What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Scarlet Empress
Josef von Sternberg · Film · 1934
If you loved The Scarlet Empress, start with The Great (Tony McNamara, 2020) — a series on the same thread. Below: 3 books, 2 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Scarlet Empress across media.
What hooked you in The Scarlet Empress was the way historical power struggles serve as a backdrop for intense personal transformation.
Books on the same thread
The Scarlet Pimpernel
Baroness Orczy · Book · 2002
Explores: Secret Identity, Heroism, French Revolution.
Much like the calculated survival seen in The Scarlet Empress, this story features a protagonist navigating high-stakes political danger through clever deception and the adoption of a secret identity.
The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne · Book · 1950
Explores: sin and guilt, atonement, social stigma.
If you were drawn to the isolation and moral complexities of the protagonist in The Scarlet Empress, this tale of social stigma offers a similarly rigorous examination of individual agency.
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald · Book · 2004
Explores: American Dream, Social Class, Love and Loss.
The themes of excess and the pursuit of status found in The Scarlet Empress are mirrored here as the protagonist navigates the corrupting influence of wealth and lost love.
Series on the same thread
The Great
Tony McNamara · Series · 2020
Explores: Political Intrigue, Gender Politics, Royal Court.
This series is the natural successor to The Scarlet Empress, capturing the same explosive evolution of a woman seizing power within a volatile and dimwitted Russian royal court.
The Serpent Queen
Justin Haythe · Series · 2022
Explores: Royal Intrigue, Power Struggles, Survival.
Those captivated by the struggle for female empowerment in The Scarlet Empress will recognize the same arc of a marginalized outsider rising to command a powerful foreign royal court.
Podcasts on the same thread
S-Town
Serial Productions · Podcast · 2024
Explores: small-town isolation, eccentricity, social decay.
While the setting differs from The Scarlet Empress, you will find a similar fascination with the decay of established hierarchies and the eccentricities of those trapped within them.
Where Should We Begin? with Esther Perel
Esther Perel Global Media · Podcast · 2026
Explores: infidelity, emotional vulnerability, human connection.
The Scarlet Empress explores the wreckage of loveless unions, and this series provides an intimate, real-world look at the complexities of infidelity and human connection that defined Catherine's life.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Scarlet Empress based on a true historical figure?
Yes, The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 film that dramatizes the life of the 18th-century German noblewoman Sophia Frederica, who eventually rises to power as the Russian empress known as Catherine the Great.
Does The Scarlet Empress depict the marriage of Catherine the Great?
Yes, the plot of The Scarlet Empress centers on the arranged marriage between Sophia Frederica and the Grand Duke Peter, the heir to the Russian throne, which ultimately proves to be a loveless union.
What happens to Catherine in The Scarlet Empress after she marries the Grand Duke?
In The Scarlet Empress, Catherine navigates her unhappy marriage by taking multiple lovers, including Count Alexei. She also bears a son before the unstable Grand Duke Peter eventually ascends to the throne, leading to the final developments of the film.
Who directed The Scarlet Empress?
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 motion picture directed by Josef von Sternberg. The film follows the journey of a young German noblewoman as she travels to Moscow to marry into the Russian royal family.