"Master i Margarita" (2005) TV mini-series

Director:

Vladimir Bortko

Writer:

Mikhail A. Bulgakov (novel)

Release Date:

19 December 2005 (Russia)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Master and Margarita (2005) is a Menippean film based on the eponymous book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov....

Plot Keywords:

Jerusalem | Sacrifice | Temptation | Dictatorship | Manipulation

Cast

Anna Kovalchuk	...	Margarita
Aleksandr Galibin	...	Master
Oleg Basilashvili	...	Woland
Vladislav Galkin	...	Ivan Bezdomny
Kirill Lavrov	...	Pontius Pilate
Aleksandr Abdulov	...	Koroviev
Aleksandr Filippenko	...	Azazello
Sergey Bezrukov	...	Ieshua Ha-Notsri
Aleksandr Bashirov	...	Behemoth
Semyon Furman	...	Behemoth
Valentin Gaft	...	Caiaphas / Man in uniform
Aleksandr Adabashyan	...	Berlioz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gennadi Bogachyov	...	Aloiziy Mogarich
Nikolai Burov	...	Archibald
Aleksandr Chaban	...	Investigator
Olga Kalmykova
Roman Kartsev	...	Poplavskiy
Stanislav Landgraf	...	Latunskiy
Liubomiras Lauciavicius	...	Agent Afranij
Vasili Livanov	...	Doctor Stravinsky
Vadim Lobanov	...	Nikolai Ivanovich
Sergei Muchenikov
Dmitriy Nagiev	...	Judas of Kerioth
Kseniya Nazarova	...	Natasha
Ilya Oleynikov	...	Rimskiy
Yuri Orlov
Aleksandr Pankratov-Chyorny	...	Likhodeev
Andrei Sharkov	...	Varenukha
Georgi Shtil	...	Fokich
Valentin Smirnitsky	...	Sempleyarov
Viktor Smirnov	...	Prokhor
Semyon Strugachyov	...	Levi Matthew
Natalya Surkova
Aleksandr Titov
Vladimir Tolokonnikov	...	Accountant
Andrei Tolubeyev	...	Aloiziy Mogarich
Rasina Tsydalko
Andrei Urgant	...	George Bengaskiy
Nina Usatova	...	Shturman George
Valentina Yegorenkova
Tanya Yu	...	Gella (as Tanya Yu)
Valeriy Zolotukhin	...	Bosoy

Also Known As:

Мастер и Маргарита (Russia)
Master and Margaret (International: English title)
Meister ja Margarita (Estonia) [et]
Saatana saapuu Moskovaan (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

500 min

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Israel

Company:

Goskino

Trivia:

In the original Russian version of the series, the voice of Alexandr Galibin's character Master is actually dubbed by Sergei Bezrukov, who plays Ieshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus).

Movie Connections:

Version of "Mistrz i Malgorzata" (1990)

'Say at last--who art thou?' 'That Power I serve Which wills forever evil Yet does forever good.' Goethe, Faust

"Master and Margarita", the book and the movie:

I have read "Master and Margarita" three times, and I am sure that I will read it again. I was very lucky because all three times I read it in Russian, and even the best translation can not compare to the original. Every time, I found something new in the book; it would turn to me by different facets. "Master and Margarita" is incredibly beautiful, deep, sophisticated yet playful and sparkling book with unforgettable characters. In fact, it is not one novel but three. First, about the adventures of Devil and his company in the 1920-th Moscow; second, about Pontius Pilatus and Jesus in Jerusalem of the first century, and the third one, about the Master, the writer who wrote the second novel, and his eternal and true love, Margarita. The story of Master and Margarita is the story of Bulgakov and his wife and muse, Elena. All three stories are connected and intertwine. All three of them end with the exactly same phrase, "...the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the equestrian Pontius Pilate."

So, what is the book about? Good, evil, betrayal, talent, love, forgiveness? Yes, it is. But it is so much more.

I had a lot of doubts before watching the film because as much as I wanted to see "Master and Margarita" on the screen I was not sure that it was possible to adapt it and not to lose anything important - which is everything.

I am pleasantly surprised - the film is very good. It is respectful, thoughtful and as close to the spirit of the greatest Russian novel of the last century as possible.

The movie is not perfect (and I don't think that the perfect transfer is possible) but the choice of actors, the music score, the visual palette that change as we enter the different eras, places, and dimensions are outstanding. I was initially surprised by some names but almost every actor proved him/herself very capable in bringing to the screen well known and beloved characters. I would say that some of special effects could be ...well, more special - for example, the mischievous talking cat Behemoth could be done more interestingly. I also don't see the exact reason for creating a new character, the man in uniform with the glasses and very recognizable accent who is in charge of investigating the "crimes of the band of powerful hypnotists" - how they call Woland and his entourage. One can argue that the titular couple, the tragic lovers, Master and Margarita are weaker and their story seems pale in the comparison to one of Pilat (bravo to 80 year old stage and screen legend, Kirill Lavrov who can be remembered as Ivan Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov (1969) and Ieshua Ha-Notsri (incredible performance by the young bright star, Sergei Bezrukov of "Bragada"'s fame, almost unrecognizable as Ieshua). I think no one can deny that Oleg Basilashvili as powerful, cynical and eternally wise Woland, the part of Power " Which wills forever evil Yet does forever good" IS the true Master of the film. My fascination and admiration belong to Alexander Abdulov on whom I as a young girl had a huge crush in his early film "Obyknovennoye Chudo" . For many years he had been the Russian sex symbol but his enormous comical talent found its match in the part of Woland's assistant/ translator, Koroviev. His and Behemoth's adventures in Moscow are screamingly funny. I think that the film is a successful and enjoyable adaptation of the beloved cult novel and I recommend seeing it. I am going to order the sound track. As I mentioned, the music by Igor Kornelyuk is one of the film's treasures.

P.S. I used to work on the street where the last home of Mikhail Bulgakov was. He was taken to the cemetery from there.

The famous "Pashkov's House" with the rotunda on the top where Woland and his team gathered together before they left Moscow forever, was in walking distance from my work, and I remember, once, I almost got hit by the car -I walked and looked at that music in stone and could not take my eyes off it.