The Rise of Catherine the Great

The Rise of Catherine the Great
Directed byPaul Czinner
Written byLajos Bíró
Arthur Wimperis
Melchior Lengyel
Marjorie Deans
Based onThe Czarina
by Lajos Bíró and Melchior Lengyel
Produced byAlexander Korda
Ludovico Toeplitz (uncredited)
StarringElisabeth Bergner
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Flora Robson
Narrated byAlexander Kerensky
CinematographyGeorges Périnal
Edited byStephen Harrison
Harold Young
Music byErnst Toch (uncredited)
Irving Berlin
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • 9 February 1934 (1934-02-09)
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$550,000

The Rise of Catherine the Great (also titled Catherine the Great) is a 1934 British historical film about the rise to power of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia. Produced by Alexander Korda and directed by Paul Czinner, the screenplay was based on Lajos Bíró and Melchior Lengyel's 1912 play The Czarina and was co-written by Arthur Wimperis and Marjorie Deans (credited as scenarist). It stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as Grand Duke Peter, and Flora Robson as Empress Elizabeth.

The movie was banned in Germany. On 14 March 1934 this matter invoked a question in the British Parliament (House of Commons): "Is it to be understood that no British film in which there is a Jewish actor or actress will be permitted to be shown in Germany in future?".