Catherine the Great (1995) - full transcript
In this romanticized biography, a small German principality's inexperienced princess, Catherine, becomes the bride of czarevitch Peter, the mad and abusive nephew and heir of the Russian czarina Elizabeth. From Elizabeth she learns the cynical ropes of wielding absolute imperial power at any cost, including sacrificing her lover, young guards officer Saltykov, who must give her an heir that Peter can't and is then sent abroad. After Elizabeth's death, she quickly moves to seize power with military and court support. She then works to enlarge and modernize the empire, again putting statesmanship ahead of her lover, a military genius who defeats the Ottomans and governs the conquered territories for her.
Catherine the Great 1995
August 21, 1745
My wedding day
My father, Prince
Christian of Anhalt-Zerbst,
used to say that nobody in
our family
had married for love
since the 12th century.
It made us sound important
But the truth is that we were a very
minor branch of very minor royalty
That's why the Empress Elisabeth
of Russia chose me, of course.
That's why she plucked me out
of a German backwater
changed my name and my religion,
and placed me at the side of her nephew
The Grand Duke Peter,
heir to the Russian throne.
I carried no political baggage.
I was no threat.
I was disposable.
Poor Peter!
Yes, I can pity him now, but
on that day I saw beside me
a mean and narrow spirit,
without education or culture,
incapable of loving
or being loved.
And ahead of me, what did I see?
Danger! In every Courtier's smile or
whisper. Danger!
But that's not what frightened me.
What frightened me was the thought
that I never know the love of a true man.
Royalty has no business with love
Mmy father would have reminded me
if he'd been there.
But of course, he
wasn't invited.
Yes, I'd like it
about this size
All reports agree Maam, the marriage remains unconsumated.
Seven years! Seven! Why?
There are rumors Maam. It seems that the Grand Duke
may suffer from a certain physical disability.
Well, go on...
I believe that in medical parlance, the
condition is called formosa
The devil with the medical parlance.
What's the effect of it?
The effect is to prevent... that is to say
to make it impossible for His Highness
You mean you can't...
Precisely Maam.
At least so I'm told.
Is she still a virgin?
- Yes Maam. According to my information.
An of course she's most carefully watched.
How carefully?
Serghei Vasilievici!
Your Highness is charming the day.
If I may be so bold.
Ahh. Serghei Vasilievic!
Your Majesty.
Come here
How long have you been at court?
Three years Maam.
Uh Hmm. And spend your time like
a stallion ruts... by all accounts.
Even raised your eyes to the Grand Duchess Catherine,
as rumour has it.
That rumour lies Maam. Forgive me.
I swear, I never
Pity. I wish to employ your talents
in the service of the State.
Is my meaning clear?
With Catherine? Yes, Catherine.
I didn't bring her here to read books.
I brought her here to breed sons.
She must have an heir.
It's essential.. to me.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Her Highness looks well on the Sabbath.
Your Highness is not hunting today?
I'm not such a fool.
We're in for a storm.
Now is your opportunity.
Yes Uncle.
Please, allow me Highness.
Tell them to pack up.
We're going back to Petersburg.
But Sir. What about the others?
What others?
The hunting party. They can spend
the night at the lodge. Sound alright?
Would you do me the honor?
Highness..
Come on!
Serghei...
I do believe you've had a fall.
Yes, indeed I have.
We will never get back to Petersburg tonight.
We will all have to sleep in the lodge
You'd better go, Serghei,
before you compromise me.
I think about you every moment of every day,
every moment of every night.
Of course, it was madness, it was
suicide, but I didn't care
I wanted love
Covia, Covia, Covia...
So very well for you. You have a husband.
But I never see him.
And lovers?
Well, I was educated in France!
Exactly. It's not just that.
It's not just his body, which is
magnificent by the way...
He cares for me. He thinks about me.
He loves me. He loves me. He really loves me.
Salt?kov!
The Empress has chosen well.
He comes from a noble line,
and his mother is a Golitzin.
We could do worse.
I really must leave, my darling.
No...
Before they change the guard.
No, please don't go.
Not yet.
I love you so much
Serghei, I'm not certain, but I think
I may be with child.
And of course, the whole court knows that
Peter and I sleep apart.
Not certain! What the devil does she mean?
Is she or isn't she?
I.. I believe she is Maam.
She and Peter must start sleeping together.
But there remains the problem of
Grand Duke's....
his physical disability...
That again!
Then he must submit to surgery. That's the only thing for it.
Your Majesty is perhaps unaware of the precise nature
of the condition.
Enlighten me!
The surgery required is, is...
is akin to uhmm... a circumcision.
I see...
That doesn't strike me as so very terrible.
The Grand Duke's friends have so far
been unable to persuade him.
You damn well persuade him!
Yes Maam.
Put him on the table..
Come on!
You can start.
I'll tell him he, uh... slipped
and cut himself on broken glass.
Come here.
Don't think this is my first time.
Take it off.
Look.
Look!!!
It was rape. Worse than anything I'd imagined.
