# The Master and Margarita (2005)

> A devil and his retinue descend on 1930s Moscow, unmasking its hypocrisy while a persecuted writer and his devoted lover are drawn into the fallout.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/5973

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 10
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, fantasy, mystery
- Created by: Vladimir Bortko
- Network: Russia-1
- Cast: Aleksandr Galibin, Anna Kovalchuk, Oleg Basilashvili, Aleksandr Abdulov, Kirill Lavrov, Alexander Adabashyan, Sergey Bezrukov, Semyon Strugachyov
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403783/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: satirical, melancholic, mournful, mischievous, atmospheric

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, with viewers rating this faithful Russian adaptation of Bulgakov's novel fairly well.

## Synopsis

The Master and Margarita (2005) is a Russian television miniseries created by Vladimir Bortko for Russia-1, adapting Mikhail Bulgakov's novel of the same name. Aleksandr Galibin plays the Master, a persecuted writer whose manuscript has been rejected by the authorities, and Anna Kovalchuk plays Margarita, the devoted lover who will go to extraordinary lengths to reclaim him. Oleg Basilashvili stars as Woland, a mysterious visitor who arrives in Moscow with his retinue, led by Aleksandr Abdulov's Koroviev, and begins exposing the vanity and corruption of the city's literary and official circles. Running across ten hour-long episodes, the series moves between two intercut threads: the satirical chaos of Soviet Moscow in the 1930s and the Roman-era trial of Ieshua Ha-Notsri before Kirill Lavrov's Pontius Pilate, drawn from the Master's own novel. Sergey Bezrukov, Vladislav Galkin and Valentin Gaft round out the principal cast. Its tone blends sardonic satire with melancholy, a mournful romance and a haunting sense of oppression, with the supernatural treated as both uncanny and mischievous. Fans of Bulgakov, Russian literary classics and literary fantasy adaptations such as Heart of a Dog and The Brothers Karamazov will find resonance here. The look is grounded and theatrical, favoring atmosphere over spectacle, making it a thoughtful, slow-burn piece of Russian television.

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