The Master and Margarita (1988 TV series)
| The Master and Margarita | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Maciej Wojtyszko |
| Starring |
Anna Dymna Władysław Kowalski Gustaw Holoubek Zbigniew Zapasiewicz Janusz Michałowski |
| Country of origin |
 Poland |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 4 x 52 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original release | March 20, 1990 |
The Master and Margarita (Mistrz i Małgorzata) is a Polish television production of Polish Film Producers Teams (Zespoły Polskich Producentów Filmowych), based on the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov.
Background
Director and screenwriter of this adaptation is Maciej Wojtyszko.
The story
Three layers
The film is an adaptation of the novel The Master and Margarita written by the Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov. Three storylines are interwoven.
- The first one is a satire of the ‘30s in the 20th century, the period during which Joseph Stalin is in power in the Soviet Union. The demon Woland comes to Moscow to have his annual Spring Ball of the Full Moon. Together with his demonic suite, he challenges the corrupt lucky ones, bureaucrats and profiteers of that period in an hilarious way..
- The second one is set in the biblical Yershalaim, and describes the inner struggle of Pontius Pilate before, during and after the conviction and execution of Yeshua Ha Nozri.
- The third one tells the love story between a nameless writer in Moscow in the ’30s and his lover Margarita. The Master has written a novel on Pontius Pilate, a subject which was taboo in the officially atheistic Soviet Union.
Differences with the novel
This series follows faithfully the storyline of Bulgakov’s original novel, except for the nighttime scenes. While many scenes in Bulgakov’s novel are playing in the dark, it's always daytime in this adaptation. Due to the limited budget, Wojtyszko said he had focused on good acting rather than on special effects.
Episodes
1. The Black Magic Séance
2. The Master
3. Margarita
4. Saying goodbye
Credits
- Director: Maciej Wojtyszko
- Screenplay: Maciej Wojtyszko
- Production: CWPiFTV Poltel (Warszawa)
- Camera: Dariusz Kuc
Main cast
- Margarita: Anna Dymna
- Master: Władysław Kowalski
- Woland: Gustaw Holoubek
- Bezdomny: Grzegorz Gierak
- Pontius Pilate: Zbigniew Zapasiewicz
- Koroviev: Janusz Michałowski
- Azazello: Mariusz Benoit
- Yeshua: Tadeusz Bradecki
- Behemoth: Zbigniew Zamachowski
Soundtrack
All tracks composed by Zbigniew Karnecki
Other screen adaptations of The Master and Margarita
- Giovanni Brancale - Il Maestro e Margherita - 2008 (film)
- Vladimir Bortko - Master i Margarita - 2005 (TV series)
- Ibolya Fekete - A Mester és Margarita - 2005 (film)
- Sergei Desnitsky - Master i Margarita - 1996 (film)
- Yuri Kara - Master i Margarita - 1994 (film)
- Paul Bryers - Incident in Judea - 1992 (film)
- (Hungarian) Andras Szirtes - Forradalom Után - 1990 (film)
- (Polish) Andrzej Wajda - Pilatus und Andere - 1972 (film)
- (Italian) Aleksandar Petrović - Il Maestro e Margherita - 1972 (film)
- To be expected
- Scott Steindorff - The Master and Margarita - 2013 (film)
- Rinat Timerkaev - Master i Margarita - 2013 (animation film)
External links
- The Master and Margarita at the Internet Movie Database
- Oglądaj serial Mistrz i Małgorzata w Internecie
- serial Mistrz i Małgorzata w bazie filmweb.pl
- Mistrz i Małgorzata on the Master & Margarita website
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