Young Catherine
| Young Catherine | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Michael Anderson |
| Written by | Chris Bryant |
| Starring |
Vanessa Redgrave Julia Ormond |
| Cinematography | Ernest Day |
Release date |
|
Running time |
150 minutes; 180 minutes (TNT) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Young Catherine is a 1991 British/Canadian/American TV miniseries based on the early life of Catherine II of Russia. It stars Julia Ormond as Catherine and Vanessa Redgrave as Empress Elizabeth.
The miniseries is known as Intrigues impériales in France and Die Junge Katharina in Germany.
Plot summary
The year is 1744, and the beautiful young Catherine (Julia Ormond) is torn from her homeland to marry Peter (Reece Dinsdale), the heir to the Russian throne. However his aunt, Elizabeth, Empress of Russia (Vanessa Redgrave), rules the empire with an iron hand, and Peter proves neither fit for the throne nor the marriage bed. Treated as an outsider and at great risk from enemies who influence her husband, Catherine takes a lover and bears his child. Now, with help of her friend Sir Charles Williams (Christopher Plummer), she must take the throne by force if she, her young son Paul, and the Russian Empire are to survive.
Cast
- Vanessa Redgrave ... Empress Elizabeth
- Christopher Plummer ... Sir Charles Williams
- Julia Ormond ... Grand Duchess Catherine
- Franco Nero ... Count Mikhail Vorontsov
- Marthe Keller ... Princess Johanna
- Maximilian Schell ... Frederick the Great
- Mark Frankel ... Count Grigory Orlov
- Reece Dinsdale ... Grand Duke Peter
- Anna Kanakis ... Countess Vorontsova
- John Shrapnel ... Archimandrite Todorsky
- Hartmut Becker ... Prince Christian August
- Alexander Kerst ... Prussian Ambassador
- Laurie Holden ...Princess Catherine Dashkova
- Katharine Schlesinger ... Elizabeth Vorontsova
- Katya Galitzine ... Maria Choglokov
- Rory Edwards ... Alexis Orlov
Award and nominations
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie - Vanessa Redgrave (nomination)
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special - Larisa Konnikova (nomination)
- Best Dramatic Mini-Series (won)
- Best Costume Design - Larisa Konnikova (nomination)
- Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series - Julia Ormond (nomination)
- Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series - Ernest Day (nomination)
- Best Production Design or Art Direction - Harold Thrasher, Natalya Vasilyeva (nomination)
Versions
Both a 150-minute version and a 180-minute Turner Network Television version were released on VHS on May 29, 1991, and both are currently out of print. A 187-minute Russian language version was at one time available on DVD. The film became available on DVD from the Warner Bros Archive Collection on November 19, 2013.[1]