Response to Telegraph Article

June 3, 1999

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH (LONDON) June 03, 1999, Thursday
Letter to the Editor: A Russian hit

SIR - We were disappointed to read your one-sided coverage of Russian reactions to our film Onegin (report, May 31). The claim that Russians have ridiculed our adaptation for its inaccuracies completely ignores the fact that most Russians have responded with great enthusiasm.

While we acknowledge the iconic status of Pushkin in Russia and the inevitable suspicion of a foreigner's interpretation, much of the critical reaction has praised the film because it is not a replica but a genuine cinematic response to the spirit of Eugene Onegin.

The Cultural Committee of St Petersburg, guardians of the city's artistic heritage, saw the film before giving it their approval and inviting us to be part of the city's official celebration of Pushkin's bicentenary. In the national daily Kommersant, Mikhail Brashinsky writes: "The film stands outside Pushkin but alongside it and this is what makes it a delight." The St Petersburg Vedemosti agreed: "The film-makers show respect for and commitment to their source material."

RALPH FIENNES

MARTHA FIENNES

Moscow