The Scarlet Empress
Dir: Josef von Sternberg
USA, 1934, 105 minmins, DCP
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe
A palace of gigantic grotesque gargoyles; skeleton presiding over the banquet table; ominous shadows under the flickerings of candles… in a hyperrealist atmosphere of nightmare, an ostensibly naïve German princess who fails to find love in her halfwit husband turns herself into the all-powerful Empress of Russia, Catherine the Great. Painted as an adventuress coated in luxurious furs, Dietrich transforms her sexuality into a political weapon, toning her enigma of innocence and brutality in Sternberg’s visual extravaganza mixing legend, romance and fairytale.
USA National Board of Review’s Top Ten
Hong Kong Arts Centre Louis Koo Cinema (Venue)
Chinese Subtitles
Remarks
- On-the-day Ticket Purchase Arrangement : Tickets are available at URBTIX outlets until one hour before the screening, after which tickets are available at URBTIX website and mobile app. On-the-day tickets will also be available at the Self-service Ticketing Kiosk of the respective venue, subject to availability.
- Unless otherwise stated, all films (except English-speaking films) are subtitled in English.
- While it is the HKIFFS’s policy to secure the best possible print of the original version for all its screenings, the HKIFFS appreciates its patrons’ understanding on occasions when less than perfect screening copies are screened.
