Eclipse Series 16: Alexander Korda's Private Lives (The Private Life of Henry VIII / The Rise of Catherine the Great / The Private Life of Don Juan / Rembrandt) (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

...plays the title character in this film (also known as "Catherine the Great"). Her co-stars are Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Flora Robson -- who, at 32, was five years younger than Bergner, although Robson plays a much older woman, namely, Empress Elizabeth of Russia. The empress's nephew (Fairbanks) says of her, "She's the most shameless rake who ever wore petticoats. If she weren't on the throne she'd be on the street."This is a surprisingly accurate historical drama, a rarely seen film that's well worth watching. Unfortunately, the print presented on this VHS tape is flawed -- the quality of the picture is only so-so, and 30 to 45 seconds are missing from one scene. Even so, it deserves four stars; and if the missing footage were present I would give it five stars for the fine performances of Bergner, Fairbanks and Robson.P.S. for film buffs: this movie was directed by Bergner's husband, Paul Czinner; they were the real-life models for Margo Channing and her husband in "All About Eve," which was inspired by actual events.

I had the VHS and thought Iwould like to h ave the DVD. It is a little nicerbut really not that much but since I likedthe VHS version and the DVDversion is as goo and I thought the VHSwas a five start movethen I have to thinkthat this oneisa also0a five star movied.

Belching with a capon, painting his doomed beloved, no one ever did it better. Fairbanks last film, not a swashbuckler, but a drawing room comedy that is a misfire. Elizabeth Bergner is very good as Catherine. You also have those marvelous Vincent Korda designs. They will knock your eyes out.

This DVD set includes four films directed by Alexander Korda with each film being the biography of a famous person. The following is a combination of my own recollections and the press release for the set.The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)Charles Laughton looks every inch a king in this rendition of the biography of King Henry. The film is quite entertaining even if it gets many of the major facts wrong. Probably the most outrageous point of the film is stressing the importance of Anne of Cleves as Henry's close friend and advisor, even though they were only married for six months. This is probably largely if not entirely due to the fact that Anne was being played by Laughton's wife, Elsa Lancester. Laughton received a Best Actor Oscar for his performance.The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934)This is a dramatizatoin of the marriage between Catherine the Great and Peter III of Russia. Catherine is played by Elisabeth Bergner in her English-speaking debut, and Peter is played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Again, this film is somewhat historically inaccurate. Peter was actually insane. Here Fairbanks plays Peter as a somewhat off-balance but charming man.The Private Life of Don Juan (1934)This was Douglas Fairbanks' last feature film role. It seems that many people don't care much for this one, and I don't know why. I thought it was brilliant to have the 52 year old Fairbanks play an aging Don Juan showing all of the doubts and problems that Fairbanks himself must have had at the time. In this film Don Juan fakes his own death, returns to Seville, and is surprised to find out that he's been forgotten. It is no coincidence that this film and the previous film had father and son in it, as they had set out to England together looking for a change of pace in their careers.Rembrandt (1936)Charles Laughton and Korda are together again in a filmed biography of Rembrandt's life. The film begins with Rembrandt at the height of his career and follows him through the death of his wife and his resulting loneliness. The film depicts the unveiling of Night Watch and the excommunication of his lover Hendrickje Stoffels (played by Laughton's wife, Elsa Lanchester). The best thing about this film is Laughton's performance as well as the excellent cinematography.This set has no extras, which is often the case with the spartan Eclipse series which brings rare old classic films to the masses.

Alexander Korda followed his 1933 The Private Life of Henry VIII with the Paul Czinner directed The Rise of Catherine the Great in 1934. The film, then the most expensive British film ever made was a pretty standard biopic that followed convention and did quite well at the English box office.Czinner cast his wife Elizabeth Bergner as the title character in the story of her arrival at the royal court of St. Petersburg to her accession to power following the rule of Grand Duke Peter(Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.). The film follows a pretty standard formula. And I admit I am not the biggest fan of the royal biography. After her arrival and marriage to Peter, Catherine becomes the protege of the aging Empress Elisabeth( Flora Robson) where she learns the skills necessary to rule the Russian people. While her husband Peter slips more and more into madness she captures the trust of both the Court and the military. As the situation in Russia begins to deteriorate she is chosen to be the leader of a revolt to overthrow Peter.This is a film that is rarely seen these days due to the lack of a good restored edition. The Eclipse series presents probably the best transfer of the film that we are likely to see. The picture quality is quite good for the age of the material but unfortunately the sound is sometimes hard to understand. Most likely due to the flaws inherent in the recording process.While this is not a bad film it is not spectacular either. The acting is proficient and the sets by Vincent Korda are great the overall film was less than spectacular. I can recommend this one only with reservations.

Already had movie on vhs that was wearing out. However issue was resolved easily once I found out that I could replace it on dvd through Amazon