One man's mistress is another man's empress — and everyone's problem.
Having enthroned the wife of Peter the Great and his mistress Catherine I, Menshikov receives unlimited power, thereby causing envy and indignation of his former allies in the coup. Taking advantage of his absence, they are plotting against His Serene Highness. But once again, luck accompanies the brave darling of fortune: having received a warning of mortal danger, he escapes arrest and enters the boudoir of the Empress.
Costume
Imperial Russia drips gold, fur, and passive-aggressive embroidery.
Acting
Shakurov devours scenery as Menshikov, luckiest schemer alive.
Director
Svetlana Druzhinina
Natalya Yegorova
Catherine I
Sergey Shakurov
Alexander Menshikov
Irina Lachina
Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna
Nina Ruslanova
Anna Ioannovna
Aleksandr Lazarev Jr.
Ernst Johann von Biron
Andrey Mezhulis
Carl Frederick of Sweden
Fyodor Dobronravov
Федор Суров (Fyodor Surov)
Vladimir Soshalsky
General Saltykov
Andrei Davydov
Anton de Vieira
Vladimir Ilin
Andrey Osterman
Dmitriy Kharatyan
Ivan Dolgorukov
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This is actually Part 2 of a trilogy; Druzhinina spent years adapting Soviet historian Nikolay Pavlenko's work, fighting for budget to build full-scale palace interiors.
Made during Russia's post-Soviet identity crisis, the film's sympathetic portrayal of imperial power brokers sparked debate about nostalgia for tsarist spectacle.
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