Catherine the Great
(DVD) 

Originally produced in 2005.

Photography, David Scott, Simon French ; editor, Steve Stevenson (episode 1), Alex Richardson (episode 2) ; original music, Debbie Wiseman.

Narrator, John Burgess; commentators Isabel De Madariaga, Wladimir Berelowitch, Simon Sebag Montefiori, Dominic Lieven, Claus Scharf, Alexandr Kamenskii, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse.

Emily Bruni (Catherine the Great), Diana-Florentina Dumbrava (Empress Elizabeth), Danut Chiriac (Peter III), Claudiu Bleont (Grigory Orloff), Adrian Anghel (Alexei Orloff), Dan Badarau (Grigory Potemkin).

Originally aired in the US by PBS in two parts, on May 8 and 15, 2006.

A minor German princess with connections to Swedish royalty, the future Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia began as the handpicked bride of the future Czar. When he ascended the throne, Catherine plotted his overthrow, took power, and began to pull her country out of the dark ages. She led Russia for 30 years, creating an enviable dynasty build on cunning and ruthlessness, in addition to newfound notions of justice, progress, and a centralized government. Ahead of her time, Catherine the Great stands as a model for light in a time of great cultural and sociological darkness. In blending discussion of the facts by scholars--each presenting a particular slant on Catherine's life and conduct--with fictional recreations of pivotal events in her life, this film presents a well-rounded portrait of 18th Century Europe's most 'enlightened' despot.

MPAA Rating: Not rated; Canadian Home Video rating: G.

DVD; Region 1, NTSC; stereo; widescreen presentation.

In English with some Russian and French, occasionally subtitled in English; closed-captioned.