But I bore it. For Serghei.
I could bear it.. because of him.
I need your help,
Alexei Grigorevici.
I never meddle in politics,
Grand Chancellor.
My dear Count!
Oh... I know what you all call me.
The Emperor of the Night.
I also know what the Empress wants of me,
which is not my political opinions.
Which is precisely why she trusts you
Prussia is already the dominant power in Germany.
But do you suppose King Fredrick intends to stop there?
I am simple peasant from
the Ukraine,
who happened to catch the Empress's eye
But you're not deaf or blind.
Frederick wants to make himself
all powerful in Europe.
Can you deny it?
No.
To do it, he must destroy the one power
that stands in his way.
Russia!
So, we must strike first.
Strike now.
Why now?
Because the Empress is 80.
But she might outlive us all.
May God grant she does.
But the fact remains that the Grand Duke Peter
stands to inherit the throne.
And he's a German, through and through.
He idolizes Frederick of Prussia
And the Grand Duchess?
Catherine?
Humm. The Empress has waited 7 years
for an heir. Her patience is wearing thin.
But if Catherine should have a boy...
But she's a German too, isn't she?
Damn it, Alexei. "You know what's at stake here.
You can't avoid taking a position.
The emperor of the night takes many positions.
But none of them political.
Bravo! So wonderful!
I'm so proud of you.
I must admit. He does have musical ability.
The barometer seems to be falling, Chancellor.
Highness...
I hear her Majesty is indisposed.
Her Majesty's health is something that concerns us all.
Indeed...
I hear Count Vorontsov
is to be made Vice Chancellor...
You are well informed.
Appointed against your wishes.
Very well informed.
For someone who lives as a virtual prisoner?
A fantasy, Highness.
You opposed my marriage.
You think I support the German faction.
Don't you?
No. I don't.
We've been enemies a long time Chancellor.
Too long perhaps.
Perhaps. But it's the Empress who rules.
I merely act under orders.
We all do.
A fantasy, Chancellor.
It's true.
Monsieur Salt?kov, for instance,
he has been acting under orders.
Ahh, you didn't know?
Why do you tell me this?
"Politics is a brutal business, Maam.
Are you sure you've...got the stomach for it?
So long ago...
But I can still feel the pain.
You don't forget...
not when someone kills your heart
You won't be needed Countess.
Covia, stay!!!
Out!! All of you.
Whe the devil wasn't I called sooner?
You are to wait here.
What? It's a matter of state!
First Chancellor Vorontsov is in attendance,
by command of the Empress.
Thank God!
It's a boy.
No!! He's my child!
He's my son!!
She's sending me to Sweden!
A special emissary to announce
the birth of your son!
Her Majesty has a nice
sense of irony.
Is that all you have to say?
I'm finished at Court. Ruined!
What did you expect?
A title? An estate? A thousand serfs?
What do you mean?
Why didn't you have the sense to settle your price in advance?
Catherine, listen to me!
Whatever they've told you, it's a lie.
I do love you
How could you doubt it?
My God, don't you remember that first night...
Oh, yes...
It will always remind me that a man can
practice the art of a whore
as well as a woman.
You bitch. What do you think she'll to to you?
She'll destroy you too. You'll see.
She'll destroy you.
A brutal business. But one learns.
In 1757, we were at war with Prussia.
Our best general was Apraxin,
one of the few friends I had at Court.
We outnumber them 2 to 1, Sir.
Thank you, Captain.
Damn it sir, we'll never have a better
chance of smashing them.
Thank you, Captain.
Like talking to a wall...
He probably knows how to fight,
but I don't think he understands politics.
A lot of younger officers
agree with him sir.
I know that. I'd attack tomorrow
if I could, but it's impossible.
The Empress can't make up her mind.
There's Bestujev pulling her one way,
Vorontsov the other. It's hopeless.
This was where the real war was.
Not at the front, but Court...
... and with one masterful stroke,
he finished her up, in midair.
Forgive me, but your Highness is
full of wit tonight.
And Vorontsova is elegant.
Listen. Another fire. It's in the kitchen.
Come on, hurry up.
I don't want to miss it.
In a world where to Vorontsova
could be thought elegant,
I suppose Peter could be considered a wit.
Highness!
This is a letter to your friend,
General Apraxin.
To urges him to take the initiative
in the war to push for a victory.
And what do you want me to do?
Sign it.
Do I have to remind you that I am forbidden to write letters?
The Empress won't even let me
write to my own mother.
General Apraxin can give us a victory.
But he knows that if the Empress dies,
and Peter succeeds,
Peter will end the war.
That's why he's holding back.
I understand that,
but what's the value of a letter from me?
It'll send him a signal.
It'll tell him that you intend to share power
to use your influence to carry on the war.
But there's no question of sharing power.
Not for me. And certainly not for Peter.
God, you loathe the sight of me.
Give him the power and he'll be rid of me like that.
No. If I rule, I rule alone.
Highness, you ask too much.
You ask too much of me.
What if the Empress finds out about this?
I'm finished.
All or nothing.
