Onegin
Directed by Martha Fiennes
Starring Ralph Fiennes, Liv Tyler.
I went into this film knowing only that it was a love story of some sort and that it was based on a Russian novel so that it couldn’t possibly have a happy ending. Those who are fans of Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin, such as the majority of Russians apparently, may be able to debate the choice of included or omitted passages from the book or elements of historical accuracy. However, being completely unfamiliar with the nineteenth-century novel in verse is absolutely no impediment to the enjoyment of this film. It made for fascinating viewing as the plot slowly unfolds and the characters develop.
Parts of the film are certainly visually lavish, but there is a goodly amount of restraint with respect to the characters. The viewer wants to know more about them but only hints and suggestions are revealed. It’s definitely a Ralph Fiennes kind of film, and he is excellent and suitably aristocratic as the St Petersburg nobleman Evgeny Onegin who takes up residence on a country estate, an inheritance from his uncle. Onegin believes himself to be bored with life and surrendered to the decadent lifestyle of the Russian aristocrat, but he forms friendships with his ‘provincial’ neighbours, notably Vladimir Lensky (Toby Stephens), his fiancee Olga Larin (Lena Headly) and her older sister Tatyana (Liv Tyler). Tatyana writes a love letter to Onegin and from then on, Onegin’s tragically flawed character ensures that suitably tragic events ensue. This is very much the story of the title character, his relationships and the consequences of his actions. This works because Fiennes (well, both of them) can pull it off, thought a little more rounding of Tatyana might have made it more balanced. As seems to be the trend for female characters in period dramas, the cast and crew are at pains under interview to give them a ‘modern,’ ‘strong,’ or ‘feminist’ angle, something which is beginning to annoy me in its implication that there was no such thing as a ‘strong, modern’ woman before 1970. Nevertheless, Liv Tyler puts in a good if not extraordinary performance.
The direction, setting and costuming in each scene come across as having paid meticulous attention to detail. Yes, it is a period drama, but thankfully somewhat different from the Jane-Austen-Merchant-Ivory set. Interiors look just slightly shabby in a fading Tsarist glory kind of way, the people are not all stunningly gorgeous and although many of the stereotypes associated with ‘traditional’ Russia are used — snowy streetscapes, decadent palaces, ice-skating on frozen rivers, peasant villages — they are given enough of a cold and gloomy touch to prevent overly romantic visions and to give suitable atmosphere to the film. Winter holiday in St Petersburg, anyone?
Susan Love
