The other main characters could have been done well if they had been written well. Now it is very doubtful that this affair was secret - word got around fast in those days - but how is it that her employer allows such a loose woman (this was 1914, after all) to educate his children AND even tells his nephew Mikhael that she would make a good match for him? Not believable. She is also having an affair with the American journalist. She is a French-educated Armenian governess for a prominent Armenian family in Constantinople. Let's start with one of main characters - Ana. And it is very hard to connect emotionally with characters who do not seem real. At times it was almost painful to see how difficult it was for them to inject any life or believability into their characters.
But it was immediately apparent that this film vehicle is not at all worthy of their acting abilities. I chose to watch this film partly because I am a history buff and partly due to the strong leading actors. I think the film maker needed to ponder this question long and hard before taking his 100 million dollar budget and diving in.
