Cinema 100 - Double Feature: "Cleopatra" & "The Scarlett Empress"

1934 Episode 4 (32) "Cleopatra" Directed By: Cecil B. DemilleRelease Date: August 16th, 1934"The Scarlett Empress"Directed By: Josef Von SternbergRelease Date: September 15th, 1934Tonight, we step into a world of queens, power, and spectacle. Two films from 1934, both dripping with ambition, both redefining what the screen could dare to show. First—Cecil B. DeMille’s Cleopatra—a shimmering parade of seduction and empire where Claudette Colbert rules not just Egypt, but the entire theater. Then, Josef von Sternberg’s The Scarlet Empress—a feverish gothic vision, where Marlene Dietrich claws her way through shadows and madness to become Catherine the Great. These aren’t just costume dramas—they’re two of the boldest experiments Hollywood ever put on celluloid. Dazzling. Haunting. Excessive. Unforgettable. Tonight’s double feature proves that history, in the right hands, is pure cinema.