Azazel (2002)

Director:

Aleksandr Adabashyan

Writers:

Boris Akunin (novel), Boris Akunin (screenplay)

Stars:

Ilya Noskov, Marina Neyolova, Sergey Bezrukov

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ilya Noskov	...	Erast Petrovich Fandorin
Marina Neyolova	...	Lady Esther
Sergey Bezrukov	...	Ivan Frantsevich Brilling
Larisa Borushko	...	Amaliya Kazimirovna Bezhetskaya
Sergey Chonishvili	...	Ippolit Aleksandrovich Zurov
Marina Aleksandrova	...	Lizanka von Evert-Kolokoltseva
Kirill Pirogov	...	Akhtyrtsev
Oleg Basilashvili	...	Lavrenty Arkadyevich Mizinov
Ewa Szykulska	...	Emma Gottliebovna Pful
Feliks Antipov	...	Grushin
Dmitri Burkhankin	...	Kokorin
Yuri Avsharov	...	Georg
Aleksandr Orlovskiy	...	Cunningham
Vasiliy Kupriyanov	...	Evert-Kolokoltsev
Valentin Golubenko	...	Klaus

Storyline

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Plot Keywords:

1800s | russia | whodunit | detective | private detective | 

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery

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Details

Country:

Russia

Language:

Russian

Release Date:

10 March 2002 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Azazel nevében

Filming Locations:

Czech Republic

Company Credits

Production Co:

Obshchestvennoe Rossiyskoe Televidenie (ORT), Studio Trite

Technical Specs

Runtime:

208 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When elderly policeman reads the last will of the deceased, there is a rap sheet on the wall with fingerprints and front-and-side mughots. However, movie takes place in 1876 while dactyloscopy has not been introduced into police procedure until 1891 (and gained popularity even later) while front-and-side mughots were first used in the first years of 20th century.

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Connections

Followed by The State Counsellor (2005)

User Reviews

Very Enjoyable Adaptation of an Excellent Book

Based on Boris Akunin's novel 'Azazel' (English title 'The Winter Queen') set in Moscow in 1876. Boris Akunin is the pen name of Grigory Chkhartishvili, who was born in the republic of Georgia in 1956; he is a philologist, critic, essayist, and translator from Japanese. I recently read and enjoyed "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" by Yukio Mishima translated by Chkhartishvili.

Chkhartishvili published his first detective stories (using the pen name Boris Akunin) in 1998 and in a very short time has become one of the most widely read authors in Russia. He has written nine Erast Fandorin novels to date, and is working on two other series as well. I am an avid fan of all three Akunin's series: about Erast Fandorin; about the Nun - PI Pelagiya (three books), and the newest one - about Nicolas Fandorin, the grandson of Erast.

Akunin enjoys almost legendary popularity in Russia. He lives in Moscow. In 'Azazel', the first and IMO, the best in Erast Fandorin series, a young police officer - Erast Fandorin - works on his first case - an odd suicide of a rich young man which leads Fandorin to the global and very dangerous conspiracy.

The film is an interesting and very enjoyable adaptation of an excellent book. The script was written by Akunin himself and adapts very well to the screen. The film was made in Nikita Mikhalkov's Studio by Mikhalkov's long time collaborator's Aleksandr Adabashyan. Visually, "Azazel" is absolute delight, literally letting the images of Old Moscow become one of the film's main characters and attractions. The acting was good (Marina Neelova as Lady Ester was excellent; and the rest of cast all seemed to enjoy working in this project).