Umberto Lenzi as Katerina from Russia The filmmakers did not care much about historical authenticity. They filmed a fantasy on the subject of a princess-ruler from Russia. It turned out a grotesque sketch that reminded me of the American-Italian version of the film adaptation of War and Peace: Cossacks, tough men, passionate women, cold and adventure, riots, songs, dances. In fact, I’m sure many people will agree with me – the view is superficial and filled with stereotypes. But, once they made such a movie, they did not notice his work wrong. In addition, unlike the specified film adaptation of Tolstoy's novel, the film is much shorter in time - so there is at least one advantage.
Hildegard Knef was very temperamental. Her heroine is simply a woman who vaguely resembles Angelica (see Anne and Serge Golon). Well, what can you do if for Italians only Katerina is preserved in memory? Maybe it's for the best.
It all begins with a riot - the carriage with the ruler will stop right on the square, and then a real drive will begin. To be honest, I quickly lost the plot thread – Lenzi probably gave priority to the adventures themselves, not forgetting about Russian exoticism. So the movie turned out to be quite pragmatic. The more surprising is its actual similarity (primarily in the aspect of dynamics) with the well-known and much later published "Gardemarines". Of course, Hildegard would not be lost. And here she was just working out the fee. However, the actress she was noticeable and much in the tape improved by the fact of his participation. But, incoherence and, most importantly, superficiality, of course, greatly weaken the tape.
4 out of 10