Life at Willow Manor

They Did Not Expect Him, Ilya Repin

When I was looking for dance scenes to post in the days leading up
to our big event last week, I stumbled onto this lovely montage from
the film Onegin. It's been a while since I've posted a movie review

and I must prove worthy of my stylish and elegant film lover award!

I had forgotten how marvelous it is and had to dust off my copy and

pop it in! An adaptation of Pushkin’s poem Eugene Onegin, it is a

melancholy tale of lost love, complete with a tragic duel scene, as well

as a magnificent royal party. Martha Fiennes has outdone herself,

masterfully directing this sumptuous time period piece. Yes, she is

the sister of Ralph, who delivers his usual “less is more” performance

as Onegin. Toby Stephens (did you know that he is the son of Maggie

Smith?) is absolutely delicious as the sensitive Vladimir. And Liv

Tyler is breathtaking and perfectly cast as Tatyana. She has that

wonderful "otherworldly" look that adds to the haunting beauty of

this film. I strongly recommend this to anyone who appreciates the

raw beauty and irony found in most Russian Literature. I would also

love to see the opera Eugene Onegin starring the fabulous baritone

Dmitri Hvorostovsky! Maybe Netflix has it?

.

Nanya: You can't change your fate.

Tatyana Larina: Why not?