If I commit myself to you,
you must commit yourself to me.
Do you?
Yes. I do.
You understand me.
I rule as Empress in my own right.
Is that agreed?
Agreed.
Then I'll sign.
Bestujev wrote the letter Maam,
but Catherine signed it.
Plots. Plots. I won't have it.
I won't have it!!
See to it! As your Majesty commands.
And bring her here.
Count Vorontsov! Maam.
I name you Grand Chancellor.
Your Majesty...
The war. I want an end to it.
I think your Majesty judges wisely.
As you are aware Maam.
There is the draft of the treaty.
What the devil are you talking about?
I don't want my army scuttling home
like whipped dogs.
I want a victory!
Victory!!
Victory... The word echoed around the court, in whispers.
Too late to save Bestujev,
But just in time to give me a chance,
a slim chance to survive.
Count Mihail Petrovici Bestujev,
by order of her Imperial Majesty,
the Czarina, you are under arrest.
Enter!
Close the door.
I have a letter from you to General Apraxin.
It bears your signature.
- Do you deny it?
- No Maam.
How dare you presume
to send orders to my General.
I never sent orders.
If your Majesty would read the letter...
Her Majesty has forbidden you to write letters.
Exactly. What have you got to say to that
you scheming little whore?
Forgive me Maam, but am I answerable
to my husband or my Empress?
To me madam. You defied me. How dare you deny it?
Read the letter, Maam.
It's a statement of your own policy to attack.
To give us the victory that
we all long for. That's why I send it.
If I was wrong, I don't deny my fault.
I don't ask for forgiveness.
I only ask to be allowed to be returned to my own country.
My husband hates me. I have no friends.
I have incurred your Majesty's extreme displeasure.
I am at the end of what I can bear.
What about your son?
Paul is in your care. I could ask no more
for him. I know you love him very much.
It's a plot. She plots all the time.
She schemes against me. She hates me.
She is as cool as ice to me,
but she'll open her legs for any...
Silence!
Ask about her lovers!
Ask her about Salt?kov!
Silence!
Leave us. Now!
And you, Chancellor.
I won't send you away.
But you never thought I would, did you?
To tell the truth Maam,
I wasn't sure.
I want no more plots.
I have never plotted against your Majesty.
Never.
Very well.
But now tell me. When I'm dead,
will you seek to take power?
Yes!
Forgive me Maam.
Stay where you are Sasha.
I treat you badly.
No.
Yes I do.
No.
You have the sense to grow old.
I try to stay young.
You never complain.
Whenever I need you, you're at my side.
What will you do with Bestujev?
Exile him to his estates.
What do you think of her...Catherine?
I see greatness in her.
Greatness.
I once saw it in myself.
My reign has been a failure.
No... We don't have to pretend to one another.
I've done nothing.
Changed nothing.
Perhaps you might do better.
Elizabeth got her victory.
In August of that same year, Apraxin
smashed the Prussian army at Grosse Ligendorf
One of the heroes of the hour
was a young Captain called Grigori Orlov.
Captain Orlov!
Captain, please.
Thank you.
The day is yours, General.
Undoubtedly.
Tomorrow, who knows?
Enter.
Orlov! Sir. Good.
May I present Captain Gregori Orlov.
Count.
Orlov, this is a most distinguished prisoner.
Count Schwerin.
L'Aide de Camp of the King of Prussia.
He's to be taken to Saint Petersburg.
You will accompany him.
And see he doesn't escape.
Escape? Oh my dear General,
I hope I am a gentleman.
I always wanted to see St. Petersburg.
If I were Czar, you wouldn't be a prisoner of war.
Your Highness, dinner is served.
Food! I'm hungry.
My dear,you'll take Count Schwerin's arm...
Of course, Highness.
Your Highness!
I'm not dining tonight.
What do you mean?
Stand up!
I have no appetite.
This is an insult to an honoured guest.
Oh, you honour him, do you?
Yes, I do.
Then, why send him into dinner on the arm of your whore?
Do as I say, damn you!
There are those who may think that your
open support for our enemies amounts to treason.
The Empress, for instance.
Wonderful isn't it Pasek?
Our prisoner is the toast of Petersburg
It's her!
While we are checked outside, like lackeys.
Grand Duchess!
Orlov, what are you doing?
So it is!
Grigori Orlov, at your service Madam.
Madam?
Don't you know who I am, Captain?"
Oh I do, Highness.
Then you are very bold.
I am Maam.
And very impertinent.
That too.
Did you see the look in her eye?
You're mad. Quite mad.
Care to wager? 100 rubles
Make it a 1000.
Done.
His father was Governor of Novgorod.
He has 5 brothers, all in the army.
And his mother?
Provincial nobility. Nobody at all.
He couldn't possibly be admitted to court.
Simply hasn't got the rank.
Such a pity.
I think he is the most handsome man I ever saw.
I want to meet him Prescovia.
Could you arrange it?
Of course you could.
You can arrange anything.
Come in Captain Orlov.
Montesquieu.
