The Master and Margarita

As for the film, for me, Bortko's "The Master and Margarita..." is one of the very few examples of a film that can convey a message more clearly than even the book itself (of course, this is just my opinion). I understood Bulgakov better through Bortko than through Bulgakov himself. Honestly, Mikhail Afanasyevich's style in this novel is very difficult for me; I struggled to read it when "The Master and Margarita..." was all the rage, stumbling over stylistic "awkwardnesses," and after watching the film more than a dozen times, I picked up the novel again, and again, there were "awkwardnesses"... This is to say that a film is not always a pathetic parody of the original... What is Woland? According to Bulgakov, he is God's "cleaner," that is, the one entrusted with overseeing human vices. Woland is tired of his burden, sympathetic, seeking understanding from people regarding his mission, and immensely grateful to those who show this understanding (Margarita, the Master). This became clearer to me from the film than from the book. Perhaps I'm committing heresy, but Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita" is somewhat more "pop" than Bortko's film, possibly due to its strangely unique style, which is completely un-Bulgakovian if you consider his classic works. But both the book and the film are surpassed by Yuri Lyubimov's stage production of "The Master and Margarita..." at the Taganka Theater. I saw the performance in the 1980s, during the theater's golden age. It was amazing! But, alas, it is irreplaceable...