The Master and Margaret (Il Maestro e Margherita)

Starring:Ugo Tognazzi, Mimsy Farmer, Alain Cuny, Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic, Pavle Vujisic, Fabijan Sovagovic, Ljuba Tadic, Tasko Nacic, Danilo 'Bata' Stojkovic, Fahro Konjhodzic, Zlatko Madunic, Radomir Reljic, Janez Vrhovec, Branka Veselinovic, Eugen Verber, Sandor Medve, Vasa Pantelic, Aleksandar Djuric, Anela Gojkov, Eva Ras
Director: Aleksandar Petrovic
Studio: Vanguard Cinema
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Face/Off
One of the best action movies made
who are these people that give films like this five stars?
WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE
Face Off

Face/Off
Starring: John Travolta , Nicolas Cage , Joan Allen , Alessandro Nivola , and Gina Gershon
Director: John Woo
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 630512762X
Release Date: 1998-10-07

Product Description

At his best, director John Woo turns action movies into ballets of blood and bullets grounded in character drama. Face/Off marks Woo's first American film to reach the pitched level of his best Hong Kong work (Hard-Boiled). He takes a patently absurd premise--hero and villain exchange identities by literally swapping faces in science-fiction plastic surgery--and creates a double-barreled revenge film driven by the split psyches of its newly redefined characters. FBI agent Sean Archer (John Travolta) must play the villain to move through the underworld while psychotic terrorist Castor Troy (Nicolas Cage) becomes a perversely paternal family man while using every tool at his disposal to destroy his nemesis. Travolta vamps Cage's tics and flamboyant excess with the grace of a dancer after his transformation from cop to criminal, while Cage plays the sullen, bottled-up agent excruciatingly trapped behind the face of the man who killed his son. His attempts to live up to the terrorist's reputation become cathartic explosions of violence that both thrill and terrify him. This is merely icing on the cake for action fans, the dramatic backbone for some of the most visceral action thrills ever. Woo fills the screen with one show-stopping set piece after another, bringing a poetic grace to the action freakout with sweeping camerawork and sophisticated editing. This marriage of melodrama and mayhem ups the ante from cops-and-robbers clichés to a conflict of near-mythic levels.

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Face/Off.......2007-06-08

I am a big fan of John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. both are outstanding in this twist of face..... Loved it....

One of the best action movies made.......2007-05-25

Its great but where is a special edition or directors cut?

who are these people that give films like this five stars?.......2007-05-25

I read some of these reviewers and I wonder if they are making my food at restuarants, if they are saving lives in the ER or are the ones who run right out to buy some fools CD from American Idol, or talk in superlatives about the new Snoop Dog video that was on MTV. Do they sell tires in Spokane or crawdaddies in Batan Rouge?

Face off is truly an atrocious film, from start to finish. Cage and Travolta have no on screen chemistry and it is so shallow, so utterly beneath me to even want to describe the assanine plot and utter paltry dialouge.

For years I have thought this, and will continue to until I leave this medium, but Face Off is unequivically one of the worst films ever made. Pure trash.

WOW DANG ONE OF THE BEST TV DVD-MOVE FOR SHORE EVER DONE.......2007-05-08

NOW I COULD EASYLY SAY THIS WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF THE GRATEST MOVE EVER MADE IN THE WORLD THAT IS SO FOR SHORE & THAT IS PUTTING IT LIGHTLY

Face Off.......2007-01-10

An excellent non-stop action movie. One can definitely tell old Johnny Wu did this one. If you like guns, shooting, and macho mindless bloodshed, I have to say this movie is a must see. Cage and Travolta, after seeing this movie, are the ONLY ones that gave this film what it has.

The Master and Margaret / Master i Margarita (3 DVD SET, ENGLISH SUBTITLES)

Average customer rating:

The work is 5 star, the translation subtitles are 2 star
Great movie
One of the truly great Russian novels of this Century
'Say at last--who art thou?' 'That Power I serve Which wills forever evil Yet does forever good.' Goethe, Faust,

The Master and Margaret / Master i Margarita (3 DVD SET, ENGLISH SUBTITLES)
Starring: Aleksandr Adabashyan , Gennadi Bogachyov , Lev Borisov , Roman Kartsev , and Liubomiras Lauciavicius
Director: Vladimir Bortko
Manufacturer: CP Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Ivan Vasilievich - Back to the Future
The Master and Margarita
Kidnapping Caucassian Style
The Idiot (4 DVD Set)
Master and Margarita: A Critical Companion (AATSEEL)

