Pushkin's story is a classic. All movies and operas based on it should be watched.
I watched the "Onegin" starring Ralph Fiennes and Liv Tyler in 1999, and the Tchaikovsky opera (film version) directed by Petr Weigl in 2002 that I watched a year ago. deep. Can't help but compare the two movies.
The version of the opera that I watched first was completely moved. Whether it was the music itself, the story itself, or the performances of the actors, they were all poignant and beautiful. The Fiennes version I watched this time, the film's soundtrack is beautiful, the actors are beautiful, and the acting is also very touching. Both have their pros and cons, but overall I prefer the opera version.
The plot of the opera version is more compactly controlled. At the beginning, Onegin accompanied Lenski to Taziana's house, cutting off the background about Onegin's family and other backgrounds at the beginning; Onegin and Lenski are in the The conflict at the dance was very dramatic, and a duel was proposed on the spot, which was more dramatic than the 99 version of the duel the next day, and the frivolous and stupid character of the 02 version of Olga's identity The performance is extraordinarily vivid; the 02 version did not play how Taziana got married after Onegin left. The time came directly to 6 years later, Onegin met Taziana, a lady who had become a married woman again. The plot is still compact, and the reunion Onegin confessed to her that day, all the talk, sadness, rejection and despair ended in a very fast climax, like a neat but still poignant and shocking rest.
The most beautiful scene in the opera version, I must leave it here alone. It was heartbreakingly beautiful when I watched it at the time: it was the aria before the duel between Lenski and Onegin. The film showed a very Russian-style forest in the snow, and Lenski sang the last song of his life: "You go. Where? My golden days?..." It's the most moving part of the show. But this may be the shortcoming of this film: the most moving part is actually the second male lead, not the love story of Onegin and Taziana.
Let's talk about the 99 edition again, adding some beginnings, connections and endings of the story. As a complete story, it may be more complete for those viewers who don't know much about "Evgeny-Onegin". Both Onegin's role and Taziana's role are played pretty well. Especially the revelation of Onegin's uncontrollable love at the end, the remorse and pain in her heart; Taziana's pretended indifference, her heartache, her helpless "too late" Onegin's love, her final farewell And she insisted on her fidelity to her husband. In expressing the psychology of the two people during the period after Onegin met Taziana again, this film took a lot of space to describe, with very little dialogue, almost all conveyed by movements and eyes, unlike the opera version. Cherish ink is like gold, which makes this version's portrayal of this fruitless love more delicate and unforgettable. The heroine's performance in the last segment was great. And Fiennes' eyes really speak, and it reminds me of his performances in The English Patient and Reading Aloud.
In addition, for Lenski's handling, I feel that the two versions are different. In the 02 opera version, Lilensky seems to be a short-tempered but sensible young man, while in the 99 version, he is more like a cowardly person who has no idea, daydreaming, no judgment, and cowardice. Poor so-called literary youth. The most typical is the state of shivering when he duel with Onegin. Moreover, he basically went to the duel with a mentality of going to death. I feel like he wants to die, he doesn't hate Onegin so much for seducing his fiancée, he hates Onegin for revealing to him the false, frivolous, stupid face of his fiancée; he's a fantasy The poet, who regards his fiancée as the most pure and beautiful symbol, but this illusion is shattered by the mean and sharp Onegin, and he can no longer find the courage to survive. Such a Lenski is not the same kind of person at all as the Lenski in the 02 version who sang such a touching and touching song in the snowy forest. Although I like that aria very, very much, but from the perspective of character, I think the 02 version has more characteristics for Lenski.
As for Olga, she was very frivolous in the 02 version, but she was very thin in the 99 version. Maybe the directors didn't try to express her worldliness. Perhaps this is more realistic, because many worldly people can hide their frivolity so that our poor Lenski never sees it. In the 99th edition, Olga quickly recovered from grief after Lenski's death and quickly found a "good marriage", which contrasted sharply with Taziana's unforgettable love.
The more I talked about it, the more I found out that I think the 99 version is better than the 02 version?
Pick out one of the most unbearable faults in the 99th edition: when Taziana first fell in love with Onegin, she couldn't sleep at night, and finally couldn't help writing a love letter to Onegin. This plot was too gloomy in the 99th edition. , like a ghost movie. The 02 version handles much better: first love and passionate love, but also a girl in unrequited love, there is anxiety in her mood, but there is also a lot of sweetness and happiness, at least she is full of hope before the happiness is shattered. The 99 version has only anxiety and that kind of gloomy atmosphere, which is really not right.
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