Magnificent Sinner

1960 French film
  • 20 January 1960 (1960-01-20)
Running time
96 minutesCountryFranceLanguageFrench

Magnificent Sinner (original French title: Katia) is a 1959 French drama historical film by director Robert Siodmak about the romance between Tsar Alexander II of Russia and the then-schoolgirl Catherine Dolgorukova, who later became his mistress and finally his morganatic wife. It stars Romy Schneider as Katia, a schoolgirl who becomes the Tsar's mistress and Curd Jürgens as Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The film, originally released as Katia, was a remake of a 1938 French film of the same name, which starred Danielle Darrieux.

Plot

Produced in France, Magnificent Sinner stars Curd Jürgens as Tsar Alexander II, with Romy Schneider as the schoolgirl Katia who first becomes his mistress, before being elevated to the rank of princess. The romance between a married emperor and an aristocrat leads to court intrigue and a weakening of the ties of loyalty between the Tsar's ministers and their ruler, and is instrumental in Alexander's ultimate assassination.[1]

Cast

Reviews

Film critic Leonard Maltin gave the film two out of four stars, describing it as "lackluster."[2] Bosley Crowther of The New York Times equally panned it as "an overstuffed costume picture" and "a hackneyed and ponderous bore." "It would be just as good, if not better," he continued, "if it had been a tractor with which the Tsar fell in love."[3]

References

  1. ^ Material in this section was obtained from the four film listings given in "external links."
  2. ^ Magnificent Sinner, TCM
  3. ^ Magnificent Sinner, The New York Times

External links

  • Katia (1959) at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • The Magnificent Sinner (1959), New York Times listing
  • Magnificent Sinner, TV guide listing
  • Magnificent Sinner Mubi listing
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Films directed by Robert Siodmak
Europe
1930–1939
Hollywood
1941–1951
Europe
1952–1969


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