I am a great reader.
Are you?
No? Never mind.
I'm told you have... other talents.
Riding... drinking...
gaming... fighting...
Have I left anything out?
Just one.
Ah, that...
I hadn't forgotten
I like to leave the best to last.
More madness
Yes, but this time with some method in it.
Damn you Alexis.
You owe me another 100.
And me a 1000.
She was there? You met her?
Met her? I've been balling her all night.
Well you don't believe me?
Do you want me to show you my scars?
1000 rubles Passek!
You can pay me when she's on the throne.
We'll be rolling in money. We all will.
We be swimming in it. Drowning in it.
I'm not afraid of Catherine. She's nothing!
More coffee Excellency?
Elizabeth...
It's all talk. What can she do?
Perhaps nothing.
But when so much is at stake,
why take any risk if it can be avoided?
King Frederick is concerned for your safety, Highness.
He offers you a company of the household guard.
You mean his own troops?
Exactly Madam.
The King of Prussia's personal body guards?
Think of it, Peter.
They would of course take their orders
from you, and only from you
King Frederick is your friend. In his name
I beg you to consider the offer.
He is a savage.
But a beautiful savage.
I doubt he can write his own name.
You think I'm mad.
He's a drunkard, a womanizer, a boaster...
... and a hero.
How did Elizabeth take power? "Who put her on the throne?
The army. Not the Generals. The real
army. Lieutenants, the Captains...
You're using him...
Of course.
Careful you don't fall in love Cato.
I won't make that mistake again.
At least not with Gregori Orlov.
Please God.
Victory...
Well?
I think she may rally!
The Seminovski regiment's with us.
What about the Preobrajenski?
I don't know.
Gregori, did you hear that?
We have the Semionovski.
What's the matter with you?
Why doesn't she die?
Why the hell doesn't the old bitch die?
Catherine's pregnant.
Five months gone.
She had another stroke two days ago.
But she's rallied.
How long?
Nobody knows Maam.
Could be weeks. Could be months.
Months? No!
It can't be months.
So she was dead, at last.
But too late, it seemed.
His Imperial Highness, the Grand Duke Peter
is proclaimed Emperor of all the Russias.
Long live Czar Peter the III!
If you please..
I prefer to remain at my husband's side.
The Emperor does not wish it.
Then I'll speak to him.
Those are his orders, Maam.
If you please...
Be seated.
The Imperial Council will take note
of two new edicts.
His Majesty has today sent a special
envoy to Berlin.
The war is over.
The second edict concerns Church lands.
With immediate effect, all church estates and
property are annexed to the imperial treasury.
I'm very near my time.
Elizabeth lived a few months too long.
This was a hardship no man ever had
to encounter on the way to the throne.
What will you do?
Until the child is born, nothing.
Peter keeps me locked up here.
He thinks he's humiliating me.
In fact, it suits me very well.
Covia, help me!
To Catherine the II
Quiet Quiet!!!
A fire by God.
Come on everyone. Hurry up.
That's good. Yes.
Hurry up. Hurry up.
How exciting!
Peter! Are you asleep or what?
Faster.
Take this and go and put it out.
Isn't he marvelous?
Oh yes...
It was a boy. We named him Alexei
Gregorovich and I gave him the surname Bobrinski
I've never been able to acknowledge him publicly
but I've made sure he's had every care and comfort.
Your Majesty, forgive me.
What's the matter?
Passek was arrested last night.
It's time in any case.
Tell them to harness the horses.
The greys. They're fastest.
As the Empress Catherine the Second commands!
Now, Prescovia, advise me!
Advise you?
My dear, I am about to seize
the Throne of Russia!
What on earth shall I wear?
Catherine! Catherine!
Hold on.
Every regiment.
I swear allegiance to Catherine The II.
Grigori Potemkin. I didn't even know his name that day.
Your eminence, when my husband
took power,
he wrongfully seized your lands and properties.
I promise to return to Holy Mother Church
her ancient heritage.
Is he awake?
No...
Then, wake him.
Wake him!!!
Peter
Peter!
Oh, what do they want?
I don't know. There's something wrong.
What the devil is it?
Has your Majesty had any word from Catherine?
She's in Peterhof. We're going there
this afternoon for my Name Day.
It's my Name Day.
It seems she may not be at Peterhof.
Leave immediately. Take your best men.
Find her and finish her.
In the name of the holy mother church I acknowledge
you Sovereign and Empress under God.
By order of the Imperial Majesty Czar Peter,
you are under arrest.
What will you do Count Schwerin?
Shoot me? Here?
Then, shoot me!
Don't touch me! Who do you think that I am?
Let go of me. How dare you!
Let go of me.
Your Majesty, I have come to offer you my resignation.
Do you think I'd be satisfied with that?
I should have your head, Count Vorontsov.
Or so I'm advised.
Is it good advice, do you think?
Your Majesty could hardly expect me to be impartial.
On the contrary, I expect nothing less...from you.
Rise.
Rise!!!
You served the former Czar with great loyalty.
And the late Empress.
