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Well, tin, you spoke of movies based on classics

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on March 19, 2007 at 06:10:04

It is safe to presume that Bulgakov's Master and Margarita IS indeed a classic work. Modern, classic, OK, but still. With that in mind, and given the significance of that work that is impossible to overlook, for any educated Russian, it was great fun to view the two available movie versions.

First, the recent Russian release. Of course it touched the nerve, and spurred endless discussions. I loved it, enjoyed it, and consider the ball part (too long to be called a scene) one of the high points in modern cinema.

The film makes a serious effort at staying close to the original, almost to ae fault, and as result is easy to follow. All in all, a fine effort, even though not without faults... among which is the choice of lead actors, both of which left me somewhat cold.

Be it as it may, if an English version ever crosses your way - it is a must.

The 1972 version made in Italy and Yugoslavia by Aleksandar Petrovic is a TOTALLY different ball of wax. This is the film for hard core Bulgakov's fans, intimatelyy familiar with his works. For the very scope of the large book defies its adaptation into a 96 minutes film.

The critics have not been too kind to this film. And it is easy to see why, and yet... and yet I found it immensely enjoyable.

If you have not read the book, watching this film will not make you a Bulgakov expert, for the film is trying to preserve some general tone, rather than the flow and the plot... if one can even speak of a plot in this case.

To make it short - for anyone familiar with the work, this should be great fun... it was for us. To see another interpretation of the work, characters, is quite entertaining, and the two lead actors do good job, with Ugo Tognazzi'e performance having significance and presence, and Mimsy Farmer bringing in the somewhat cold beauty and kindness.

I would not recommend the Italian film to someone seeking familiarity with the great work. The Russian film is much more workable in that regard... if you want familiarity without reading the work itself. But for those of you who want to do it right, look no further than the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation, London: Penguin, 1997.

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