ASIN: B000EANSXM

Product Description

SOUNDTRACK (AUDIO): RUSSIAN DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 / ENGLISH SUBTITLES. SYNOPSIS: Vladimir Bortko has become the first Russian film director to start shooting of renowned Bulgakov's novel and not to stop half-way. All the others Russian directors once engaged in the production of "Master and Margaret" have actually turned out to be unable to finalize their projects. The rumors say, it is due to some mysticism... The "Master and Margaret" begins with two story lines: the Devil and his retinue show up to make mischief in 1930's Moscow while Matthew the Evangelist attempts to uncover the truth about Pontius Pilate and the Crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem in A. D. 33. Halfway through the novel, Bulgakov unveils a third story line set in Moscow, in which the love-stricken Margarita bargains with the Devil to be reunited with her lover, the Master, a tormented writer-hero who pines away in an insane asylum. Bulgakov gradually weaves the three scenarios together, all the while exercising devilish lampoonery and wit to satirize Soviet life under Stalin. Because public discussions of religion and critiques of the government had long been punishable by a trip to the gulag, the themes addressed in "Master and Margaret" very rarely surfaced in the Soviet Union: many Soviet citizens read the Gospel story for the first time in Bulgakov's narrative.

Customer Reviews:

The work is 5 star, the translation subtitles are 2 star.......2007-02-11

This film is a great work of art, and very visually interesting, however, if you must rely on the English subtitle translation, you will be very unhappy with this product. Each of the three disks seem to have a different translator.
The second disk is well done, and has only minor typos and tries to get the feel and substance of the conversations. Usually the subtitles are left long enough for a talented reader to comprehend, but people with reading difficulties, even minor, may be forced to review and pause.
The first disk leaves 3 minute blocks of conversation untranslated or flashes substantial subtitles for only 3-5 seconds, requiring the non-Russian speaking viewer to pause and review. I do not count the songs untranslated or movie titles and inserts from Russian script untranslated, but complete conversations are left with no translation.
The third disk is between the first and second in quality. Again one finds substantial untranslated conversations, but at least the storyline is there, in the most part, even thoughthere are more mispellings in these subtitles. I suspect the translations were made quickly and the translaotrs were of different qualitry, while the project coordinator didn't really care about the subplots, and subtle humor of the work being translated for an English speaking / reading audience.
The visuals slide easily between grainy greyscale to vibrant color, depending on the mood and setting. The parody of Soviet life is very accurate, as my ex-Soviet friends attest. The best possible recommendation is to first read the novel, then view this film. The best possible fix for the film would be to hire a new translator, or let the person(s) who worked on disk #2 redo disks #1 and #3.
Shame on the distributor for accepting the substandard translation that burden the acceptance of such a stunning work or art. I compromise with 3 stars, and hope Woland's cat visits the person who accepted such weak translations.

Great movie.......2007-01-15

I bought this movie for my mother and she loved it... she sent it to chicago to my grandmother and aunt and they loved it as well... I personally watched only 1/2 and it's very interesting and makes you think about live in a different light.

One of the truly great Russian novels of this Century.......2006-11-26

Although completed in 1940, The Master and Margarita was not published in Moscow until 1966, when the first part appeared in the magazine Moskva. It was an immediate and enduring success: Audiences responded with great enthusiasm to its expression of artistic and spiritual freedom.

Mikhail Bulgakov's devastating satire of Soviet life was written during the darkest period of Stalin's regime. Combining two distinct yet interwoven parts-one set in ancient Jerusalem, one in contemporary Moscow-the novel veers from moods of wild theatricality with violent storms, vampire attacks, and a Satanic ball; to such somber scenes as the meeting of Pilate and Yeshua, and the murder of Judas in the moonlit garden of Gethsemane; to the substanceless, circus-like reality of Moscow. Its central characters, Woland (Satan) and his retinue-including the vodka-drinking, black cat, Behemoth; the poet, Ivan Homeless; Pontius Pilate; and a writer known only as The Master, and his passionate companion, Margarita-exist in a world that blends fantasy and chilling realism, an artful collage of grostesqueries, dark comedy, and timeless ethical questions.

If you like the book you should see the first movie produced by Russians (producer Vladimir Bortko), simply because there is no other screen version made. It is found a very closed to the book and filmed in Russia. Many of comic and episodic scenes are funny and truly well made. These 480 film minutes are going really easy, especially if you know what is going on there and understand Russian well.

Famous Russian professional actors: Bezrukov, Basilashvili, Lavrov, Abdoolov, Philipenko, Cartsev, Ghaft, Olejnikov, etc., great music by Russian composer Igor Kornelyuk.

It is very interesting to compare it with your own impressions after reading the book.