Loyalty to the office. Not the man
or woman who happens to hold it.
Precisely, Maam.
Your resignation is refused, Grand Chancellor.
Your Majesty!
A letter from my husband.
Another list of requests.
He wants his dog, his violin,
his black amor and Vorontsova.
What do you advise?
I see no harm in that Maam.
No, neither do I.
The request is granted.
But not Vorontsova.
Maam.
Have you decided what to do with him?
What would you do with him?
Sometimes one finds those difficulties are resolved, by events.
Peter kept putting off his coronation.
He could never be bothered. He always had something better to do.
I made no such mistake.
I was crowned in the Cathedral of
the Assumption in Moscow
Within three months of seizing the throne
And I made sure it was a magnificent spectacle.
I knew that I held power by a thread.
I was a woman. A foreigner.
And I had a son, Paul.
Some of my closest friends
thought I should rule as regent for him
but that was no good to me.
I had a dream.
I wanted to drag Russia out of her medieval
stupor into the modern world.
Above all, I wanted to end
the abomination of serfdom
by which ten million Russian souls were
owned as property.
In a word,
I wanted a revolution.
Murder! She murdered Peter!
But Ivan lives! Ivan lives!
Ivan the VI, crowned emperor in his cradle,
deposed and imprisoned by Elizabeth
Did you release him?
Yes Maam, but with reluctance.
I thought you said he was mad.
That's the point Maam. The Russians love a madman.
The peasants I mean.
Why?
They think they're closer to God.
How extraordinary.
Never trust a monk.
As my father used to say.
I think Ivan could be a danger to you.
All reports agree he's feeble-minded.
Then why did Elizabeth keep him
locked up in Schlusselburg?
He has the Romanov blood.
He was proclaimed Czar in his cradle...
What else?
The people love him Maam.
Because they think he's mad?
No.
Because like them, he has been a prisoner since birth.
Alexei Grigorevici.
So you're back.
Politics, a see-saw.
It's good to see you.
Her Majesty will receive you now, Excellency.
Grand Chancellor!
Count Bestujev!
Well, I mustn't leave the Empress waiting.
Your Majesty!
My dear friend!
We have dreamed of a moment like this.
Yes Maam.
I name you Vice Chancellor
Your Majesty overwhelms me!
Well, go on.
We were always very frank with each other.
Do I understand that Count Vorontsov
remains Chancellor?
He still speaks for the ancient nobility and the
landowners. I am in no position to dismiss him.
Forgive me Maam. But do you expect me to forget that
he ruined me, had me exiled?
I am in no position to dismiss him
... at the moment.
Emilian Pugaciov, Your Majesty!
Your Imperial Majesty, The Czarina Catherine II,
by the grace of God, Empress and autocrat.
Little Mother,
I am the head man of three villages.
I fought for Russia in the war against the south. They
wish to silence me because they know I will tell you the truth.
Let him speak!
Little Mother, my people have no money,
yet they must pay your government taxes
and high rents to the landlords.
Potemkin! How intently he listened.
Our young men fight and die in your armies,
Our young women are made into slaves.
We are hungry! We are afraid!
Little Mother, we are angry.
The audience is ended.
Take him away.
No!!
Let him go in peace.
Your Majesty has already proclaimed
many new measures.
The reform of state industries,
the introduction of paper monies.
We have been waiting for you to announce the
restoration of Church properties, but in vain.
One of the virtues the Church preaches is patience.
There are limits. You came to power with
the blessing of Mother Church.
There were conditions attached.
You must understand. I do not speak
for myself, but for others
much more powerful than me.
I understand... perfectly.
Put up a fight did he? Well, 10 years with
hard labour will soon knock the rebel out of him.
Forgive me Excellency, but has the Empress
changed her mind about this man?
Tell me, Lieutenant...
Potemkin, Excellency.
Do you have hopes of advancement?
Of course.
Then get on with it, damn you!!
Excellency.
Ivan is your true Czar.
The German woman is a usurper.
And a thief.
She steals your sons for her armies.
She steals your money for her taxes.
She even steals the lands of your Holy Mother, the Church.
God be with you!
Come my friend.
Come with me.
Prince Ivan.
Do you know who you are?
I...
I... I...
one..one..one...day.
One day, yes?
Czar... Czar...
Czar..Czar..of..Russia.
One day...Czar...Czar!!
We all know Stefan
Mihailovici Stechowski.
But do either of you know who that other gentleman was?
Yes, Count Bestujev...
I once sent him a petition about
my family estate in the Ukraine.
And the lady?
Was it the...
No! Captain Uzikov, it was not!
Nor was the gentleman who you said it was Captain Mirovicz.
Neither of you ever saw any such persons!
They were never here.
Did you see the order?
Yes.
If he falls sick, he's to have a confessor,
but no doctor.
If any person attempts to approach him,
without the signed order of the Sovereign,
His guards are to kill him.
I see. I strongly recommend that
you cancel the order, Maam.
If anything should happen to him,
forgive me, but the world will say...
first Peter, and now Ivan.
