On Monday, November 11, NTV will show the first episode of the twenty-episode detective drama “The Good Wife” - the Russian adaptation of the CBS television series of the same name with Julian Margulis in the title role.
The plot of the series is based on the story of how, contrary to professional ambitions, a woman chose a family, but was betrayed and humiliated.
Alisa Filippova (Alexandra Ursulyak) is a housewife with a legal education and two children, Pyotr Filippov (Alexander Domogarov) is a prosecutor of the Leningrad Region, convicted of corruption and communication with prostitutes. He cannot get out of prison. And while video excerpts from her husband’s rich intimate life are savoring on television and on the network, Alice, pursing her lips together, sets about building a new life. Together with her two children, she moves to her mother-in-law’s apartment, gets a job as a junior lawyer at a university friend’s company, and returns to court for the first time after a long break.
- Shot from the Russian series “Good Wife”
- © Press Service of NTV Television Company
By structure, the Russian version of “Good Wife” is identical to the original procedure, in which sharp turns in court hearings are used in order to give the case a move and put an end to the ending of each episode. But at the same time, the scriptwriters of both series skillfully combine dynamics and psychologism.
"Good wife" rests on the personality of the hero - the viewer is placed in the epicenter of the character's life. In this case, we are talking about an emancipated woman who has learned to use her weaknesses as a weapon.
However, there are significant differences between the original and the version of the director Stanislav Libin (at least, it seems so after watching the first two episodes of the series): the creators of the adaptation did not begin to price the CBS satire against the American judicial system and “play off” the characters on political grounds.
In the American version of “Good Wife”, as in any suitable drama series, the characters' characters were not in constant stagnation. So, as a result of a take-off on the career ladder, investigations into the husband’s case and political intrigues, the noble Alicia Florrick (incidentally, who withstood the strong onslaught from the media and the oblique views from her colleagues) takes on less character traits. The New Yorker television critic Emily Nassbaum, for example, compared Florrick's character metamorphoses to those that happened to the hero of the show Breaking Bad Walter White.
Alisa Filippova expects a similar development, said in an interview with RT, actress Alexandra Ursulyak:
“Then (during the years of broadcasting the American version of“ The Good Wife. ”- RT ) it was quite innovative that the main character (positive) does not always turn out to be completely positive. We see more voluminous heroes - in the series, it seems to me, this is Alice. She’s a more voluminous character. ”
The versatility of the character lies in the fact that, despite betrayal, Alisa Filippova passes all stages of public humiliation with dignity and maintains an intelligent dialogue with her husband.
“It seems to me that the possibility of cultural communication with an ex-husband is always wonderful. In this case, Alice is full of dignity, ”added Ursulyak.
- Shot from the series “Good Wife”
- © kinopoisk.ru
Ursulyak on the set was composed by Dmitry Miller and Marina Zudina. They played the partners and owners of the company Filippova settled in - Vitaly Kalinina and Svetlana Granova. Some legal realities (such as the location of a judge, lawyers, accused and jurors during a court session) were adapted by scriptwriters to Russian realities.
We had to change the characters of some characters. If the heroine Kristin Baransky (Diane Lockhart) in the first season of the original project, albeit with distrust, but respects the client protection strategy chosen by Florrick, then Granova aggressively, rivally takes Philippi’s tactics. However, starting from the nature of the relationship between Lockhart and Florrick, we can assume that in the future Granova risks becoming a mentor to Filippova.
The success of the CBS series “Good Wife” (the project was awarded with Golden Globes and Emmys, among others) is largely due to the well-chosen cast. It is possible that the star caste of the Russian project will also play into the hands of television people. At least in CBS Studios custom adaptation were satisfied.
“It is amazing and amazing how well the ensemble of Russian adaptation of“ Good Wife ”matches the original. The production and acting are at their best, ”said Paul Gilbert, CBS Studios International's Vice President of International Formats.