Review of The Scarlet Empress (1934) by Seán C — 08 Nov 2013
I now know where Joel Schumacher got his set design ideas. This film is pure pomp and camp, filled with gaudy spectacle sets and costumes that dwarf and overwhelm the players. Ms. Dietrich is not quite believable as the Ingenue in the first half of the film, but she sparkles with jaded sex appeal in the second half, and you know why she was a star of stars.
From a 21st century perspective, this film seems like a bizarre melding of David Lynch and Mel Brooks. But it's pretty clear that Mel Brooks got a lot of his ideas from watching Josef von Sternberg's movies.
I mean, here is a 1934 film with clocks featuring animatronic flashing ladies instead of cuckoos, when an Empress makes he point by banging an animal bone instead of her scepter. Ridiculous, campy, weird, funny, epic.
What a strange and yet supremely wonderful mix.
This review of The Scarlet Empress (1934) was written by Seán C on 08 Nov 2013.
The Scarlet Empress has generally received very positive reviews.
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