A Gentleman in Moscow

I LOVED the book LOVED IT . I have anxiously waited for the adaptation .

1) DEAR PRODUCERS ... stop rewriting history !! The Black actors were great ! BUT there were basically no black in the Soviet Union then and now . This drives me CRAZY. Something campy like Bridgerton, I could ok , let it go . BUT not in a serious show where the HISTORY is central to the plot .

2) I was not expecting Ewan McGregor as Rostov. I am DELIGHTED by his performance. I think he did FANTASTIC .

3)The directing and cinema photography was sublime.

4) The actor that plays the evil commie hotel manager did a wonderful job .. I have pure hatred for him.

I gave this 8/10 because of color blind casting. I would have done less except everything else was superb .

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....

I found this quite difficult to assess. The are some moments that are very dramatic, quite heartfelt and nicely constructed. However, the series falls down in several of the broad strokes that the production has decided to make in order to fit the running time of this limited series.

Firstly, the creators have gone for a largely Disneyfied, PG 13 telling of the story, which juxtaposed with the horrors of of the communist regime in the early part of the twentieth century, is odd. In the book, the eternal cheerfulness of our protagonist is the juxtaposition.

Also, I have to say that the casting was a problem for me. I have no problem with casting for 'modern' audiences in modern movies but in period pieces it automatically pulls me out of the moment and dilutes the drama.

The ending is badly underplayed.

Overall, worth a watch.

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.

Not read the book, so based on the drama alone. Very enjoyable yarn with an unusual plot. Generally well cast and well acted. McGregor is excellent and carries the Count's breeding, eruditeness and whimsy well. The supporting cast also work well. I love Johnny Harris's performance - his Osip is scary. I don't mind the varied accents (I don't want cod Russian accents). Unfortunately, I cannot get over the (African) elephant in the room. The black actors are good actors and their performances are good, and in any modern or unspecified setting i am happy with "colour blind" casting. But, even though the story is fiction, it is a historical drama and so has a "mise en place" - it must reflect the historical setting and have some realism (a black minister of culture in 1930's Soviet Union?).