The Master and Margarita 4K 2024

The main thing: it's as good as you could imagine. And even a little better.

The biggest success is the script, which magically manages to fit into 2.5 hours what is more often attempted in a series format. At the same time, it managed to retell both the novel itself and the story of its creation very elegantly, with only a couple of places where the plot parts were linked by small repetitions.

The second huge plus is the actors, almost all of whom seem to have been born for their roles. I didn't think it was possible to play Fagot (Kolokolnikov) even better than Abdullov. Azazello/Rozin is at times terrifying on a King-level. Bengalsky/Vernik, Likhodeev/Basharov, Gella/Aug Jr. (why not separate them?!) — and all, all, all.

Yes, and both title roles, even the trademark crumpled Master/Tsyganov, are impossible not to believe. The main acting success is Woland/Dil. Traditionally condemning without looking, I doubted that a German was really needed for the role of a *foreign consultant*. But here even his native language was appropriate!

(Perhaps the only clearly noticeable unsuccessful part is Yeshua: a certain Dutch actor, Aaron Vodovoz, who played, among other things, in the series Messiah, ahem.)

The third gem is the montage-graphic Moscow, made up of several real Stalinist buildings (and a little bit of St. Petersburg) and graphics. Special thanks for the Palace of Soviets, which didn't just flash by in the background. And the pin in the form of eternal renovation was a success.

This is, of course, a film only for the cinema — and then for rewatching at home with pauses and studying the details, on which a billion rubles were spent (more than that, but who's counting). Spent, however, not in vain. To list everything would require an entire book. With pictures.