One of the funniest, bawdiest, and incredibly clever stories I’ve enjoyed on HULU, The Great tells creator and writer Tony McNamara’s version of how Catherine the Great came into power over Russia. Pulling off great performances, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult are so good, you’ll want to binge the nearly 10 hours of advertising free entertainment. Even if you have seen the series on HULU, you’ll want this video to watch again. And YES there is a plan for season 2 in the works.
In the opening scene Catherine tells Angeline that she will be the Empress of Russia by marriage to Emperor Peter. When she arrives in the country she kisses the ground and then gets taken to the huge Russian Emperor Palace where she is introduced to Peter. But, he feels she is not what he thought she was from her portrait. It’s the begging of a relationship that will be a hilarious roller coaster ride of ups and downs with threads of violence, chaos, deception, infidelity, and treachery. And in between all this there is a lot of sex/nudity, pageantry, banquets, drinking, glass braking, and of course a multitude of “Huzzah!”.
The court is made up of back stabbers, confidants, loyal maids, Peter’s mistress, Catherine’s paramour, Catherine’s handmaiden, a religious zealot, a military general, friends, hangers on, and the usual freeloaders, pests, ladies in waiting and drunks. The drama is light, the comedy funny, and the nonsense makes The Great, well great.
The sets and costumes are excellent replicas of the era and the location. The Palace is opulent with murals, many gold leaf rooms, a vast grounds, and much more.
BONUS FEATURES:
“Bold and Brash: Inside The Great” Creator Ton McNamara, Director Colin Bucksey along with the main cast talk about the power of women that Catherine represents and other subjects.
“Palatial Panache: The Style of The Great” talks about period costume design, hair and make-up, set design with gold leaf, the palace in which they filmed, paintings, the dinnerware, glasses and so much more.
“Gag Reel” mistakes, miscues and mishaps
One of the better series available for mature adults, The Great is addictive and worth watching,
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Belinda Browilow, Douglas Hodge
Created and written by: Tony McNamara
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
TV Rating: TV-MA for sex, nudity, violence, language
Running Time: 9 hrs. 30 min. (10 episodes)
Video Release Date: October 20, 2020
Original Theatrical Release Date: 2020
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Video: Aspect ratio 16:9
Subtitles: English, English SDH, Audio Description
Number of Discs: 4 Discs
Distributed by: Paramount Home Entertainment
Released on: DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
