Eugene Onegin (1959 film)

Eugene Onegin is a 1959 Soviet film adaptation of Alexander Pushkin's classic novel in verse, Eugene Onegin. The film is a screen opera, meaning it features the Moscow Bolshoi Opera Company's performance of Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin while actors portray the roles on screen.

The film stars Vadim Medvedev as Eugene Onegin, Ariadna Shengelaya as Tatyana Larina, and Igor Ozerov as Vladimir Lensky. While these actors portray the characters visually, the vocal performances are provided by opera singers. For example, Medvedev is lip-synced to the singing of Yevgeny Kibkalo.

Directed by Roman Tikhomirov, the film is known for its lavish costumes and sets, attempting to recreate the opulent atmosphere of 19th-century Russian society depicted in Pushkin's original work. It offers a visually rich interpretation of Tchaikovsky's opera and a widely accessible introduction to both Pushkin's poem and the opera. The film generally follows the plot of the opera, which in turn closely adapts the major plot points of Pushkin's novel. Key scenes depicted include Tatyana's letter scene, the duel between Onegin and Lensky, and the final confrontation between Onegin and Tatyana after she is married.