A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow is a wonderfully entertaining novel, full of pathos and subtlety.

I recently read an article where the author Amor Towles gave the green light on this adaptation and is Executive Producer. So I believed it to be in safe hands.

After watching two episodes I can say the cinematography, production and costume design are top rate. The casting is not. Ewan McGregor is a fine actor, however he cannot disguise entirely his Scottish accent which is jarring for a Russian Count. Some of the other actors come across as caricatures.

Because of the diverse casting policies now, one of the Russian Bolsheviks is played by a black man with dreadlocks which clearly would not exist in the 1920's.

History whether fact or fiction should be accurate in every way in my opinion.

I won't be bothering with the next episodes. I want to keep my memories of the book intact.

I am a huge fan of the novel, A Gentlman in Moscow and Amor Towles other novels. It is an instant classic. I have been waiting for a year or more for the television series but I am reserving judgement until I can see all the episodes. To write a review before based on a couple of episodes is ridiculous. The book is a work of art and reads like a fable. It is not intended to be a history of the Russian revolution. It is about the triumph of the human spirit against authoritarianism, ignited by the spirit of a unique young girl. It is charming, profound and beautifully written.

The author is on record saying he is very happy with the adaptation so I am eagerly waiting to see it in its entirety before passing judgement. Any video adaptation of a book has to leave out a lot of nuance and rarely works well. To me the book is inevitably better as it can accommodate much more detail but, given the author's enthusiasm, I am optimistic and await the full series with great anticipation.

I loved this series, especially Ewan McGregor is as excellent as always & so was the actor who played his captor. The set was magnificent!!!

My only complaint for a beautifully written and Art Directed series is the utterly ridiculous and insensitive "diversity " casting. What an insult to all Russians that their culture is trivialised by casting people of all different ethnicities in roles that are historically completely incorrect. Millions died in this revolution and each culture deserves the respect by movies and TV to not smother it in silly PC characters. Would they remake ROOTS with an Asian cast? No, because that would be an insult to that culture. It's also so distracting as you cannot suspend your disbelief when the clang of the casting smothers every scene.

I really enjoyed the first episode, and look forward to the next.

Here's the deal: if you don't know the book, and you're looking for action, this won't be the show for you.

If you do know the book, you'll likely love it.

If, however, you don't know the book, and you enjoy a slow burn with great acting, you may be in luck.

Taking place shortly after the revolution, the plot revolves around the life of one of the last aristocrats of Russia. He's been imprisoned for life in a hotel, if he ever leaves, he'll be killed on the spot. Ejected out of his posh suites, he's forced to live in old servants quarters in the attic.

Episode one shows us a glimpse of his past, and gives us a sampling of his character. The Red Guard are everywhere, and have filled some of the hotel positions with spies, looking for traitors. Anyone deemed a threat is taken out of view and summarily executed by a bullet to the head.

It's a nice balance of whimsy and darkness, with a creature of politics and privilege navigating the murky waters of a revolution in progress. Will he survive? Will he be able to use his connections and intelligence to escape?

For myself, I can't wait to see where the story leads....

Great story line. I have not read the book but would like to point out that Russia's Black population has been, and still is near zero.

I understand the need to maintain an unbiased acting crew thus the description should be changed to Fictional Drama.

The series is entertaining but certainly not historical. Ewan McGregor does an excellent performance as the victimized product of the Russian Revolution.

For those unfamiliar with actual history the importance of informing the viewers that the show is an entire work of fiction by using a period in time and place to create a fairytale, which is what a Gentleman in Moscow is.