.
DVD Review: CATHERINE THE GREAT
Summary: 4 Stars
Catherine the Great IT WAS AS I EXPECTED. THE BEAUTIFUL CATHRINE ZATA-JONES DID A MARVELOUS JOB.DVD Review: Don't waste your money or time
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie is not worth purchasing or watching. It is NOTHING like the mini-series, "Young Catherine" starring Julia Ormond in 1991. I returned it.
It seems that the mini series is unavailable at this time in (true) DVD format. If it ever becomes available it is the production to watch concerning the life and times of "Catherine the Great".
DVD Review: Weak!
Summary: 1 Stars
No value in depicting the life of Catherine the Great. It doesn't even touch the surface!DVD Review: THE WORST!
Summary: 1 Stars
I know she made this early on in her career, but given this woman's power today I am surprised she allows it to still circulate. This has got to be one of the worst movies I have ever seen. Get the Jeanne Moreau edition, that one will satisfy you more than this piece of turd!
Description of Catherine the Great
A beautifully filmed drama about the rise of russias empress catherine ii and her steely determination to revolutionize her country in the mid-18th century. Studio: A&e Home Video Release Date: 02/27/2001 Starring: Emily Bruni Run time: 100 minutes Rating: NrRussian history occurs on a sweeping scale, but that takes a bigger budget than A&E can muster. So instead the cable network keeps its treatment of Russian empress Catherine II indoors as much as possible. That allows the camera to linger over the impossibly lovely face of Catherine Zeta-Jones, and the plot to focus on the political machinations of 18th-century Russia. Catherine goes from a bookish teen bride (her husband is the crazy and possibly impotent nephew of Russia's Empress Elizabeth) to the legendary empress who successfully concluded the Seven Years' War with Prussia, conquered Turkey, and put down a rebellion led by a Cossack pretending to be her long-dead husband.
The movie stumbles a bit when it ventures outdoors--it's hard to imagine Russia really conquered the Ottoman Turks with a 12-man army--but sizzles inside. Zeta-Jones conveys both passion and hard-edged ambition as her character transforms herself from manipulated to manipulator. Many of those manipulations occur in the bedroom, and the movie takes some liberties in portraying her union with military leader Grigory Potemkin (Paul McGann); here he's practically a saint, although history remembers him a bit less nobly.
The supporting cast includes Jeanne Moreau in a masterful portrayal of Empress Elizabeth, along with Ian Richardson, Mel Ferrer, and Omar Sharif. Although there's plenty of scenery for them to chew, they hold back, allowing Zeta-Jones her 100 minutes of greatness. --Kimberly Heinrichs
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