'Say at last--who art thou?' 'That Power I serve Which wills forever evil Yet does forever good.' Goethe, Faust,.......2006-09-08

"Master i Margarita", the book and the movie:

I have read "Master and Margarita" three times, and I am sure that I will read it again. I was very lucky because all three times I read it in Russian, and even the best translation can not compare to the original. Every time, I found something new in the book; it would turn to me by different facets. "Master and Margarita" is incredibly beautiful, deep, sophisticated yet playful and sparkling book with unforgettable characters. In fact, it is not one novel but three. First, about the adventures of Devil and his company in the 1920-th Moscow; second, about Pontius Pilatus and Jesus in Jerusalem of the first century, and the third one, about the Master, the writer who wrote the second novel, and his eternal and true love, Margarita. The story of Master and Margarita is the story of Bulgakov and his wife and muse, Elena. All three stories are connected and intertwine. All three of them end with the exactly same phrase, "...the cruel fifth procurator of Judea, the equestrian Pontius Pilate."

So, what is the book about? Good, evil, betrayal, talent, love, forgiveness? Yes, it is. But it is so much more.

I had a lot of doubts before watching the film because as much as I wanted to see "Master and Margarita" on the screen I was not sure that it was possible to adapt it and not to lose anything important - which is everything.

I am pleasantly surprised - the film is very good. It is respectful, thoughtful and as close to the spirit of the greatest Russian novel of the last century as possible.

The movie is not perfect (and I don't think that the perfect transfer is possible) but the choice of actors, the music score, the visual palette that change as we enter the different eras, places, and dimensions are outstanding. I was initially surprised by some names but almost every actor proved him/herself very capable in bringing to the screen well known and beloved characters. I would say that some of special effects could be ...well, more special - for example, the mischievous talking cat Behemoth could be done more interestingly. I also don't see the exact reason for creating a new character, the man in uniform with the glasses and very recognizable accent who is in charge of investigating the "crimes of the band of powerful hypnotists" - how they call Woland and his entourage. One can argue that the titular couple, the tragic lovers, Master and Margarita are weaker and their story seems pale in the comparison to one of Pilat (bravo to 80 year old stage and screen legend, Kirill Lavrov who can be remembered as Ivan Karamazov in The Brothers Karamazov (1969) and Ieshua Ha-Notsri (incredible performance by the young bright star, Sergei Bezrukov of "Brigada"'s fame almost unrecognizable as Ieshua). I think no one can deny that Oleg Basilashvili as powerful, cynical and eternally wise Woland, the part of Power " Which wills forever evil Yet does forever good" IS the true Master of the film. My fascination and admiration belong to Alexander Abdulov on whom I as a young girl had a huge crush in his film debut. For many years he had been the Russian sex symbol but his enormous comical talent found its match in the part of Woland assistant/ translator, Koroviev. His and Behemoth's adventures in Moscow are screamingly funny. I think that the film is a successful and enjoyable adaptation of the beloved cult novel and I recommend seeing it. I am going to order the sound track. As I mentioned, the music by Igor Kornelyuk is one of the film's treasures.

P.S. I used to work on the street where the last home of Mikhail Bulgakov was. He was taken to the cemetery from there.

The famous "Pashkov's House" with the rotunda on the top where Woland and his team gathered together before they left Moscow forever, was in walking distance from my work, and I remember, once, I almost got hit by the car -I walked and looked at that music in stone and could not take my eyes off it.

Master i Margarita / Master and Margaret - 4 DVDs Gift Edition (PAL - Russian Import)

Average customer rating:

Master i Margarita / Master and Margaret - 4 DVDs Gift Edition (PAL - Russian Import)

Manufacturer: CP Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Product Features:

Master i Margarita
Master and Margaret
Vladimir Bortko
Sergei Bezrukov
Oleg Basilashvili

ASIN: B000EADJEU

Product Description

NO ENGLISH SUBTITLES!!! Collector's Edition, PAL (multisystem PAL/NTSC compatible DVD player required) - Russian Import, ALL Region, 2 Box Sets (4 DVDs). Audio track: DD 5.1 RUSSIAN. WILL NOT play on regular R1 DVD player. Please, get familiar with all details about DVD video standards and region coding to avoid any misunderstandings.........................................SYNOPSIS: Vladimir Bortko has become the first Russian film director to start shooting of renowned Bulgakov's novel and not to stop half-way. All the others Russian directors once engaged in the production of "Master and Margaret" have actually turned out to be unable to finalize their projects. The rumors say, it is due to some mysticism... The "Master and Margaret" begins with two story lines: the Devil and his retinue show up to make mischief in 1930's Moscow while Matthew the Evangelist attempts to uncover the truth about Pontius Pilate and the Crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem in A. D. 33. Halfway through the novel, Bulgakov unveils a third story line set in Moscow, in which the love-stricken Margarita bargains with the Devil to be reunited with her lover, the Master, a tormented writer-hero who pines away in an insane asylum. Bulgakov gradually weaves the three scenarios together, all the while exercising devilish lampoonery and wit to satirize Soviet life under Stalin. Because public discussions of religion and critiques of the government had long been punishable by a trip to the gulag, the themes addressed in "Master and Margaret" very rarely surfaced in the Soviet Union: many Soviet citizens read the Gospel story for the first time in Bulgakov's narrative.

