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Onegin

Play trailer Poster for Onegin R Released Feb 5, 2000 1h 46m History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
48% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In 1820s St. Petersburg, Russia, the cynical nobleman Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself the new owner of a country estate following the death of his uncle. Deciding to abandon the fast-paced city for the leisurely countryside, Onegin takes over the estate. There, he soon befriends his neighbor Lensky (Toby Stephens), who introduces the aristocrat to his fiancee's sister, Tatyana (Liv Tyler). Onegin and Tatyana share an attraction, but Onegin's coldness threatens the relationship.
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Onegin

Critics Reviews

View All (27) Critics Reviews
Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Onegin is as pretty a picture as anyone could want of a Russian lit-flick ... Rated: B- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Derek Elley Variety The heart of Pushkin's celebrated classic pumps firm and full in debuting director Martha Fiennes' richly textured pic version. Jun 17, 2008 Full Review Time Out Even if grand pathos isn't achieved, Martha Fiennes makes a brave and welcome stab at it. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Lori Hoffman Atlantic City Weekly Rated: 0/5 Oct 26, 2006 Full Review Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Rated: C Jul 24, 2006 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Overall, Onegin is a bit of a sloppy and untidy affair, but that goes a long way in distinguishing it from the 7000 other movies of this type. Rated: 2.5/4 May 26, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Galina S Thoughtful, emotional drama directed by Martha Fiennes that reflects the atmospehere of the early 19th century's Russia and the mood of Alexander Pushkin's famous poem. The film's rich cinematography and strong performances by Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler make it a compelling watch for fans of heartfelt period dramas. Highly enjoyable and an absolute-must-see! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/08/24 Full Review Nawt W From the get-go, the notion of adapting Pushkin into another language is candidly inadvisable. You will remove half the appeal of the work, and the "heart" of the opus might not even get converted at all. This one isn't an exception here. Nevertheless, there are factors that put this movie above what you might expect. Dialogue naturally can't compete with verse given that every line is dispassionate to the point where it saturates Onegin in a persistent stench of melancholy. Not that there isn't a persistent theme of wasted youth and meaningless existence, but still, that's not all that novel had, and passionless was the last thing you could call its verses. This even slinks into the finale, of course, and in view of the fact that the ending was left open-ended specifically for such interpretations, we can't fault the movie for going full tragedy at the end. Meanwhile, it's all at the cost of Pushkin's wit and reverence for Onegin, which, unsurprisingly for everyone, is just his flailing self-insert. In any event, the movie astutely replaces this with what you might call filmmaking. There are many extensive stretches of silence, and the pure atmosphere of whatever UK province they filmed it in. The soundtrack is fantastic, even if much of the non-original music is painfully not from the period. The actors are terrific and completely sell their parts, even if Lensky and Olga just don't have anything to work with since the bulk of their character scenes are nonexistent, making them largely glorified plot devices. But nevertheless, I don't think the movie's interpretation of the plot is worthless, and all things considered, it's a serviceable adaptation. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/10/23 Full Review isla s I found the main character quite pompous and odious. I liked the somewhat lavish and opulent settings and the costumes/dresses/uniform of the time. It is a slow paced film but its none the less interesting to learn about various peoples backgrounds. It was surprisingly atmospheric at times. I also quite liked how Tatiana talked to Onegin (which is pronounced 'on-yay-gh-inn' by others in the film, for reference). This is a somewhat arty film I suppose, with some nice classical music played and some good camera shots used to make scenes, such as the dances, more engrossing and atmospheric. One of the final scenes I found most compelling viewing, with the two main characters opening up in hushed tones. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member After reading the novel, and then watching the movie, I can safely say that the makers of this film missed the point of Onegin. It was a satire on Russian upper-class culture. It was never meant to be taken this seriously. Here, you can have the love story portion of Onegin, completely neutered of it's humor, with the most stilted acting you'll get in a period piece. How boring. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Ralph Fiennes does world-weary so wel. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member This was really romantic. I just was sure before that Tatiana didn't cry and didn't show any tear at the end. She already knew how to hide her emotions and clearly and honestly said him no, it's too late. But this version where she almost didn't get older (and Onegin didn't get older as well) is good anyway. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Onegin

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1820s St. Petersburg, Russia, the cynical nobleman Onegin (Ralph Fiennes) finds himself the new owner of a country estate following the death of his uncle. Deciding to abandon the fast-paced city for the leisurely countryside, Onegin takes over the estate. There, he soon befriends his neighbor Lensky (Toby Stephens), who introduces the aristocrat to his fiancee's sister, Tatyana (Liv Tyler). Onegin and Tatyana share an attraction, but Onegin's coldness threatens the relationship.
Director
Martha Fiennes
Producer
Simon Bosanquet, Ileen Maisel
Screenwriter
Peter Ettedgui, Michael Ignatieff, Aleksandr Pushkin
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company, Sterling Home Entertainment
Production Co
Canwest, Rysher Entertainment, Baby Productions, 7 Arts International, Starz!
Rating
R
Genre
History, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 5, 2000, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA)
$183.8K
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo
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