RUSSIA/VARIOUS : FILM PREMIERE OF EUGENE ONEGIN TO MARK ALEXANDER PUSHKIN'S 200TH ANNIVERSARY

Record ID: 388457

  • Title: RUSSIA/VARIOUS : FILM PREMIERE OF EUGENE ONEGIN TO MARK ALEXANDER PUSHKIN'S 200TH ANNIVERSARY
  • Date: 4th June 1999
  • Summary: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA (MAY 30, 1999) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MARTHA FIENNES: "You have to understand, you are making a film for a certain amount of money in a late twenty century financed from America, I don't believe I could ever made it work by going back to the verse we have to take the essence of this fantastic piece of work and rework it, bring it to anothe
  • Embargoed: 19th June 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: RUSSIA, ST PETERSBURG, AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAEHWUEINBUB8GF2SVMBW8E80DX
  • Story Text: The British-made film version of Pushkin's classic poem-novel Eugene Onegin held its world premiere in St Petersburg on Sunday (May 30).The film's British stars, Ralph Fiennes and Live Tyler were at the opening - hailed as Britain's contribution to festivities marking the 200th anniversary of Pushkin's birth next Sunday (June 6) Fiennes, who was also executive producer, and Tyler both defended the £11 million film against criticisms that it contained a number of historical innacuracies and was unfaithful to the original text.
    The English-language film is a daring interpretation of what is perhaps the most beloved work of Russian literature.
    Alexander Pushkin's 1831 novel chronicles the cross-starred love of world-weary Onegin and the young country maiden Tatyana.
    The film's scriptwriters decided not to follow the text directly, but to stay true to the integrity of Pushkin's intentions.Lush camerawork also allows the film to move the tale through some of the sketchier parts of the novel.
    Martha Fiennes, sister of lead Ralph Fiennes, directed the twenty-three million dollar (usd) production that was filmed in both Russia and England.
    The film will open in Britain in the fall while its producers are still seeking an American distributor.
    ,,,,, By Marcus Warren in Moscow.
    RALPH FIENNES suffered the consequences of taking liberties with Russia's national poet yesterday when his new film version of Pushkin's classic novel Eugene Onegin was ridiculed for a series of historical howlers.
    Last night's premiere in St Petersburg was hailed as Britain's contribution to festivities for the 200th anniversary of Pushkin's birth next Sunday.But Saturday's press showing turned into a game of "spot the mistake".
    At one stage the audience hooted with laughter and burst into mock applause when a young lady of the early 19th century Russian aristocracy launched into a song from a notorious Stalin-era propaganda film.
    Not only was the song first performed by a choir of collective farm girls in the 1950 movie Cossacks From the Kuban, it is also a firm favourite at drunken parties in today's Russia.
    Fiennes, who plays the title role and is also executive producer, played down the slip at a press conference yesterday, saying: "I trust you saw that Onegin looked bored when he heard that song from the Soviet period."
    However, the 36-year-old British star had been a good deal less relaxed when the gaffe was pointed out to him on Saturday.According to one onlooker, "he turned as white as a sheet".
    There was more laughter from the audience when it read a clumsy Russian translation in subtitles of the English prose version of some of the novel's most famous lines of poetry.
    Eugene Onegin - which tells of unrequited love, cynicism and a duel in upper-class society at the beginning of the last century - was Russia's first proper novel and Pushkin the father of the country's literary language.So Fiennes had been understandably nervous about how ordinary Russians would take to his £11 million adaptation, called simply Onegin.
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