You see the risk?
Isn't there a greater one? The risk that
he might become the rallying point for a rebellion.
A very remote possibility.
Perhaps not. To the common people,
he's a legendary prince.
Ivanoshka, the true Czar, who'll set them free.
Paul!
Don't you have anything better to do?
Have you no bookwork?
Then, be off to it!
Extraordinary! My husband
had the same low taste.
The matter of Prince Ivan, I confirm the order.
They're wrong you know,the people, to look
to Ivan to set them free. I am going to do it.
You look surprised.
No.
Do I take it that you mean
to abolish serfdom Maam?
When the time is right. When I have
the power. I trust you'll support me?
I'll support you in anything, Maam.
Why didn't you tell me?
I had no such instructions.
Instructions the leaders of the Church implicated in
a plot against the throne and you keep me in the dark?
As to this madness about a measure to free the serfs!!
Madness?
You seem to forget Stefan Mihailovici,
You owe your whole career to me.
My early career certainly.
But I have not forgotten.
She trusts you, she listens to you.
You could perhaps steer her away from this policy.
Subtly...of course
I hope you lunched well, Lieutenant.
It's ... when she dines with her intimate circle.
Certain things are banned, bad language,
speaking ill of others, losing your temper.
And any sort of formality.
Rising when she enters or leaves, for instance.
She won't tell you.
Any breach of the rules carries ....
and remember, we're all supposed to be cheerful.
It is not easy ... we consult with you governor
What?
... it yourself.
Language. I've been corresponding with
Monsieur Voltaire on the subject.
And he told me a delightful story
about a lady at the Court of Versailles.
This grand personage was
heard to say...
That dreadful bother at the Tower of Babel,
language getting all mixed up.
Such a pity.
Otherwise, everyone would
always have spoken French.
What an actress was lost with you Maam!
Lost, Alexei Grigorevici?
But, in politics one is obliged to practice the art daily.
Probitas laudatur et alyete.
Vergil?
Juvenal.
Do you think the quotation apt?
Perfectly.
We hail the honest man of virtuous
and leave him out in the cold to shiver.
No, I think you make too free with your cynicism.
As you with your translation.
Macte, novelle virtue, puer, sic itur ad astra.
(Congratulations, a new power, a young man)
Juvenal again?
Vergil.
I knew. So did Potemkin.
Czar Peter was the chosen one.
This German woman murdered
him in cold blood.
She stole his sacred crown.
And what does Holy Mother Church do?
Nothing!
Nothing! Eminence, the blood of Peter is
on your hands too if you do not act.
You must denounce her. You must
stir up the faithful against her.
Dear Brother, I have heard your words.
and I will consider them...well.
Go in peace.
Tear her down. Destroy her.
The instrument of God perhaps.
Your Eminence.
No Debianski.
I've had enough of caution and diplomacy.
She has no intention of honouring her debt...
Well? Has she?
No. But what can this mad monk do?
Alone? Get himself shot or hanged.
But with guidance ... we know that
her hold on power is weak.
We know that we could turn the people
against her. But it's not enough.
We can't offer them rebellion alone.
We must give them...a figurehead.
Someone to fight for.
How clear it is tonight.
Yes.
The stars seem so close.
As if one only had to reach out to touch them.
But it's an illusion... they're too high,
beyond reach
Grigori...
Do you know what people are saying?
I'm of no more use to you. You're only
waiting for a chance to get rid of me.
I've made you one of the richest men in Russia.
I'm not a fool, Cata.
Money isn't power. You owe me more than money.
I've given you more.
Have you?
What am I? Stallion-in-Chief
to her Imperial Majesty.
I'm not even that, lately.
For God's sake! All right then, marry me."
You don't seem to like the idea.
I'm Empress.
My marriage is a political matter.
Is it?
You know that.
It could be fatal for both of us.
Fatal, yes.
Well just remember one thing, Catherine,
remember who made you Empress.
I listen, and God hears brother.
Holy Man, I have pains in my head that
blind me and make me cry like a child.
I think I'm going mad.
Tell me of yourself.
You are an officer?
Stationed at the fortress of Schlusselburg.
Listen, this country is governed by the Germans.
But he is a true Romanov.
You're mad!!
Am I? Why did she come here?
Because she is afraid. She knows that if Ivan
was free people would rally to him by the thousands.
And he's here. Under our hand.
And you command the Night Watch.
But the men..?
Do you think they want to spend the rest of
their lives rotting in the graveyard?
Do you?!!
Diplomatic mission?
Diplomatic mission?
One of great importance.
There could be war with Turkey.
We need allies.
I know what this is.
And here's my answer.
She can't do this to me
and you damned well know it.
Her Majesty is being extremely generous.
Your titles and estates, you keep them all.
The sole condition is that you leave Russia immediately.
So you're in this together are you?
I'll speak to her.
Her Majesty isn't in St. Petersburg
Where is she?!
Elsewhere!!
The army won't stand for it. They put her
on the throne. They can damn well throw her off it.
