''Young Catherine'' is a 1991 British TV

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

based on the early life of

Catherine II of Russia , en, Catherine Alexeievna Romanova, link=yes , house = , father = Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst , mother = Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp , birth_date = , birth_name = Princess Sophie of Anha ...

. Directed by Michael Anderson, it stars

Julia Ormond Julia Karin Ormond (born 4 January 1965) is an English actress. She rose to prominence by appearing in ''The Baby of Mâcon'' (1993), ''Legends of the Fall'' (1994), '' First Knight'' (1995), '' Sabrina'' (1995), ''Smilla's Sense of Snow'' (199 ...

as Catherine and

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, tw ...

as Empress Elizabeth.

Plot summary

In the early 1740s,

Elizabeth, Empress of Russia Elizabeth Petrovna (russian: Елизаве́та (Елисаве́та) Петро́вна) (), also known as Yelisaveta or Elizaveta, reigned as Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular Russian ...

, is seeking a bride for her nephew and heir, Peter. She picks the beautiful Princess Sophie, a teenager from a tiny German-speaking state. It's a huge change of fortune for the naive young girl. After arriving in Russia, she is received into the Russian Orthodox Church under the new name Catherine. Though she feels like an outsider at first, she eventually becomes devoted to her new homeland, its culture and its people. But her personal life is in turmoil. Peter is mentally unbalanced and sometimes vicious. Shortly after the couple's wedding, he makes clear that the marriage will never be consummated. Meanwhile, Empress Elizabeth, whose anger is legendary, expects Catherine to produce an heir or perhaps suffer the consequences. One of the troubled Catherine's few confidants is an aging, worldly-wise British diplomat, Sir Charles Williams. On his advice, she gives up her virginity to a soldier who is devoted to her, and bears a child, Paul, who is officially Peter's son and heir. As the life of the old empress draws to an end, Peter increasingly threatens to take "revenge" on Catherine, and on Russia itself, once he occupies the throne. Catherine and her supporters at court realize that action is needed to protect her, and some warn that ultimately, the struggle may come down to her life or Peter's.

Cast

... Empress Elizabeth * Christopher Plummer ... Sir Charles Williams *

... Grand Duchess Catherine * Franco Nero ... Count Mikhail Vorontsov * Marthe Keller ... Princess Johanna *

Maximilian Schell Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was an Austrian-born Swiss actor, who also wrote, directed and produced some of his own films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1961 American film '' Judgment at Nuremberg'', ...

...

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the Sil ...

Mark Frankel Mark David Frankel (13 June 1962 – 24 September 1996) was a British actor, known for his leading roles in the British film ''Leon the Pig Farmer'' and the American TV series '' Kindred: The Embraced''. Early life Frankel was born on 13 June ...

... Count Grigory Orlov * Reece Dinsdale ... Grand Duke Peter *

Anna Kanakis Anna Kanakis ( el, Άννα Κανάκη) (born in 1962 in Messina, Italy) is an Italian actress and model. Early life Kanakis was born in Messina on 1 February 1962 to a Greek father from Crete and a mother from Messina. She was Miss Italy i ...

... Countess Vorontsova *

John Shrapnel John Morley Shrapnel (27 April 1942 – 14 February 2020) was an English actor. He is known mainly for his stage work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre in the United Kingdom and for his many television appearances. ...

... Archimandrite Todorsky * Hartmut Becker ... Prince Christian August *

Alexander Kerst Alexander Kerst (23 February 1924 – 9 December 2010) was an Austrian television actor. He was born in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czechoslovakia and died in Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populou ...

... Prussian Ambassador * Laurie Holden ... Princess Catherine Dashkova *

Katharine Schlesinger Katharine Schlesinger (born 29 April 1963) is a British actress, the niece of the film director John Schlesinger and great-niece of Dame Peggy Ashcroft. She starred as Catherine in the 1987 film adaptation of Jane Austen's ''Northanger Abbey''. ...

... Elizabeth Vorontsova *

Katya Galitzine Katya is a feminine given name. It is a very popular name in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, and North Macedonia. It is a Russian diminutive form of Yekaterina, which is a Russian form of Katherine.This name is also can be spelled Katia.MFnames ...

... Maria Choglokov * Rory Edwards ... Alexis Orlov

Award and nominations

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outs ...

(nomination) * Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special - Larisa Konnikova (nomination)

Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

*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 -

(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 Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is one of four living E ...

version was at one time available on DVD. The film became available on DVD from the Warner Bros Archive Collection on November 19, 2013.

References

External links

* *Clips from ''Young Catherine'': - {{DEFAULTSORT:Young Catherine 1991 television films 1991 films 1991 British television series debuts 1991 British television series endings British television films Fiction set in 1744 1990s British drama television series 1990s British television miniseries Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners Depictions of Catherine the Great on television Television series set in the 18th century Cultural depictions of Peter III of Russia 1990s English-language films