The Russia House (1990)

Director:

Fred Schepisi

Writers:

Tom Stoppard (writer)
John le Carré (novel)

Release Date:

19 December 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

From John Le Carre's Best-Selling Thriller

Plot:

An expatriate British publisher unexpectedly finds himself working for British intelligence to investigate people in Russia.

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Russia | British Intelligence | British Spy | Cold War

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Bartholomew 'Barley' Scott Blair
Michelle Pfeiffer	...	Katya Orlova
Roy Scheider	...	Russell
James Fox	...	Ned
John Mahoney	...	Brady
Michael Kitchen	...	Clive
J.T. Walsh	...	Colonel Quinn
Ken Russell	...	Walter
David Threlfall	...	Wicklow
Klaus Maria Brandauer	...	Dante
Mac McDonald	...	Bob
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Niki Landau
Martin Clunes	...	Brock
Ian McNeice	...	Merrydew, Embassy Rep.
Colin Stinton	...	Henziger

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Brazil:Livre (DVD rating) | Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:6 | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bowen Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Pathé Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: During Blair's "start the avalanche" speech, Dante is seen at the end of the table. As the camera pans around the table during the speech, Dante disappears from the end of the table, and then reappears.

Quotes:

[talking about Western relations with Russia]
Barley: Aren't we supposed to be such good friends now?
Ned: [sarcastically] Oh, my dear lord...
Walter: Because this year it suits them to roll over on their backs and play nice doggie? Because this year they're on the floor anyway? You ninny! All the more reason to spy the living daylights out of them. Kick them in the balls every time they get to their knees.

Movie Connections:

References À bout de souffle (1960)

This is great stuff

Admittedly, The Russia House may not be for all tastes, but I saw this when I was 15 when it came out in the theaters and I loved it then and I love it now.

If you go in expecting this to be a James Bond/Simon Templar/North By Northwest type movie, you'll be GRAVELY disappointed. Needless to say, the movie is dialogue driven and the performances are great. Sean Connery (my all-time favorite) gives a nice performance in a role that isn't typical Connery. Michelle Pfeiffer (my favorite actress) is equally excellent. I kept looking for her to flub her Russian accent, but she's on target from start to finish.

The supporting players: Roy Scheider, who I also love, is awesome. There's a lot of witty dialogue in this film, but Scheider has some of the film's most memorable ones. Ken Russell, the controversial director, has an equally memorable, witty role as "Walter". I own this movie, but between the time I saw it in the theaters and the time I bought it a year and half ago, Russell was one of the things about the movie that really stood out in my memory of the film. And of course, James Fox who's always great.

Not really a supporting player but it might as well be is the LOCATIONS. Wow, really breathtaking stuff. Fred Schepsi did a wondrous job with the locations, and the CAMERA. The cinematography and locations were first-rate. And if that wasn't enough, I was equally enthralled with the jazzy musical score. If it isn't already apparent, I love this movie, and I absolutely recommend it.

It has a nice blend of dialogue, plot, romance and humor. I reiterate: Not for all tastes given that many may find it slow, but definitely worth a look. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.