GManfred A drawing room comedy can find a limited audience in almost any era, but this is 2013. I am not sure about 40's audiences, but nowadays, "A Royal Scandal" ain't going over. I am old enough to appreciate subtle humor but this picture is far too subtle for today's average viewer. I think Lubitsch needed more of a hand in this production, even though he is the nominal producer. He was taken ill and directorial duties were handed over to Otto Preminger.In any case, it is another chance to view a national treasure in Talullah Bankhead, who made very few movies - and that's our loss. She gets good support from Charles Coburn, and not much from William Eythe. His performance was one-note and strident and he seemed ill-at-ease as her officer-lover. He was billed as the 'next Tyrone Power', who was himself an underrated actor. I felt Eythe nearly sank the picture by himself with his shrill heavy-handedness. Vincent Price plays the French ambassador, and with a very bad French accent.I just felt that this picture was not in the same league with other Lubitsch films and his definitive touch was not so much in evidence. It was disappointing in this regard, and the script needed to be funnier.

Scoval71 Caught this on TV last evening. Wonderful, amusing and funny. Tells the "story" of Catherine the Great, or as Mae West said, "Catherine WAS Great." A clone of Tyrone Power plays one of her lovers, and too bad this actor, William Eythe, did not appear in more movies. Who can say why? In any case, Tallulah shines, looks great, there's that word again, and you can tell she is having fun with the part. I really recommend this movie. It is very seldom on TV, but do catch it. A side note, Eythe was gay, but so was Tyrone, a coincidence, isn't it, and then, Tallulah also fooled around with both sexes, fitting for Catherine the Great.

edwagreen I guess that Ernst Lubitsch's fans would like this production. To me, it was nothing more than a silly farce with Tallulah Bankhead's off-the-wall performance as Catherine The Great. Naturally, she is domineering here as she constantly tells everyone to shut up.This black and white costume period piece is basically the story of a vain woman refusing to admit that she is getting older and even though she is the queen, she flirts quite well with her subjects and others.Eythe, who was so good in 1947's masterpiece, "The House on 92nd Street," is foppish here as her devoted army officer who raises to general within 10 minutes after telling Catherine that she isn't safe.Anne Baxter is briefly seen but gives her all as a lady-in-waiting, the lover of Eythe. Then there is Charles Coburn in his usual take charge position as the treasurer. A sly fox, he knows which way the wind is blowing.Vincent Price briefly appears with his French accent as a count, who charms the heart of the great queen.

bkoganbing After seeing a couple of serious dramas concerning the ascension to the throne of Russia of Princess Sophia of Anhalt-Zerbst who has come down in history as Catherine the Great, it was an interesting change to watch A Royal Scandal and see what Tallulah Bankhead did with the Mother of all the Russias.The two films that I refer to are the ones done in the Thirties that starred Elizabeth Bergner and Marlene Dietrich. Both of those dealt with young Catherine and how in a palace coup she dethroned her husband and as the consort Empress was recognized as the actual ruler. What happens in those two films play very much into what happens in A Royal Scandal.What a coup accomplishes, another coup can reverse. Catherine is not all that secure on her throne. She's in the midst of a power struggle between her military leaders personified by Sig Ruman and her Chancellor who wants a peace policy capped off with an alliance with France. Chancellor Charles Coburn has even got an ambassador from Louis XV in the person of Vincent Price to seal the deal.In all this blunders William Eythe an earnest but not terribly bright young guardsman, the kind Catherine the Great was known to fancy. She fancies him a lot, but as she says one must be wary not to put too much trust in handsome men in uniforms.So we've got a nice little Russian court comedy going with Ruman and Coburn both trying to use Eythe for their own purposes and Bankhead who when Eythe says his sword is at her disposal, she wants to make sure she gets the most use out of it. While all this is going on, Eythe is engaged to Anne Baxter one of Tallulah's ladies in waiting. And she doesn't want a castoff when Bankhead's through with the merchandise.Coburn comes off really well as the foxy old chancellor who's survived many a palace intrigue by using his wits. Ruman's not bad either and I do love Grady Sutton's brief role as Ruman's idiot son who just wants to go back to the Urals. Sutton's southern accent actually works here as he makes the Urals sound like the Ozarks. Definitely a touch of Ernest Lubitsch.A Royal Scandal together with Lifeboat, both released in 1945 marked the height of Tallulah Bankhead's all too brief film career. Too few film parts for this stage legend, only the Lunts are worse in that regard. For that reason this bright and witty comedy should be seen and treasured.