Catherine the Great [Blu-ray]

“Catherine the Great” – a miniseries in four parts – is a historical and biographical drama which premiered on Sky Atlantic and HBO in 2019. Here is some basic information about it:** Director: Philip Martin** Writer: Nigel Williams** Run time: 4 x ca 55 minutes = ca 220 minutesThe cast includes the following:** Helen Mirren as Catherine the Great (1729-1796) – Empress of Russia 1762-1796** Jason Clark as Grigory Potemkin (1739-1791) – military commander** Rory Kinnear as Nikita Panin (1718-1783) – foreign minister** Gina McKee as Countess Bruce (1729-1785) – Catherine’s closest friend** Kevin R. McNally as Alexie Orlov (1737-1808) – minister of war** Joseph Quinn as Paul (1754-1801) – Catherine’s son – ruler of Russia 1796-1801The woman who is known as Catherine the Great was born as a German princess in Stettin, Prussia, in 1729. Her name was Sophie. She came to Russia in 1744 at the age of 15 where she married the future Tsar Peter III in 1745. He was only one year older than her.When she arrived in Russia, she did not know anything about the place and she did not speak the language. But she was determined to stay and to survive. She learned how to speak Russian and she built a network of contacts which she used to her own advantage. She became more Russian than the people who were born in this country!In 1762, her husband became Tsar Peter III, but he did not last long. In the same year he was removed by a coup d’etat and Catherine emerged as the sole ruler. She was Empress of Russia for more than thirty years (1762-1796).This miniseries does not cover her whole life. The childhood in Prussia is not covered. The first years in Russia are not covered, either. The focus is on the second half of her life: the time from 1774, when she and Potemkin become lovers, until 1796 when she dies.The miniseries focuses on what happens in her bedroom. Her actions as the sole ruler of Russia are mentioned as well, but they are treated as secondary. They remain in the background.What do reviewers say about this historical and biographical drama? Here are the results of two review aggregators:61 per cent = IMDb39 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)70 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)As you can see, the reviews are not great. They range from average to poor. What do I think? Here is my answer:Is there anything positive to say about this miniseries? Yes, there is: the costumes are great, the settings are great, the locations are great and on occasion the music is great. Is this fact enough to save the miniseries when you have to give an overall view? No, it is not. What is wrong?# 1. The language spoken. This story is set in Russia, but they all speak English! This is absurd. This is a gross violation of historical accuracy. In one scene, the ambassadors of Germany and England enter the room. The ambassador of Germany makes a brief statement in German. To which Catherine replies: “Any language but German!” The ambassador of England takes over and he speaks English. The only moment when English is justified.# 2. The actors cannot even pronounce the Russian names which they have to say from time to time. Here are two examples:** The name of the leading character Potemkin is pronounced as it is spelled in English. But this is wrong. This name is pronounced Patjomkin in Russian.** The name of the rebel Pugachev is pronounced as it is spelled in English. But this is wrong. This name is pronounced Pugatjoff in Russian.# 3. On several occasions, the Russian characters talk about a country that is called Germany, but there was no country with this name while Catherine was Empress of Russia. There were several German states. As stated above, Catherine herself was born in one of them, Prussia.In one scene, we even get to see and hear the ambassador of this country which did not exist: the ambassador of Germany. Since there was no such country at the time, there was no ambassador of this fictional country.A unified German state was not established until 1871. The official proclamation was made in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. This was just after the Prussian victory over France in the war of 1870.# 4. When Potemkin dies, Catherine goes into mourning. This is correct. He dies in 1791 while she dies five years later, in 1796. She outlives him, even though she is ten years older than him. In one scene she sits with Countess Bruce and they talk about Potemkin who has just passed away.This is odd. Why? Because Countess Bruce died in 1785, six years before Potemkin died. How can she sit with Catherine and try to comfort her after his death in 1791? The movie-makers have invented their own chronology to fit their own ideas.# 5. Potemkin’s name is connected with the expression Potemkin village or Potemkin facades. According to legend, Potemkin had some false facades erected along the river when he arranged a river cruise for Catherine along the newly conquered lands in the south. As soon as the boat had passed, the false facades were taken down and quickly moved to a new location further down the river. After a while, the boat would pass the same false facades once more.Some modern historians claim that this legend has no historical truth. This may be correct. However, in this miniseries, the issue of the false village is simply evaded. This solution is too easy.# 6. There is a problem with the age of Catherine and the age of the actress who plays this role (Helen Mirren):Catherine comes to Russia in 1744 at the age of 15. We do not see this moment. Catherine rules Russia from 1762 at the age of 33. We do not really see the moment when she takes power.Catherine and Potemkin are lovers from 1774 when she is 45. This moment is shown to us. How old is Helen Mirren? She was born in 1945. In 2019 she is 74. She is far too old for the role she is supposed to play.# 7. There is (almost) no information about where we are in time. An on-screen message is a good solution. But this method is only used twice. (1) An on-screen message placed at the beginning of episode one tells us that Catherine's rule begins in 1762. (2) An on-screen message placed at the end of episode four tells us that Catherine's son Paul rules from 1796 to 1801. Apart from these two messages, the director has carefully avoided all references to a specific year in this historical and biographical drama.When Potemkin dies, we are in 1791. But the year is not mentioned. When Catherine dies, we are in the year 1796. But the year is not mentioned. I do not understand why it is so important to have no information about when a significant event takes place.This historical and biographical drama is a disaster. Historical truth is violated from the beginning to the end, because the dialogue is in English. This is bad enough in itself, but that is not all. As you can see, there are many other flaws which cannot be ignored.The professional critics of Rotten Tomatoes offer a rating of 70 per cent. I think they are far too generous. The general audience offers a rating of 39 per cent. I have to side with them. On Amazon this corresponds to a rating of two stars.PS. “Ekaterina” is the title of a Russian television series about Catherine the Great. Season one premiered on Russian television in 2014. Season two premiered on Russian television in 2017. A third season is on the way. Obviously, the language spoken in this series is Russian (as it should be) and not English!

