Onegin

"A magical era. A passionate longing. A love that spans time."

1999 1h 44m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 122

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A virtuous and passionate girl falls in love with a cynical but a dashing aristocrat.

“A magical era. A passionate longing. A love that spans time.”

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Cast

Ralph Fiennes
Onegin
Liv Tyler
Tatyana
Toby Stephens
Lensky
Lena Headey
Olga
Martin Donovan
Prince Nikitin
Elizabeth Berrington
Mlle Volkonsky
Alun Armstrong
Zaretsky
Simon McBurney
Triquet

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Martha Fiennes
Writers: Michael Ignatieff, Peter Ettedgui
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Martha Fiennes, shot by Remi Adefarasin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Magnus Fiennes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler and Toby Stephens carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Martha Fiennes directs. Remi Adefarasin behind the camera. Magnus Fiennes scores. Jim Clark cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 1% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Directed by Martha Fiennes, shot by Remi Adefarasin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Magnus Fiennes. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jim Clark shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler and Toby Stephens carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "A magical era. A passionate longing. A love that spans time.".
10IMDB entry: tt0119079 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin
Original score: Magnus Fiennes
Editing: Jim Clark
Production design: Jim Clay
Costume design: Chloe Obolensky
Makeup / hair: Tamara Frid
Runtime: 104 min · 1h 44m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $14,000,000
Box office: $206,128
Return: 1% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Onegin (1999)

Also by

Martha Fiennes

Chromophobia
2006 · ★ 5.2

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-04-28
★ 6/10
Directed by his sister (Martha), Ralph Fiennes portrays the unfulfilled, philandering, "Onegin" who has just inherited a large estate from his uncle. Shortly after he arrives at his new stately pile, he meets his neighbour "Lensky" (Toby Stephens) and is also introduced to "Tatiana" (Liv Tyler). Now she falls a bit hook, line and sinker for him but he doesn't really reciprocate. His character seems incapable of deep thinking, or emotions or just about anything beyond the superficiality of his wealthy but empty existence. The thing is, that's about the height of this rather good looking but sterile drama. It's based on Pushkin's cleverly observational poem and it does look every inch the opulent and grand piece of cinema, but the characterisations here are remarkably under-developed and shallow and the plot dances all over the place as if it were doing the polka too. At times, it's as if I was watching through a thick pane of glass looking at something that has very little real about it. A fairy tale, almost. The film does present us with a glimpse of the almost feudal system that still prevailed in Czar Alexander's vast and contrasting Russia, with millions of people living in twig-built lean-tos whilst the brightly coloured palaces offered the wealthy and privileged an altogether different life, and it was good to see a few brief appearances from Irene Worth ("Princess Alina") but I felt by the end just as uninvolved in these characterisations as "Onegin" had been at the start. It's all just a bit too chilly.

Production companies