Onegin (2000)

Given that for Russians, Pushkin's poem Eugene Onegin is sort of like Hamlet, Beowulf, and Lord Byron's Don Juan rolled into one melancholy tale of lost love and ennui among the gentry, it's surprising Russian filmmakers have balked at adapting the film. Having taken a stage production of Hamlet to Russia where it was rapturously received, self-confessed Slavophile actor Ralph Fiennes must have thought he was making reparation when he executive-produced and starred in this faithful adaptation of the film. With Martha Fiennes on board as director, it's something of a family affair with more than a little of the solemnity one often discovers in "personal projects". Pushkin's romanticism comes across amply, but little of his ferocious wit or, inevitably, the authorial voice that makes the poem so compelling, even in translation. Ralph Fiennes typecasts himself in the title role: his Onegin is yet another of the actor's wintry, haunted lovers in period dress (this time early 19th century). The character, a jaded roué from St. Petersburg, summers in the countryside where he inadvertently wins the heart of the impulsive Tatyana (Liv Tyler, the girl they book when Gwyneth Paltrow's busy). Onegin's casual attitude to her love leads to a tragic duel (magnificently tense and perfectly staged), and years later a chance meeting stirs up feelings of regret, triumph, and moral queasiness. Tears well in eyes, letters are sent and read, furs are ruffled in the snow. This is the highbrow end of costume drama: patrician in its literary purity, and rather admirable in its restraint and good taste, if a little dull. --Leslie Felperin Amazon.com

Onegin off Again

I love Finnes and the period, however, this movie is a mixed bag. I love the period pieces, and this movie certainly has beautiful scenery. I think the characters are a bit stilted, probably the direction, and yet, I liked it. It won't be my fav, but it's part of my collection. May 14, 2008

Glad Onegin made it to film, but...

I was very fortunate to go to a high school that offered Russian language classes, and my teacher was a Russian aristocrat who escaped the country during the Bolshevik Revolution. She introduced me to Pushkin, and to this story. I thought it would have made a great film (Tchaikovsky made it an opera), and had high hopes for this. Unfortunately, it appears that the nepotism in this film brought about its downfall, particularly in that Martha focused on Ralph's face to distraction. And although I thought Liv Tyler did a fairly good job, the role of Tatyana lacked depth. Maybe I'm wrong, but I can't believe an actress in this culture and with Tyler's background has done the amount of reading and the type of reading that could effectively reflect the bookish thoughtfulness of a character like Tatyana.

That said, the photography was gorgeous, and there were some devices that really worked. I thought the device of Tatyana moving through all the doors was an effective show of the passage of time, and that the scene with her writing the love letter to Onegin dramatic and sensual. I've always thought of ink as a conveyer of passion, but never seen it depicted in images as Martha Fiennes did it here.

Not a bad movie taken for the movie as it is. Just not a great recreation of the Pushkin work. May 5, 2008

Onegin - a superb movie

This movie was superb in it's setting, keeping to the dress and life and social activities of the period it was set in, the 1800's I think. If you liked Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, you'll like this one but I thought it could have gone further with the story. Besides that, a good collaboration between Ralph and his sister Martha who produced the movie with Ralph also starring as Onegin. May 3, 2008

beautiful cinematography

wish i was 17 and could study cinematography - inspiring - well cast - (is he really in love or just an esthete in service) - the tone is not similar to the translation of onegin i am reading and i wonder if this film captures pushkin's idea of russia's hierarchy better - the architecture and costumes - characters and metaphor in and of themselves - just wish the scene with the old aunt and the monkey and her assessment had been extended April 29, 2008

ONEGIN

ONEGIN (1999), starring Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler, depicts the self-effacing life of a privileged Russian who finds that opportunities do not often knock twice. The plot of star-crossed lovers is certainly not new, but both Fiennes and Tyler exert engaging performances. The dichotomy of love and ill-timing is played out well. For those who enjoy period pieces, the film is worth watching. The ending is somewhat anti-climatic, but the story is not without its good points. April 24, 2008

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