The Girl from Petrovka (1974)

Director:

Robert Ellis Miller

Writers:

George Feifer (book)
Allan Scott (writer) ...

Release Date:

28 February 1975 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Russian girl, an American reporter, the love they shared ...and the country that made it impossible.

Plot:

A beautiful Russian ballerina falls in love with an American news correspondent. The KGB is most displeased and does everything it can to break them up. |

Plot Keywords:

American | Ballerina | Love | KGB | Playing Footsie While In Bed

Cast

Goldie Hawn	...	Oktyabrina
Hal Holbrook	...	Joe
Anthony Hopkins	...	Kostya
Grégoire Aslan	...	Minister
Anton Dolin	...	Ignatievitch
Bruno Wintzell	...	Alexander
Zoran Andric	...	Leonid
Hanna Hertelendy	...	Judge
Maria Sukolov	...	Old Crone
Zitto Kazann	...	Passport Black Marketeer
Inger Jensen	...	Helga Van Dam
Raymond O'Keefe	...	Minister's Driver
Richard Marner	...	Kremlin Press Official
Michael Janisch	...	Police Chief Valinikov
Harry Towb	...	American Reporter

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Norway:12 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company:

KMA

Trivia:

Before filming started, Anthony Hopkins scoured the bookshops of London's Charing Cross Road trying to find a copy of the novel by George Feifer, upon which this film was based. He had no luck and went to catch a train home. There at the station, lying forgotten on a bench, was a copy of the book. Years later, Hopkins met Feifer, who told him that he had lent his own copy to a friend, who then lost it. Hopkins produced the one he found and asked if it was his. By an amazing coincidence, it was the author's own book Hopkins had chanced upon.

Soundtrack:

Nyet, Nyet, Nyet

Soviet/American Love Story in the 1970's

I just saw this film for the first time. While Goldie Hawn's Russian accent left a lot to be desired, I found this an entertaining story. Hal Holbrook was great, of course. I thought the Soviet background was fairly well presented of it's 1970's time period. While this was the "Cold War" period, one should not mistake this film for some spy vs. spy story. It is a love story set against the background of the Soviet Union. Some of Goldie's character motivation seem a bit odd at times, I will say. Perhaps another film where if one read the book, some of the character development details would be filled in and better understood. While one recommendation here for a similar story was, "Reds," I would say the 1980's film, "White Nights," with Gregory Hines would be a much better comparison.