Disappointing! This was a tumultuous period of european/russian history and in this program it is reduced to a woman's endless 'bonking'. Was the program devised simply as a vehicle for Helen Mirren? Far too much of Catherine and insufficient development of other characters of the period. Potemkin was younger than Catherine but he appears to be much older in this series. We don't see him as a young man. Poor casting.The series was a rushed job probably. What a shame!

A huge disappointment. Male lead totally miscast and terribly acted. Despite Catherine the Great taking a lover 40 years her junior at the end of her life, Helen Mirren still looks too old for the role. Catherine was a formidable woman and is portrayed as a silly, stupid, sex obsessed. She was much more than that. Film does her a disservice. Ridiculous.

The great thing about this series is the wonderful sense of relief one gets when an episode comes to an end. One can then brace oneself for the next episode, albeit with the consolation that it, too, will end at some point.If you ever have to give present to someone you dislike, this DVD would make an ideal choice.The many defects of this series have been well covered by the reviews that have appeared so far. To add to these I would suggest the excessive use of the four-letter word, even by Catherine herself. Dialogue with Potemkin reaches pornographic levels at times, which in a way would qualify the series, though somewhat dubiously, as being groundbreaking.In one of Dennis Wheatley's Roger Brook novels the hero has several sexual encounters with Catherine the Great, at no time, though, does the author have to resort to four letter words, the sex is enough.One thing that is not clear in the series is whether Catherine's saying "Between Orlov and I" is a solecism or meant to suggest that as a native German speaker she tends to make grammatical mistakes in Russian, which is, of course, English in this series.Incidentally, the two stars are to show that even in a critical review, the reviewer can be generous.

This was, in my opinion, a wasted opportunity. Having pre-ordered it, by the final episode, I couldn't wait for it to end. My husband actually fell asleep. How can such an interesting subject be rendered so terribly boring? The acting is wooden and over theatrical, liberally sprinkled with four letter words and sexual innuendo. I was looking forward to seeing this dvd, expecting the combination of Catherine the Great and Helen Mirren to be perfect. But no, unfortunately Ms. Mirren was - in my opinion - completely wrong for the role. She was far too stiff. Catherine should have been played by a much earthier actress, as the sex scenes and profanities seemed all wrong for her. A big disappointment.

Oh dear. Great costumes and settings let down by a weak script. The story of Catherine’s life could have been told succinctly in the four episodes if it had been edited better. Years and years of Catherine’s long reign are glossed over, unexplained in the plot, with the passing of time denoted only by the characters ageing. Some decent acting though, notably by Joseph Quinn as Prince Paul. There are clear echoes of Dame Helen Mirren’s acclaimed role in Elizabeth I from 2005 - I half expected Jeremy Irons to appear reprising his role as the Earl of Leicester - but sadly this series never approaches the heights of its precursor. If you haven’t seen Elizabeth I, try it instead.

Helen Mirren's acting is really very good, as expected. As well as Clarke's and Mc Gee's. And the movie has its special value in opening to general knowledge the life of courts in Russia. The development in the times is very good too. Regarding photography, found the darkness of almost all sets a bit oppressing but, assume thats the light you really get in northern Russia. A good movie, interesting topic with very good performances.