I wouldn't advise you to take that line.
It's treason, and would therefore become
a matter for the Secret Chancellery.
You can't touch me.
We'll see about this.
It's simply an escort Excellency.
In it together.
Has it ever occurred to you, that whilst we
continue to fight each other, Catherine is the winner.
Divide and rule, Count Petrovici.
Surely you see where it's
leading, to absolute power.
Is that what you want?
"Catherine the Liberator?"
Coward!
Where is the Captain?
Dead drunk.
Listen...
Listen to me!
We've got the guts worth, even if she hasn't.
12 men against the whole of Russia?
Ivan is Russia. A Romanov.
God's annointed. God's chosen one.
Evening Sasha. Oh,look at your
uniform. Always such a mess.
Sasha. Are you all right?
Hold it here.
Round up as many as you can.
See to the wounded and dead.
What about this one?
Lock him up....separately.
Your Emminence.
I know. I've heard.
What can we do?
Nothing.
But surely there's...
Nothing.
It's finished. We must pray
for the soul of Ivan.
Stand up.
I know what the people are saying.
First Peter, now Ivan.
The German woman plans it all.
Is that right?
Yes Maam.
Leave us, now. Maam.
Chancellor?
For that very reason you must
execute Morovici Maam.
And create a martyr?
To show mercy is always to show weakness.
But in this case, you'd be
as good as admitting guilt.
Vice Chancellor Bestujev
What do you advise?
I agree with the Chancellor, Maam.
Murder!! Murder by the German Jezebel
you call your Empress!
First she killed Peter.
Now Ivan, your true Czar!
Murder! Murder!
As if the start of a popular uprising wasn't enough
The Sultan of Turkey decided to lock up
our ambassador in Constantinople
and the prospect of war loomed.
You have made many changes since you came to power.
And I have accepted all of them.
But for some time now
I have become aware that you are secretly
preparing a measure to abolish serfdom ..
My opinion on that matter has
never been a secret.
Slavery is an abomination.
So it may seem so to some.
But now you must go to
war against the Turks.
Why must I?
Why?
Because otherwise, you'll be
humiliated in the eyes of Europe.
So, since you must go to war,
tell me, who will pay for it?
The Serf? No. The Merchant? No.
The "Landed Man" will bear the cost as he always has.
The Landed Man who pays his taxes to your Treasury,
who sends his sons to officer your armies.
The Landed Man who measures his wealth
in terms of souls, Maam
... serfs, slaves, what you will.
Destroy the wealth of the Landed Man
at your peril. He'll fight back.
And by God your Majesty,
I'll fight side-by-side with him.
He is right Maam. You can't avoid war.
I don't want to avoid it.
Then you must have the Land Owners with you.
My God, even you can't see it.
Look at England, look at France.
Specks on the map compared with Russia,
but wealthier beyond calculation.
Why? Because in those countries the free men
work the land for a wage
or, pay rent to the landlords.
I don't want to make the landlords poor.
I want to make them rich.
It comes to this Maam. You can either have
war against the Turks, or you can have Civil War.
My dear Potemkin
The Turks bombard you with their cannon shots.
and I bombard you with my letters.
My motive this time, is to urge you not
to expose yourself to too much danger.
Remember the advice of our favorite poet
"Non omnia possumus omnes."
(No one can do everything)
and don't try to do everything.
The Turks are busy today gentlemen.
We'll see what's to be done about it.
See around that flank, we can
take that battery from the rear.
They would cut us to shreds.
There are 500 musketeers defending it
More than a thousand, I'd say...
We've most of us done this before.
It's warm work, but we enjoy it.
Speed is the thing, remember.
Tight column. Heads down.
Smash them before they can reload.
They'll be telling you that
we have the Turk on the run.
This is true. But in consequence
he's fighting back as never before.
Our chief enemy is over confidence.
The German woman bleeds you white with her taxes.
Mothers, she steals your sons.
Wives, she steals your husbands
and you pray to God:
"Why did you take Czar Peter from us?"
"Why did you let her kill
our true Czar?"
But God is not mocked.
It was a lie. She did not kill him.
She put the rope around his
neck, but he did not die.
He's alive. Ready to lead you.
Ready to free you.
See him!!
He'll break your chains.
Obey him. Follow him.
Peter! Peter! Peter!
Your Majesty!
General!
Well I'll say this for you.
You never cease to surprise.
You return from the war, covered in glory, and
immediately request to be relieved of your command.
I hope your Majesty will see fit
to grant my request.
I might be disposed to do so,
if I knew the reason.
You sit here, a thousand miles from the
battle lines, and you talk of glory.
In the field there's only the stench of flesh,
as it rots, the screams of men in torment from
their wounds.
And the hopeless question: "Why?" "Why?"
And the eyes of a boy who died before he
even lived, hoping just to serve you.
I am not a liar.
I wanted to command, but
I found...
You found that to command was to be alone.
Yes... Yes...
Forgive me...
At last, I knew it ..
Felt it. Touched it. Braved it.
The love of a true man.
