Sophia

SOPHIA (2016) was an exceptional Russian historical mini series drama, focusing on the lives of the historical figures of Grand Princess Sophia Palaiologina (played by Mariya Andreeva) and her husband the Grand Prince / Csar Ivan III (played by Evgeniy Tsyganov).

"In 15th Century Russia, the last Byzantine princess, Sophia Palaiologina, moves from Rome to far away Moscow to marry Czar Ivan III. Destined to become the first influential female figure of the Russian Empire, Sophia overcomes court intrigue and betrayals, and helps Ivan consolidate the fragmented country, push Mongolian invaders out, and build the Kremlin, the most magnificent symbol of Russia."

This series was excellent, captivating and visually appealing. The costumes and settings for one were incredible and made the show quite immersive. The cast, especially Princess Sophia (Mariya Andreeva), Czar Ivan III (Evgeniy Tsyganov), Grand Princess Maria Yaroslavna (Nadezhda Markina), and a quite few many others are all excellent and the story was quite intriguing though filled with relevant politics that may be dull to some. Liking historical politics and intrigue, I rather enjoyed it, myself.

On a side note, Evgeniy Tsyganov, who was really great in this role as Prince Ivan III, was also known to me by his previous role in the Russian historical WWII war movie, based on true events about the life of the extraordinary female sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko; the movie was called Battle of Sevastopol, a great movie for anyone interested.

Moving on and without spoilers, I will just say I wasn't really satisfied with the last few episodes. It was an alright ending, but not really as powerful as the rest of the series had been. Things just didn't feel very organic or natural but overly dramatized compared to the rest of the series. The other issue for me was an unusual shift that happened somewhere around the mid-point of the series, in which the focus drifted from Sophia being the central character POV to others, namely Ivan but others as well, being the central focus and her feeling more and more like a side character. This weakened the story a bit for me, as it felt that the series treated her as less valuable past a certain point, naturally after having children. *eyeroll*

Other than that, the series was a very nice hidden gem free on Amazon Prime Video. The costumes, settings, and production value, as well as much of the acting, were visually stunning and the story was intriguing. Wish the writing hadn't faltered towards the end. But overall, happy to have watched it. Great period drama focusing on the Russian historical era of Czar Ivan III. I would love to see move Russian series, in this era or others. A great find!

The Russian TV miniseries Sofiya (2016) was shown in the U.S. with the anglicised title Sophia. The series was directed by Vyacheslav Ross and Aleksey Andrianov. Mariya Andreeva is superb in the title role of Sophia Palaiologina, who was a Byzantine princess.

By the time the movie begins--in the late 15th century--Constantinople had been conquered by the Turks. Sophia and her family had escaped to Rome, where they were treated well by the Pope and a cardinal.

Her marriage was arranged with Ivan III, Prince of Muscovy. It was thought that her influence would be enough to lead Russia, which was Eastern Orthodox, back to Roman Catholicism. We learn immediately that four years in Rome had not permanently changed Sophia's belief in Eastern Orthodoxy. Once she crossed into Russia, she returned to her original faith.

One plot of the movie is agents of the Pope trying to kill Sophia. Another is the castle intrigues, heresies, and political infighting. (We call such matters Byzantine for a reason, but they were not restricted to the Byzantine Empire.)

We heard a lecture about the historical Sophia, and as far as I can tell, the plot of the miniseries is historically accurate in the overall sense. Whether the dialog actually played out in real life the way it did on the screen is beyond my knowledge.

Incidentally, the lecturer called the movie a soap opera. Well, yes and no. Most miniseries could be called soap operas if you think of them that way. Episode one--crisis, then resolution, then a teaser. Episode two--crisis, then resolution, then a teaser. Downton Abbey was a soap opera too, if that's how you define soap opera.

My thought is that this is a miniseries about a fascinating episode in Russian history, well acted and well directed. Other raters agreed with me, because Sophia has a very high IMDb rating of 7.8. I thought it was even better than that, and rated it 9.

I love period drama and the Russians always do a wonderful job, even if at its heart is a political statement. Strong female characters, strong male characters, strong story. The only thing I find myself missing is a 2nd season

Russian historical series related to Zoe-Sophia Palaiologina, niece of the last Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI, Palaiologos, and later Grand Princess of Moscow. She was the grandmother of Ivan IV, the Terrible.

The series is well directed and shut and the acting very good. It is recommended to those who are going to see it and do not know who Zoe-Sophia Palaiologina was, to have a look in a history book, or just in Wikipedia, in order to have a basic idea for her and the history they are going to see.

My vote 10/10.

First, I must echo other reviewers-- this is an experience that leaves you longing for more. The plot, complex as it can be, is nevertheless easy to follow and totally engaging. The acting is superb--never did I feel that I was watching "a performance." The characters were far too convincing and complex. The settings capture both the splendor and the squalor of the period.

Do you need to brush up on Russian history first? If you are not familiar with the reign of Ivan III, I suggest watching the series first and learning the facts afterward. Yes, there is much of the epic and the mythic here, but there are also truths transcending accuracy. Critique the historical elements once you have yielded to the world in which the series creates.

Even the subtitles were not bothersome, and unlike many translations, this one was idiomatic and (I think) correct.

Well worth a binge. My sole quibble is that Zoe/Sophia is just too entirely good and "the villain" (unnamed here) just too relentlessly bad. The flaws and virtues of every other character are conveyed, giving the series depth and verisimilitude.

I am no fan or scholar of Russian history, so I was initially reluctant to invest time in the series. Not only did my viewing teach me a lot, however--It made me hungry to learn more.