"Ranevskaya" is not a series, but a peacock's tail, under which an ordinary chicken ass is hiding

On February 8, the premiere of the Ranevskaya series took place on the KION streaming service. It was directed by Dmitry Petrun ("Psycho"), producers Konstantin Ernst, Andrey Tartakov ("While the Village Sleeps"), Sergey Titinkov ("Head of Intelligence"). The role of Faina Ranevskaya was played by Marietta Tsigal‑Polishchuk (“I'll be back”).

The events of the series cover the life of the actress from 1915 to 1978. Faina lives in Taganrog and dreams of becoming an actress. Her parents are not happy with this - they have already found her a groom, and they consider the acting profession to be humiliating. Faina abandons her usual life and leaves for Moscow, where she hangs on the thresholds of theaters. She is hindered by a rough voice, awkward appearance and stuttering, but she is still ready to go to her dream.

Cheap dramas

From the very beginning, the series has balanced between drama and comedy. A young girl dreams of becoming an actress, but she initially has little chance of success - a completely legitimate reason for drama. But it seems to the scriptwriters that this is not enough, so the viewer is constantly reminded that Faina is having a hard time. About once every ten minutes, the main character declares that she refuses

dreams. She cries, exclaims, and then stares sadly at the wall for a few seconds. After this ritual, things begin to go uphill, but exactly until the next sad scene.

But it is worth watching a couple of identical episodes, and the suffering of the heroine ceases to touch - you get used to them.

Terrible secondary characters

The bright main character lives in a world not of people, but of stereotypes. Rich Jews with their “yes”, young corrupt actresses, godless proletarians, uneducated rich people - halftones are practically absent. Because of this, Ranevskaya does not talk with people, but with types devoid of individuality.

Absolutely all the characters are written lazily, Faina Ranevskaya stands out for two reasons: she is played by a good actress and she has a lot of screen time. The rest of the heroes, as a rule, are deprived of the second advantage, so they are more like a bright picture in a magazine. It can be assumed that the authors wanted to show the era and entire archetypes through individual characters, but the characters are too flat. In addition, this is strange for a biopic, especially about Ranevskaya.

Permanent quotes

For people who love Ranevskaya as the author of an endless number of aphorisms, the scriptwriters have prepared a gift - the characters constantly utter famous phrases that are attributed to the actress. So if you want to watch a series in which they talk about "peacocks with a chicken ass", then "Ranevskaya" will please.

Another question is how funny and interesting these aphorisms are in principle. It is not clear what kind of reaction the viewer should evoke from the phrase “Mulya, don’t make me nervous” in a domestic scene. Joy at having learned a quote from the movie Foundling? It's more like a reference for the sake of a reference, helping to fill a void in a boring script.

Artificial zeitgeist

Considering that the series was created with the participation of Channel One, many details are not surprising. historical Konstantin Ernst's projects almost always pay a lot of attention to the era being described - that's why they sound the appropriate music, and the characters are dressed in authentic clothes.

On the other hand, the complete emptiness of the characters turns the series into a dusty museum with extras walking around. It is easier for the authors of Ranevskaya to give out a good suit to a proletarian than to write a normal monologue for him and ask the actor not to overact.

beautiful actress

Marietta Tsigal-Polishchuk is the main asset of the series. It is bright, emotional, moderately rough. There is a feeling that it is simply substituted by the script. Around her should be bright heroes and interesting characters, and not a dull costumed masquerade. Due to the fact that everything around her is dead, Tsigal-Polishchuk plays into the void. If Russian screenwriters decide to write something in the spirit of the British TV series Fleabag, then the actress should be considered for the lead role.

To love the series "Ranevskaya", you need to love Faina Ranevskaya. Not necessarily the real one - better than the one attributed to countless aphorisms. And you also need to empathize with museum exhibits, be led by a cheap drama and love the projects of Channel One. It seems too much "needed" for an ordinary Russian series.

“Even under the most pretentious tail of a peacock, an ordinary chicken ass is always hidden,” said Faina Ranevskaya. The authors of the biopic about the actress did not hear her.