Bednaya Nastya

Bednaya Nastya (Poor Anastasia/Poor Nastya) has a romantic setting in the earlier half of the Nineteenth Century in autocratic Imperial Russia during the times of Tsar Nicholas I. The year is circa 1840. Serfdom still exists in Russia (most of the population then consisted of serfs).Most of the characters are noblemen and noblewomen who are bound by codes of honor that often get them in trouble. Other characters are a few freemen, and a group of Gypsies.

True to the cliff-hanger unique to this genre of television dramas, each twist leads to another puzzle. The most fascinating and enjoyable aspect of Bednaya Nastya is the turning and twisting of events that the story takes. Surprises abound, and the development is very fresh; consistently each of its parts evolves into something completely unexpected, and never boring.

I fell in love with the music, the actors in their great interpretation of varied types of characters, and the story itself, which is very strong. There's beauty, suspense, humor, drama, romance, and a wonderful recreation and scenery of mid-Nineteenth Century Imperial Russia.

I recommend it to those who love historical television dramas, the "telenovela" genre, Russian history, or beautifully-crafted series in general. If you do not like television dramas meant to air for about five months (Monday through Friday, ideally), then perhaps you would not be interested. It is not available on DVD, even as a shorter summary, but should you have the chance to see it, I recommend that you watch the first week to let it enrapture you in its setting that resembles the finest of European Romantic literature. It only gets better with each passing week. If you have never seen a series of this kind, then this is perfect one with which to begin.