this film be very strange . it look picturesque . it move at the pace of a snail . it mimic great russian epic such a war and peace and but no one will take credit for the screenplay . who write the story . be it an original screenplay . kirsten dunst be a russian princess who collect a crowd of fawn sycophantic admirer who salivate over her every motion and jostle with each other for her favour . nick stall be the young and fawn the hard . he discover that his dad be the one who be sample the lady intimate delight and tragedy loom . there be never any explicit revelation of exactly what everyone be do and no confrontation or conflict . consequently there be no excitement and the story struggle to hold the viewer attention . the period and incidentally and be mid 19th century russia at the time of the crimean war and not britain a state in the plot outline . don not blame the british just because the film be slow and boring . stahl look such a twit in his ensign uniform with a hat that be seven size too big .