A Royal Scandal

CinemaSerfJul 2022

3.5

William Eythe is "Lt. Chernoff", an enthusiastic Russian officer determined to warn his Empress that she is in the gravest of danger. Arriving at her palace, he eventually manages to secure an audience but it turns out that Catherine the Great (Tallulah Bankhead) and her shrewd Chancellor "Ilyitch" (Charles Coburn) have already dealt with this potential treachery. The Empress, however, takes a bit of a shine to her gallant young soldier and soon he is soaring through the ranks - much to the chagrin of his fiancée "Anna" (Anne Baxter). As he rises, he begins to think he can make a difference - and is soon treading on toes that could spell his end... The writing is amusing and quick fire, and the efforts from Bankhead and, particularly, Coburn keep this film moving along a-pace. There is plenty of pith in the script, and though it pays but the tiniest of nods to actual history, it does offer us quite an entertaining account of how life might have been when the court was run by a lady who liked the sight of a soldier in a white uniform. Good fun!