Elle Giving the Finger
When you think of Catherine the Great, the powerful Empress of Russia, you think of her life in the Russian royal court over three hundred years ago. A foreign Princess married off to the Russian royal family. The struggle of a very independent woman who falls in love with her new country and wants it to succeed and prosper. The young Catherine will allow nothing to get in her way to make Russia a great power, even kill her husband, Emperor Peter III.
Make no mistakes how Catherine the Great became Empress of Russia is a very dark and twisted tale, but The Great, which is now streaming on Hulu is a comedy, a very funny comedy.
Catherine (Elle Fanning) a Prussian Princess, has recently married Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hoult) and relocated to Russia to become a member of the royal court. Far from happy with her match, Peter an immature and beastly individual, Catherine decides she would do better at the job ruling Russia and plans a coup d’etat. To give you an idea of Peter’s mental state he has a strange mother fetish, that goes so far that he has his mother’s corpse embalmed and on display in the palace.
Created by Tony McNamara, The Great, adapts aspects of actual events from the life of Catherine the Great and mixes it in a brash, crass and in your face type of story. Where murder is done for fun, sexual exploits are seen as entertainment and violence is almost expected in every conversation.
There is a brutal harshness about The Great, but also underlying opulence of the royal settings that make you wonder if indeed the royal courts actually behaved in such a vulgar way. The question that is raised while watching is the image if these individuals in the history books is it just all a facade covering of the downright dirty life they actually lived with very little regard for anyone else.
Elle Fanning as Catherine is captivating and curious. There is an innocence but also if you scratch the surface you can see a mischievous individual just itching to get out and leave her mark. Her portrayal of Catherine is funny, endearing and just a little bit dirty.
Nicholas Hoult as Peter gives this repugnant character a sense of humanity and sliver of decency. Having admired Nicholas’ previous roles in such films as A Single Man, it is amazing to see him grow from strength to strength. Even though Peter is absolutely revolting, the reason these types of emotions are stirred in the viewer is because Nicholas is just so good at his craft,
Watching The Great, I couldn’t help be be reminded of a play from 2009 of the same name that ran at Sydney Theatre Company in Australia. Funnily enough, after doing some research I was happy to discover it is the same play written by Tony McNamara that has been developed into this limited TV series streaming on Hulu. It was enjoyable many years ago on stage as it is now on the screen. The Great is a fun dirty romp that will make you laugh and squirm at the same time.
If you were a fan of The Favorite, the Oscar winning film from 2018, then you are bound to enjoy The Great.
The Great is currently streaming on Hulu.