2024-01-25 10:24:36
A Moscow writer gets into a series of troubles due to ideologically incorrect creativity. He plunges into work on a new novel, in which some kind of devilry begins to happen in the capital. Reality and fiction intertwine, and the devil emerges from the pages of the book to dispense justice.
Genre: mystical parable
Director: Mikhail Lokshin
Cast: Evgeny Tsyganov, Yulia Snigir, August Diehl, Yuri Kolokolnikov
Age rating: 18+
Similar to: The Great Gatsby (2013)
The devil’s greatest trick was to convince you that he does not exist, said Charles Baudelaire. Mikhail Bulgakov’s greatest trick was to write the devil in such a way that he seemed fairer than the world in which he found himself – the world contemporary to the writer himself. The Devil, aka Woland, is the center, the engine of the novel “The Master and Margarita,” a long-suffering novel that to this day causes controversy and burning interest around the world. This film was supposed to bear the name of Woland, but during editing they decided to change the name to a more familiar one, because here the center of the story was the line of the Master and Margarita.
At the same time, this is not a direct page-by-page adaptation. The film expands the world of the novel, embodying Bulgakov himself in the image of the Master, who first wrote a play regarding Pontius Pilate, and then the book “The Master and Margarita.” At the same time, the film does not strive to be realistic – the Master is in the society of already built socialism with airships, trams, the Palace of the Soviets with a giant statue of Lenin and other high-rise buildings. And yet he is a stranger in this wonderful world, where class inequality and religion have been eradicated, but have not gotten rid of rank, bribery and censorship. The play “Pilate” is removed from the theater’s repertoire right before the premiere (Bulgakov had a similar experience), and the author is expelled from the Writers’ Union in disgrace.
The Master’s line in the film is inspired by the biography of Bulgakov himself. They even look and dress similar
Two fateful meetings distract the Master from his bitter thoughts. One, with a mysterious foreign tourist, gives him an idea for a new book. Another, with a woman as lonely as himself, gives impetus to the writing of this book – even if it is not destined to be published. On its pages, the foreign tourist becomes a consultant, a professor of black magic, who turns the world of those who thought that everything might be controlled by regulations and executions upside down. Escapism through creativity fills the life of the Master and his new mistress with meaning.
The film moves between the reality in which the Master exists and his works. The “Pilate” line, to which, for example, so much time was devoted in Vladimir Bortko’s 2005 version, here only manages to touch upon Bulgakov’s problematic. The focus is on the torment of the Master and his revived romance. Director Mikhail Lokshin was able to bring Bulgakov’s devilry to the cinema, devoid of allegorism, while flirting with the viewer and leaving room for guesses regarding what was real and what was not.
The stage at the variety show sparkles with art deco decorations
The film’s lush visual style sets it apart from previous adaptations and leaves no doubt that this is a great theatrical experience. Moscow, dressed up in art deco, is memorable, and scenes in restaurants, variety shows and a “bad apartment” evoke parallels with Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Satan’s Ball will also not disappoint those who dreamed, even for a moment, of walking through the wrong door and ending up at the party of the century.
Surprisingly, not much attention is paid to the potentially main meme and special effect – the cat Hippopotamus. Either the director thought that exploiting a mustachioed imp repairing a primus was in bad taste, or the animation of the character was too complex, but the attention is rather stolen by the real Maine Coon Kesha, from whom the Master “copies” the book Hippopotamus.
As for the live actors, the casting is nothing short of flawless. Evgeny Tsyganov and Yulia Snigir are husband and wife in real life, and looking at their on-screen love and chemistry, you want to believe in an unbending support that will endure even when the whole world presses and breaks. The invitation of foreign stars – August Diehl to play the role of Woland and Claes Bang to play the role of Pilate – adds scale to the project and inspires confidence that such collaborations will remain possible in the future. Woland Dilya is charming, energetic and insightful; being in his presence would be both creepy and intriguing. From the retinue of the Prince of Darkness, the most memorable is Koroviev the trickster performed by Yuri Kolokolnikov, who squeaks in an infernal falsetto that is unexpected for such a big man.
By the way, in the film “King’s Man: The Beginning” Diehl played Lenin
The film impresses with its actors, script, and technical level. Despite the inevitable cuts for the film adaptation, the main storylines will pass through all the key points, sacramental quotes regarding the housing issue, truth and manuscripts will certainly be heard, and Margarita’s outfits and the Moscow that might have been will remain in our memory as examples of style. Among the few controversial decisions is the music, which sometimes overlaps the dialogue. However, this may only be a feature of a single cinema hall.
A great movie with a vibrant style regarding the power of love and the fact that even in difficult times it is better to turn to creativity than to the devil. And that if your work made at least one person happier, it was not in vain. As for the devil, if he needs you, he will find you and give you everything himself.
Evgeny Tsyganov with the cat Kesha, who played Behemoth
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