Catherine the Great

One of the most interesting and dynamic characters in Münchhausen is Catherine the Great, the sole leader of Russia. Aside from conducting negotiations with the leaders of different nations, Catherine is also an outwardly sexual woman. Rentschler describes Catherine as a woman who “controls men with her erotic charms and determines their comings and goings-without ever being upstaged or chastened”(200). She cleverly plans for Münchhausen to come to her dinner party without his knowledge and leaves him to sink down to his room when she has business to conduct. There is, however, a missing piece to Rentschler’s description of Catherine. Although it is apparent that Catherine has more power than any other female Nazi film star, she is, in the end, left in the lurch by Münchhausen. After helping to rescue him for the Turks, Münchhausen does not return to her side, choosing instead to move on to the Italian princess Isabelle d’Este. While Rentschler argues that Catherine is never “upstaged” by any of the other characters, it seems that she never fully receives the recognition she deserves for rescuing Münchhausen by handing over the wine requested by the Turkish leader.