''Magnificent Sinner'' (original French title: ''Katia'') is a 1959 French film by director

Robert Siodmak Robert Siodmak (; 8 August 1900 – 10 March 1973) was a German film director who also worked in the United States. He is best remembered as a thriller specialist and for a series of films noirs he made in the 1940s, such as ''The Killers'' (19 ...

about the romance between

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East Slavs, East and South Slavs, South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''Caesar (title), caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" i ...

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...

and the then-schoolgirl

Catherine Dolgorukov Princess Catherine Dolgorukova (; 15 February 1922) was a Russian aristocrat and the daughter of Prince Michael Dolgorukov (from Rurik dynasty) and Vera Vishnevskaya. Catherine was a long-time mistress of Tsar Alexander II of Russia and late ...

, who later became his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...

and finally his morganatic wife. It stars

Romy Schneider Romy Schneider (; born Rosemarie Magdalena Albach; 23 September 1938 – 29 May 1982) was a German-French actress. She began her career in the German genre in the early 1950s when she was 15. From 1955 to 1957, she played the central chara ...

as Katia, a schoolgirl who becomes the Tsar's mistress and Curd Jürgens as Tsar

. The film, originally released as ''Katia'', was a remake of a 1938 French film of the same name, which starred

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

Plot

Produced in France, ''Magnificent Sinner'' stars

Curd Jürgens Curd Gustav Andreas Gottlieb Franz Jürgens (13 December 191518 June 1982) was a German-Austrian stage and film actor. He was usually billed in English-speaking films as Curt Jurgens. He was well known for playing Ernst Udet in ''Des Teufels Gener ...

as Tsar Alexander II, with

as the schoolgirl Katia who first becomes his mistress, before being elevated to the rank of

princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

. The romance between

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

and commoner 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 Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

Cast

as Katia *

as Tsar Alexander II of Russia *

Monique Mélinand Monique Mélinand (9 March 1916 – 16 May 2012) was a French film and television actress.Capua p.177 Selected filmography * ''Rouletabille joue et gagne'' (1947) * ''Rouletabille contre la dame de pique'' (1948) * ''Between Eleven and Midnight ...

as Tsarina Maria, wife of Alexander II *

Pierre Blanchar Pierre Blanchar (30 June 1892 – 21 November 1963) was a French actor. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1922 and 1961. Blanchar was married to actress Marthe Vinot, with whom he had a daughter, actress Dominique Blanchar. He playe ...

as Koubaroff * Antoine Balpêtré as Kilbatchich *

Françoise Brion Françoise Brion (; born 29 January 1933) is a French film actress. She has appeared in 75 films since 1957. She starred in the 1963 film '' L'Immortelle'', which was entered into the 13th Berlin International Film Festival. She was married to ...

as Sophie *

Michel Bouquet Michel Bouquet (6 November 1925 – 13 April 2022) was a French stage and film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from 1947 to 2020. He won the Best Actor European Film Award for '' Toto the Hero'' in 1991 and two Best Actor Césars fo ...

as Bibesco *

Bernard Dhéran Bernard Yves Raoul Dhéran (17 June 1926 – 27 January 2013) was a French actor, who was active in film, television and theatre in a career spanning over six decades. Dhéran was well remembered in French cinema's as the French dub of David Niv ...

as Stéphane Ryssakov *

Margo Lion Margo Allison Lion (October 13, 1944 – January 24, 2020) was a producer for plays and musicals both on Broadway and off-Broadway, known for her role in producing the stage and screen hit '' Hairspray''. Combined, the works Lion produced won 20 ...

as the superintendent of the Smolny Institute *

Hubert Noël Hubert Noël (1924–1987) was a French film actor.McFarlane p.160 Partial filmography * '' Forbidden to the Public'' (1949) - Bernard * ''Dear Caroline'' (1951) - L'ami de Sallanches (uncredited) * ''Monsieur Fabre'' (1951) - Le fiancé d'Antoni ...

as Michel Dolgorouki *

Yves Barsacq Yves Barsacq (17 June 1931 – 4 October 2015) was a French film actor, who appeared in more than 150 films. He is the son of the French-Russian production designer Léon Barsacq and the nephew of the French theatre director André Barsacq. ...

as Katourine *

Gabrielle Dorziat Gabrielle Dorziat (1880–1979) was a French stage and film actress. Dorziat was a fashion trend setter in Paris and helped popularize the designs of Coco Chanel. The Théâtre Gabrielle-Dorziat in Épernay, France is named for her. Biography S ...

as the Director of the Smolny Institute *

Jacqueline Marbaux Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film), ...

as Mlle Trépeau * Alain Saury as Soloviev * Hans Czille as the Tsarevich * Germaine Delbat as the Governess *

Egon von Jordan Egon von Jordan (19 March 1902 – 27 December 1978) was an Austrian film actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1923 and 1974. Selected filmography * '' The Ghost of Morton's Castle'' (1922) * ''Young Medardus'' (1923) * ''Lace'' ...

as the aide de camp * Robert Le Béal as the Baron *

Paul Mercey Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

as the serf * Pierre-Jacques Moncorbier as Ryssakov * Martine Spira as Katia's sister-in-law *

Hans Unterkircher Hans Unterkircher (22 August 1894 – 27 May 1971) was an Austrian stage and film actor and film director. He appeared in more than 60 films between 1916 and 1971. He was born in Graz, Austria and died in Vienna, Austria. Selected filmograph ...

as General Paskievitch

Reviews

Film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

gave the film two out of four stars, describing it as "lackluster."

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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."''Magnificent Sinner''
''The New York Times''

References

External links

*
''The Magnificent Sinner'' (1959)
''New York Times'' listing
''Magnificent Sinner''
TV guide listing
''Magnificent Sinner''
Mubi listing French drama films Films directed by Robert Siodmak Films set in Russia Films set in the 1860s Films set in the 1870s Films set in the 1880s 1959 films Remakes of French films 1950s French films {{1950s-France-film-stub