The whole of the Volga region
is in open revolt.
Pugaciov has started to issue
his own coinage, Maam.
Ah yes. I really think we can't have that.
General Carl. You will lead a punitive
expedition against these rebels.
I want them stopped, quickly.
That frown of his.
How I dreaded it then.
How I miss it now. How I miss his strength,
his directness, his humanity.
Why didn't you send me?
Grisha...
I meant what I said in council, Cato
Most of your generals are idiots.
I agree. But not General Carl.
Really Grisha, sometimes I find you
quite impossible.
A few months ago you were demanding
to be relieved of your command.
Carl may be a competent general,
but he's a butcher like all of them.
He will fight battle after battle,
he'll slaughter by the thousand.
And all he'll do is turn
an uprising into a revolution ..
And you know a better way.
Of course.
But the truth is you won't send me
because you want to keep me here.
I didn't send him. But I carried out his plan.
It was simple and brilliant.
Remove Pugaciov himself, and
the uprising would be over.
What I didn't know was that Potemkin
owed the rebel a personal debt of gratitude
During the war, Pugaciov had saved his life.
Long life for the Czar!
Grisha...
The emperor of the night is resting.
It's no good you know.
I refuse to quarrel.
I'd never been so happy.
What? I was thinking of my grandfather.
Conducting his sovereign's business
across the pillow.
Don't you want to know what I was thinking, Grisha?
A line from our favorite poet.
How like you. Which one?
Nunc scio quid sit amor.
"Now I know what love is."
We've heard all this argument before, Maam.
We executed Mirovic.
Has he become a martyr?
That execution fueled Pugaciov's rebellion.
Kill Pugaciov, you'll fuel another and another
To show any sort of mercy would be a sign
of weakness, Maam. You can't afford it.
Thank you, gentlemen. I will let you know
my decision in due course.
They make a powerful combination,
and they have a powerful case.
Damn their case!
But they base it on a rational judgment, Grisha.
Whereas with you, it's emotional.
Yes, I ask you to spare Pugaciov
because I gave him my solumn word.
Grisha!
Leave him in prison, exile him, I don't care!
Execute him and you dishonour me.
It's not about granting a favour.
There are vast issues at stake here.
For you and me there is everything at stake.
You deny me this, you won't see my face at court again.
How dare you? How dare you impose such a condition?
Because I am your equal.
I have earned my place at your side.
Deny that, you destroy everything,
we're finished.
General Potemkin.
I know about the personal debt you owe
to Pugaciov, or pretend you owe.
There's no pretense. The Empress knows too.
I've hidden nothing.
As well, we can never be sure
of a man's true motives, can we?
But in any event, a word of advice...
Stick to your job!!
Bask in her Majesty's favour. Amuse her.
Collect titles and distincts.
but don't meddle in politics!
Well.. You are a pretty enough little thing.
Didn't get a good look at you last time.
You remember?
I remember.
You're going to have my head aren't you?
I don't know.
It would be wise to behead me,
because if you don't, I will have yours.
Oh.. Is that what you'd do? If I kept you here
or exiled you, have my head.
Why?
Is it right that human souls should
be bought and sold like animals?
No.
Is it right that millions should starve
so their Masters should grow fat?
No.
Isn't what you call your Empire an abomination?
And what would you put in its place?
You'd kill. You'd burn. You'd destroy.
But what would you build?
I would build a world where
all men were born free.
Where all men were equal.
That's what I would build.
On the ruins of the old?
To build a house you must
first level the ground.
Oh, no. You lay foundations.
You heard?
A dangerous man, Maam.
With dangerous ideas.
I beg you!! You demand!!
All right. I demand.
I also give a warning.
I have seen the man for myself. I have
seen what he is. I have no choice.
You're afraid of Vorontsov and Bestujev.
I'm afraid of Pugaciov!
But not of me!
You think it's an idle threat I make.
You think I rant and stall about my honour,
but in the end I'll come to heel.
I think at least you'll listen.
To what?
To reason.
Good God! Are we to fall out because
for once, once
a political necessity runs counter to your pride?
Not my pride at issue here.
It's yours.
The truth is you won't tolerate an equal.
You could be crowned Emperor of Russia,
but I'd still be emperor of the night.
Then be damned to you.
Oh, I think we're both damned.
It's not too late Maam.
I beg you to spare him.
I implore you...
Kill him, and you put yourself
in that man's power forever.
You keep the Russian people in chains,
for another hundred, two hundred, three hundred years.
Give the sign. Spare him.
And so I killed Potemkin's heart
like Saltikov had once killed mine.
My father was right. Royalty
has no business with love.
Potemkin never forgave me,
but he never betrayed me.
To the contrary, he took
the Crimea for me.
He made the name of Catherine
and Russia resound in Europe.
I'm told, that in France, they call me
Catherine Le Grand.
Le Grand. Note the masculine gender.
Catherine the Great!
Is it justified? Not I think for
the public achievements of my reign.
But, perhaps, for the private price I paid.
Carefully corrected by listening..by TBH