Narratives in Abyme in the Film Adaptations of The Master and Margarita

Abstract

The novel The Master and Margarita, by the Soviet playwright Mikhail Bulgákov (1928–1940), went through processes of burning, rewriting and circulation via samizdat, until its complete publication in 1973. Since then, it has inspired several adaptations, notably two homonymous Russian productions by Yuri Kara (1994) and Mikhail Lockshin (2024). Constructed as a specular double, the work is structured through Narratives in Abyss (Mise en Abyme), encompassing Goethe’s Faust, the biblical narrative of Pilate and Yeshua, and the context of censorship in the USSR experienced by the author and his characters. As these layers intertwine, they dilute the boundaries between the real and the fantastic, reflecting on the human condition and the duality between good and evil. This study proposes to analyze how the aforementioned adaptations translate these embedded narratives in the construction of the fictional universe for the cinema. As a theoretical framework, we draw upon studies on mise en abyme by Gide, Dallenbach and Todorov, as well as to the reflections on adaptation and rewriting proposed by Lefevere and Catrysse.