Mary Smith

God awful plot with nice acting for some actors. Cliche after cliche - pinnacle of populist culture.

For any intelligent person who loves history, Stuart period and Julianna Moore, the movie is really terrible. There is NO historical base for any plot developments (pure fiction in major parts and vague resemblance in the rest). There is terrible dialogs - rather cliche and taken from many other movies, re-chewed and spitted out with proper drama. A lot of scenes are looping and longer that it should be from operator and editing points. Amount of sex slides the the category of these mini-series to the pornographic movie. It’s also unmotivated in many instances ( non stop and long - boring truly). Now the good part - really solid acting on part of everyone - interesting characters, well played. Excellent costume design and decent interior backgrounds (although many scenes has clear traces of shooting done against blue screen and later merged with historic photographic quality backdrops - body edging, non movable pieces in the scene, action that played in a small spaces of very deep and complex rooms). Summary- costume drama with sex garbage and I don’t recommend to watch it - mind eater.

Novel is magnificent and full of poise. Evan McGregor is superb. production is full of poise and wit and moody to the core. But considering how painstakingly accurate EVERY detail in the movie, I beg your pardon but where the cast director saw these many African Americans in episodical roles. I would assume, it could a musician in the orchestra, chef assistant in restaurant in Metropol (but of French decent). But sitting in the audience of Russian tribunals would be completely IMPOSSIBLE. Both sides comprised of most genuine representatives of PROLETARIAT and PEASANTRY. What kind of Mascarade presented to our viewing (it’s a bit insulting to denigrate Black actors to the second tear supporting roles for the excellent satire to the Russian Revolution and fates of ‘former upper classes’.) It’s a bit patronizing and distract from laser sharp irony where every scene holds so much significance.