A Royal Scandal

film by Preminger [1945]

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July 21, 2026

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"A Royal Scandal" is a 1945 film directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Tallulah Bankhead as Catherine the Great, focusing on her life and reign. The film was initially started by director Ernst Lubitsch, but Preminger took over when Lubitsch fell ill. This historical drama was one of Preminger's early costume pictures, following his success with the film noir classic Laura (1944). Preminger was known for his controversial films that challenged Hollywood's Production Code, though "A Royal Scandal" predates some of his more notable boundary-pushing works.1

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Otto Preminger
Laura and costume dramas
A Royal Scandal (1945) had been started by Ernst Lubitsch, but, when he fell ill, Preminger completed it. The film, a biography of Catherine the Great as portrayed by Tallulah Bankhead, was the first of many Preminger-directed costume pictures. Next was Fallen Angel (1945), a…
Read More
A Royal Scandal (1945) had been started by Ernst Lubitsch, but, when he fell ill, Preminger completed it. The film, a biography of Catherine the Great as portrayed by Tallulah Bankhead, was the first of many Preminger-directed costume pictures. Next was Fallen Angel (1945), a…
Read More