Onegin

Russians consider Pushkin's "Evgenii Onegin" one of the peaks of their literature, but to British drama actors/directors/composers Fiennes the work remained just a curiosity which could be easily brought to screen for a nice, and unambitious family project. Where Russian readers and western students of Russian culture see a vision of the decadence of Russian aristocracy, and a condemnation of the Ancien Regime, both in social, and cultural terms, the Fiennes saw a nice romantic interlude. The limited scope of the filmmakers'interest explains why the movie is successful in just one aspect - the two love scenes between Onegin and Larina are great, actually much better than what Russian actors would perform in the place of Fiennes and Tyler. But that's that. Everything else, including the duel, or the scandal between Lensky and Onegin, is dull, insipid and rather un-Russian. Fiennes obviously misunderstood the meaning of being "tired of life". Pushkin's Onegin was not a self-centered, self-sufficient and utterly satisfied English gentleman who speaks patronizingly to everyone in the country because "he knows things". He was a model for generations of Russian "malcontents": in a rigidly conservative society playing the "tired of life" was a social stand, not a psychological state. Onegin was a passionate man and his aloofness was a deliberate pretense (not that much different from Hamlet's delusive craziness). In short, the Fienneses had better screen a romantic drama without referring to Pushkin's masterpiece. Their movie is nice, watchable and enjoyable (well, Liv Tyler stars in it!), but their rendition of Pushkin's characters is so dissatisfying, the great poet might easily take offense.

I was impressed so much by Onegin. Ralph Fiennes made me change my opinion about Onegin as person. When I read Onegin (at school) I could not pardon him for all the Tatiana's suffering, in my mind he was a devil, cynique and even cruel. In Ralph's performance I saw all the mystery of this person (Ralphs mystery...). in his eyes - parfois si impenetrables, si indifferents, soudain l'amour qui luit, la lumiere douce, un regard abandonne: Ralphs smile. Now when I think of Onegin I see Fiennes - a man in black bolivar, walking alone on Moika's embankment, tender and blessed heart behind cold eyes.

This is a truly wonderful film. It is an adaptation of the 19th century romantic poem by Alexander Pushkin about the tragic love affair between Evgeny Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) and Tatyana Larina (Liv Tyler). Evgeny has inherited his uncle's provincial estate and goes to the country to put his affairs in order. While there, he befriends Vladimir (Toby Stevens) who introduces him to Tatyana, the sister of his fiancé. Tatyana falls madly in love with Evgeny, but he brutally rejects her and leaves to return to St. Petersburg. Upon returning years later to find her married, his regrets ignite into a passionate and obsessive love for her.

There has been some criticism of the fact that this film was produced by Ralph Fiennes to give a project to his sister Martha (director) and brother Magnus (original music). Well, if this is the high quality wrought from Fiennes nepotism, we need more such collaborations.

In her feature film directorial debut, Martha Fiennes gives us outstanding imagery, precise period renderings, innovative camera work, and dramatic lighting. The locations, sets, costumes and props were fabulous. I especially loved the furniture. The scenes on the dock by the mill in the fog were eerie and chilling. One shot of Liv Tyler in a rowboat, shot through out-of-focus reeds in the foreground, was pure art. The extreme close-up of the inking of the love letter added to the power of the emotions being written. Remi Adefarasin (‘Elizabeth') added wondrous cinematography to the list of filmmaking kudos.

Ralph Fiennes delivers another superb performance as Evgeny. In the early scenes, he is cavalier, self absorbed, and arrogant to the point of being despicable. His stoical dismissal of Tatyana was ice cold. In the later scenes, he delivers a character so pathetically tormented by love that he wins back our sympathies.

This is by far the best performance I have seen by Liv Tyler. She was poised, graceful and lovely, and gave an extremely dignified performance. With this role, she has proven that she can move beyond the troubled teen type and play a character with substance.

This is intelligent and inspired filmmaking. I rated it a 9/10. The pacing is deliberate, so action junkies will want to pass on this film. However, for those who can savor a compelling love story with splendid imagery, this film should not be missed.

[Note: the following comments were written after a preview screening for the film 'Onegin', Tuesday 8th October 1998 in Wimbledon, London. The film was still a 'work in progress', with some cleaning up to be done on the sound track and most of the scene transitions somewhat shoddy. The film's title was not 'Eugene Onegin', but simply 'Onegin'.]

The idea of an adaptation of a 19th century Russian novel about unrequited love will clearly not appeal to everyone, especially given the considerable number of period dramas that have come before it. However, 'Onegin' distinguishes itself both by its sparkling script, its stunning locations and by the outstanding efforts of both director and cast.

As an extremely critical film viewer, no-one was more surprised than I that when facing an audience response sheet for the film I could not think of a single scene I did not enjoy whilst running out of space to list all the scenes that I loved!

The cast, headed by Ralph Fiennes (Onegin) and Liv Tyler (Tatiana), acquit themselves admirably and I will be very disappointed if one or both do not receive Oscar nominations for their performances. Toby Stephens (Lensky), in one of the key supporting roles, is equally superb, especially when being played off as the emotional loose cannon to Fiennes' laconic and cynical Onegin.

The locations - especially the millpond at which some of the film's key scenes take place - are stunningly shot, and the camerawork in general is a cut above most films. The directors decision to let sound and vision take upon some of the personality of the central characters at key moments only serves to underline the emotional content of the film.

As an example, when Tatiana writes her letter to Onegin, the camera views what she writes only in close up - single words, giving the viewer a sense of the obsession and passion that is working in her. As she writes, her hands become more and more stained with ink and eventually we see her trying to wipe the ink from her hands as if she is stained with guilt.

As I intimated before, this is not a film for all people. There is little action, and most of the story rests upon the simple interaction between Onegin, Tatiana and Lensky. But it builds with grim inevitability to an emotional climax which left me strangely delighted that there are still film makers out there who can produce truly great movies.

The film it most reminded me of was 'Remains of the Day', but whilst I found that to be labored and frustrating (I almost wished that the central characters were in the room so I could slap them for being so foolish), the characters and situations in 'Onegin' are tragically believable. I found myself sympathizing with all three of the central characters, for entirely different reasons.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough to anyone who has ever enjoyed a period drama, a nineteenth century novel or suffered through unrequited love. Martha Fiennes is a director worth keeping an eye on.

This film is a visual delight and a faithful adaptation of the famous Pushkin poem. The story revolves around a country woman who falls for a sophisticated man. Starring handsome Ralph Fiennes as the title character and winsome Liv Tyler as his star-crossed love interest, viewers will get caught up in the ebb and flow of the romance, as well as the innovative and beautiful techniques of film-making. ( A scene where Liv Tyler's character writes a letter is spectacular.) As the first setting in the desolate countryside gives way to the bustling city of St. Petersburg in the second half, change and surprise is integral to the slow, well-developed storyline. See it for Fiennes performance and the talents of his sister and brother who directed and scored the film, respectively. Recommended as a great film for a winter's evening by the fire.