Catherine the Great, starring Helen Mirren
Directed by Philip Martin
Catherine the Great is a British-American miniseries in 4 parts. Acclaimed British actor Helen Mirren stars as Catherine. Incidentally Helen Mirren was born Helen Mironoff, daughter of Vasily Petrovich and granddaughter of Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, a colonel in the Imperial Russian army. The superb filming uses interiors from real palaces in St Petersburgh and the Catherine Palace in Pushkin, Russia, and the baroque Rundale Palace in Latvia. Much of the filming took place in Lithuania.
Helen Mirren shines in this lavish production of the later life of Catherine the Great, set immediately after she has seized power from her husband Emperor Peter 111, with the help of the army. He dies mysteriously soon after and, although abhorred by Catherine, he is adored by the couple's foppish son Paul.
Of course Catherine's reign will never be secure, especially as many despise her for merely being female. What follows is a visually impressive look at her turbulent life as the Empress of Russia. She rejects her current lover in favour of General Grigory Potemkin, a virile, larger-than-life man who swears eternal allegiance to her.
I adored the attention to detail in the clothing of the time, the gorgeous interiors, and the superb acting of Mirren, but I must admit the script let the viewer down sometimes.
DPL patrons can watch Catherine the Great on Beamafilm.
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