Dealing with the rise of a little German princess to the position of Empress of all the Russias, "Catherine the Great" is a thoroughly excellent picture. Alexander Korda, whose previous work of note was "Henry VIII," is responsible for the able direction of "Catherine," and to him goes the credit for successfully catching the gaudy brilliance of the "nouveau riche" Russia that was trying to imitate the grandeur of contemporary Europe. Elizabeth Bergner, as has oft been repeated, does a splendid job to produce an absorbing Catherine; and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. also capably handles the Mad Czar Peter, whose throne Catherine usurped because of his unfitness to rule.

Concerning "Catherine the Great" the old problem of the relation of history and the historical drama arises. Although in "Henry VIII" the scholar complained that political significance was abandoned for the more intimate personal relationships of the great, the personalities of the present film are presented in a fashion that ably combines the human interest with the political. But just as Maxwell Anderson recently gave a more virtuous character to the heroine of his "Mary of Scotland" than history allows, so has Elizabeth Bergnor's Catherine been blessed with an unbelievable holiness of purpose, that is inconsistent with even her eighteenth-century enlightened despotism. There is no point in begrudging the historical dramatist his literary liberties, for "Catherine the Great" is a thoroughly excellent work; but some day we should like to see a play that utilizes the full dramatic possibilities of authentic history, for certainly it cannot be doubted that real history, too, has quite as much innate drama as many of the theatrical variations on the historical theme.

"This Man Is Mine" is the assertive title that forcefully depicts the feelings of Irene Dunne and Constance Cummings, wife and mistress respectively, concerning Ralph Bellamy. The piece is capably acted and contains some very amusing dialogue; and, although the central idea is a serious one, the general result is an interesting bit of light entertainment that rounds out a decidedly good program.