Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Roy Hart If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

daquinofamily It's nice to see classical literature in a medium that the average person can understand and enjoy. We need more of this. I thought the acting performances were very good. I liked the cinematography. It added to the stark feel of Russia and the era. I saw some comments about Liv Tyler's delivery and outward appearance, they were very shallow. Liv is a performer who constantly improves with each film she does and though her beauty isn't classic, it is there all the same. She is charming and her speaking voice is so pleasant to the ears. Ralph Fiennes delivers as usual. The Fiennes family is definitely the British counterpart of the American Barrymores. I would highly recommend this film to anyone especially those who have a love of the arts.

Jugu Abraham Many viewers are quick to note the fine effort of the Fiennes family to bring a Russian literary masterpiece on screen in the English language. The Fiennes family need to be complimented for their dedicated work to bring such an important literary work closer to thousands who would never have heard the name of Yevgeny Onegin.However, I would like to underline the work of Martha Fiennes--the director. This is a marvelous debut for a director. The pivotal point of the film is the letter of Tatyana to Yevgeny. If the viewer were to replace the images of the blue/black ink with red blood, the images could have been of a lover hurting oneself while writing the letter. Pushkin intended this savage intensity--Ms. Fiennes succeeds in capturing this on screen without the blood. After the letter is written, the writer cleans her fingers on the white dress. The director's detailed shots on the writing of the letter, the opening of the letter, and the refusal of the return of the letter are visually as important as any performance in the film.Second, Martha Fiennes is to be complimented on the sartorial details of Tatyana. The gradual change in clothes--color-wise and wealth-wise--is structurally well done in tandem with the plot of Pushkin.I particularly loved the sequences of Onegin staring at neck of his lost love during the concert--Ms Feinnes captures the mood eloquently with shots which could easily have been spoiled had the camera been placed in front of the two actors.The opening shot of the sleigh drawn by horses is very Russian. Unfortunately, for Ms Feinnes, Russian director Igor Talankin's film "Tchaikovsky" had used similar imagery--only Talankin did it much better with striking effect.The duel sequence is perhaps an important part of the film, if one recalls the writer Pushkin himself went through such an ordeal in real life--I do not recall if "Yevgeny Onegin" was written before or after the incident...But Ms Feinnes' duel sequence is comparable to those of Kubrick in "Barry Lyndon" or Ridley Scott's brilliant early work "The Duellists." It is equally interesting to note that Pushkin's work alludes to the importance of married persons remaining faithful to each other--in real life Pushkin demanded the same of his wife, but suspected his spouse was cheating on him and this forced the duel that wounded him in real life.But what is the modern windmill doing in "Tsarist Russia"? The windmills in Tsarist Russia I believe had more spokes (or hands), if we were to go by the paintings of that era..Ms. Fiennes' on the other hand has taken care of details that a male director would have perhaps overlooked--the postures of Tatyana in the boat hidden by the reeds. Ms. Fiennes has shown talent in many ways that recall the brilliance of Julie Taymor. I only wish Fiennes were a Russian director using Russian actors--the work would then have been so real. For an effort from a non-Russian, I applaud her work as a director and the contribution of her family to the finished product. So is the contribution of cinematographer Remi Adeferasin. The performance of Liv Tyler should be assessed against the opportunity the role offered--she was good but not outstanding--she has done better under the direction of Robert Altman.

enneagram4 Watching this can be like enjoying exquisite oysters on the half shell, complemented with the perfect champagne; very subtle and understated yet complex and sensuous. Ralph Fiennes and sister/director Martha Fiennes worked as a team to bring this classic piece of Russian literature to the screen. For her it is a first turn directing a feature, making a move like Ridley Scott from commercials to film. Production values are fantastic, filled with rich textures without the self-indulgence and pomposity which are a common fault in period films, often at the expense of pacing and storytelling. The cinematography and editing are fluid and musical, languorous in areas without stagnation. Here are dynamics which are not unlike looking at paintings of Masters, displaying contrast between the bleakness of the Russian winter and the warmth and security of wealth and privilege. Magnus Fiennes, another family member created the soundtrack and borrows from period contemporaries like Lizst without the recycled/ripped-off path of least resistance. The use of duduk and strings casts a haunting spell in the ice skating scene. Casting here is perfect. Liv Tyler is impressive as Tatiana, embodying an elegance and organic sophistication without affectation. To watch her deal with the anguish resulting from rejection of her love is excruciating. Toby Stephens as Lensky is wonderful, the complete photo-negative to Onegin. There is a moment where he is playing chess, making a juvenile mistake and his reaction to the blunder is a brilliant bit of vacuity, playing Lensky at the height of his intelligence which is at that moment, absent. Ralph Fiennes puts in, as usual, a phenomenal turn as Onegin. It's amazing how he pulls us in when playing the tormented lover. And upon further examination they are less-than-likable at that; the English Patient, End of the Affair and Onegin all moody, taciturn guys. It's the magnitude of his devotion, distress and passion that are so compelling, why we women are so crazy about him. You believe that for him love truly is his lord and master.(Lucky Francesca Annis.) Why people haven't commented lavishly on this gorgeous gem I find mystifying. Perhaps the ending wasn't mainstream (happy) enough,....

martynuk **** CONTAINS A possible SPOILER for those who have not read the book ****I remember back in school we were doing silly projects like Cinderella in the style of Kurasava, or as an action movie. This movie is something like that. And although I could not exactly pinpoint of what exactly, but it's definitely Onegin in the style of something. Don't get me wrong - the movie has it's strong points - Liv is as pleasant to look at as anywhere else... What "made" the film for me, and still is the defining (only) moment I remember is the duel scene, where <SPOILER> the bullet is shown to hit Lensky's head and his brains fan out from the other side in a VERY slow motion </SPOILER>.But what can make this film from a mere "painless 5" into an "unforgettable 11", is if you speak Russian, and have read (memorized) the original, get a Russian version, which instead of just reading Pushkin is dubbed with synchro translation of the English dialog back into Russian. It's truly hilarious.