Coming up next we have 1945's "A Royal Scandal", a fictional portrayal of Russia's Catherine the Great and her infatuation with a lowly lieutenant in her army. The liaison causes disruptions at the highest level, and Catherine's throne is in jeopardy because of her relationship with the man whom she rapidly promotes.
The film's cast includes Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Coburn, Anne Baxter, William Eythe, Vincent Price, Mischa Auer, Sig Ruman, Grady Sutton, and Friedrich von Ledebur.
Catherine the Great has just thrown over her latest fling, and the palace is all atwitter. Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Countess Anna Jaschikoff, eagerly spills the beans to the Chancellor, Nicolai Iiyitch.
People placed in Catherine's court are hoping to secure positions of favor by finding a replacement for her spurned lover. General Ronsky nominates his own nephew, but the poor man wants nothing but to return to his home in the Ural Mountains.
The Chancellor is hoping for a strong relationship with France, and he restricts access to the Empress, allowing no one to see her until friendship with the French nation can be secured.
A lieutenant in the army breaches the palace walls and demands and audience with the empress.
He is successful in gaining access to the chancellor, who doesn't have such a good reputation with the young man. "You're the Chancellor? The man who everybody says is ruining Russia?" asks Lt. Alexei Chernoff. "You're from the east?" asks the chancellor. "No, from the west," informs Alexei. The chancellor looks on in amazement and says, "How things do get around."
It turns out that Alexei is the fiancé of Catherine's lady-in-waiting Anna, who tries to dissuade him from seeing Catherine, but he insists.
The Chancellor goes to the Empress and tries to compliment her on how beautiful she looks. "Shut up! I look awful.
I feel rotten, and I slept abominably. If you don’t know it, you
bribed the wrong people," she says without looking up from her papers.
Alexei succeeds in breaking in on Catherine while she's talking to the Chancellor. Instead of being offended, she is intrigued by the handsome man standing before her.
Catherine takes quite an interest in him. Summoning him on the pretense of his giving her a report, Catherine plies him with champagne instead. "I have it here," he says of the report. "Leave it there," she says with a wave of her hand.
Even though she knows he's got a sweetheart somewhere, Catherine sets out to seduce him. "I’m surrounded by
thousands of people in glittering uniforms. I’m never alone.And yet, I’m lonelier than the loneliest
creature in the loneliest corner of
all of my lands," she says and then kisses him.
Catherine quickly promotes Alexei to Commander of the Palace Guards, and even affords him the rank of general. Anna is very disappointed in him.
Alexei tells Catherine that he doesn't want to just sit around in a palace. He was meant for more. Catherine summons the Chancellor to find out just who has been putting ideas into Alexei's head. "I want you to check up on everybody!" she orders, before continuing, "And I'll have everybody check up on you."
Eventually, Catherine finds out that Anna and Alexei are involved, and she is far from thrilled.
She informs Anna that she will be sending her on an extended vacation, which will enable her to visit her family. Anna is extremely resistant to the idea, much to Catherine's annoyance.
Catherine even threatens to throw her in the darkest cells of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but Anna is unmoving in her determination to stay. She even calls Catherine out over her fling with Alexei.
Alexei is called in to arrest Anna. He begs her to ask for forgiveness. Anna replies, "Regret? I said it before and I’ll say it again. That Her Majesty’s actions smell to
Heaven.And I’m not so sure I’m right
about the direction." She is then dismissed.
Elsewhere, the Chancellor tries to hand in his resignation, citing his advancing age. Catherine refuses to accept it. "You're not getting old. You are old," she says with a smile.
Alexei is entertained by some of Catherine's senior military officers, who are unhappy about his status as her favorite. They plant some seeds of revolution in his mind as their way of getting back at Catherine.
He and Catherine have a falling out when he visits her later that evening.
That sparks a full on revolutionary plot. Alexei tries to drag Catherine from her bed, but she dismisses him as an immature child. "Don’t you ever forget
that you’re my subject and I’m your monarch.And whatever I say and wherever I say it, I
speak from the throne!" He later informs her about the plot to overthrow her which involves her military officers.
Have no fear, the Chancellor is here. He comes in at the eleventh hour and delivers a decisive victory for Catherine, which sees Alexei arrested and the plot overthrown.
Anna goes to plead for Alexei's life and finds herself banished to the Crimean Peninsula. "But we don't own the Crimea yet," protests the Chancellor. "What can you expect
from a woman who takes away someone else’s fiancé is not going to
respect anybody’s peninsula!" sobs Anna. The Chancellor makes it so that she can Alexei (who is repentant over his behavior to her) can be together.
At last, the Chancellor can go ahead with the French friendship now that Catherine's affairs are clear. He introduces her to the French ambassador who flatters Catherine with the most flowery language, making the Chancellor's eyes roll.
Catherine gives the ambassador her whole "I'm lonely" speech as the Chancellor looks on smilingly.
Friedrich von Ledebur...........................Russian General
And that's it for A Royal Scandal. Ernst Lubitsch was originally supposed to direct the film, but he fell ill and was replaced by Otto Preminger. Lubitsch, however, directed all of the rehearsals for the film, and it is considered to be a "Lubitsch film". It is absolutely wonderful: snappy/witty dialogue, stunning costumes and scenery. It's got the "Lubitsch touch".
Since this film is in the public domain, you can watch it in its entirety here.
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