The Master and Margaret (Il Maestro e Margherita)

Average customer rating:

No Sympathy for the Devil
Outdated and Unmoving Film
Amusing rendition of the literary masterpiece.

The Master and Margaret (Il Maestro e Margherita)
Starring: Ugo Tognazzi , Mimsy Farmer , Alain Cuny , Velimir 'Bata' Zivojinovic , and Pavle Vujisic
Director: Aleksandar Petrovic
Manufacturer: Vanguard Cinema
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Art House & International | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000087F0N
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Customer Reviews:

No Sympathy for the Devil.......2006-05-30

If the synopsis is any indication of the movie, then it is pretty far off from the literary classic. It wasn't a gulag, but a sanatorium that "Homeless" was sent to, after his confrontation with Woland, the devil, at the duck pont. Other than being a fellow writer, there wasn't much prior relationship between "Homeless" and the "Master." Their relationship developed in the sanatorium.

Bulgakov's novel is a black comedy of the Stalin years, during which time he was director of one of Moscow's famous theatres. This highly theatrical story satirizes just about every aspect of Stalinist Moscow,to the point that it never saw the light of day until the Khrushchev era, when a major thaw took place in the Soviet Union. The Master and Margarita made a huge impact, becoming part of the Russian literary canon. There have been several attempts to capture the novel in film and even on stage, the most recent being a ten-part television serial (January, 2006) by Bortko, who had previously done an excellent rendition of "The Heart of a Dog." But, unfortunately his adaptation (as faithful as it was) fell short of the original as well. Forget the movie and read the book.

Outdated and Unmoving Film.......2004-12-03

Although the film deals with one of the best known Russian literature writers, the film itself fails on most accounts, namely because it does not deal with the tendency for times to change. With the expulsion of communist Russia, this film no longer has any prominent themes to explore and on top of that, it was done by an Italian filmed on the streets of Belgrade. It is very boring at times with unmotivated and stiff acting by most of the leads and it is a period piece. The ending was the only thing redeeming about it and I would just rate it as an average piece of work.....

Amusing rendition of the literary masterpiece........2003-07-24

First of all, the "official" synopsis above is inaccurate. That it is possible for a critic to see the movie and then summarize it incorrectly should serve as a warning that this movie isn't very easy to follow -- unless you're familiar with the book that the movie is based on. Here's a better description of the plot:

Master, a Russian playwright, is anxiously anticipating the premiere of his new play. In the post-Revolutionary Moscow of the 1920s, the subject of the play, the encounter between Jesus and Pontius Pilate, frightens Master's conformist peers. In the atmosphere of political oppression and officially encouraged atheism, Master's thoughts on secular power, truth and freedom expressed through the play's characters seem alarmingly relevant to the literary hacks of the newly instituted artistic bureaucracy. Predictably, the play is condemned, but to the aid of the anguished writer come his new acquaintances: a beautiful woman he meets on a Moscow street and a mysterious stranger apparently endowed with supernatural powers who takes a special interest in the play.

The movie is loosely based on Mikhail Bulgakov's masterpiece "Master and Margaret". If you haven't read it, you might want to take a chance on this movie -- but I can't predict your reaction to it, as my knowledge of the text makes my judgment very subjective. Ultimately, the movie isn't bad, the acting is adequate, and the plot alone should seem interesting enough to justify watching it.

If you have read the book, you must have raised you eyebrows over my synopsis. Like I mentioned, the movie is based on the book only very loosely -- the story line is different and some key characters are missing or merged into one. The movie is certainly not a worthy screen rendition of the original, but it can still be enjoyed. If you've ever given thought to what it would take to bring the book to the screen, you'll be amused by the choices the filmmakers made. In my opinion, a few of these choices were successful -- as in the case of Korov'ev, in one case brilliant -- as in the case of Jesus, but in most cases poor, as in the case of Voland, most unfortunately. The costumes and the makeup belong in a period at least half-a-century earlier, the soundtrack seems largely random, and yet I don't regret having watched the movie. I would have hated it if it was silly -- but it's not, it's just wrong. And what better way to congratulate oneself on a superior interpretation of an artwork than to encounter someone else's serious yet ultimately flawed attempt to repeat it?

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