Coming Out of the Ice (TV 1982)

A young American man in Russia in the 1920s to help build a factory makes a request to go home to the U.S. He is told that he will have to renounce his American citizenship; when he refuses... See full summary »

Director:

Waris Hussein

Writers:

Victor Herman (autobiography Coming Out of the Ice: An Unexpected Life), Alan Sharp

Stars:

John Savage, Willie Nelson, Francesca Annis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Savage	...	Victor Herman
Willie Nelson	...	Red Loon
Francesca Annis	...	Galina
Ben Cross	...	Gen. Tuchachevsky
Frank Windsor	...	Sam Herman
Sylvia Kay	...	Rose Herman
Peter Vaughan	...	Belov
John Malcolm	...	Chernov
Bernice Stegers	...	Lady Barber
Steven Berkoff	...	Atoman
Donald Eccles	...	Nesterov
Tom Chadbon	...	Samsonov
Clive Merrison	...	Bikov
Edward Burnham	...	Commissar
David Hayman	...	Guard Commander 1

Storyline

A young American man in Russia in the 1920s to help build a factory makes a request to go home to the U.S. He is told that he will have to renounce his American citizenship; when he refuses, he is tried for treason and sentenced to life in the Soviet prison system, where he spends the next 38 years.

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Plot Keywords:

soviet union | gulag | siberia | 1930s | immigrant | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gulag 2

Filming Locations:

Helsinki, Finland

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene in which Victor is walking on the market, most of the extras were Finnish. Out of the frame we can hear one of them saying in Finnish: "I almost looked at the camera".

User Reviews

Interesting historical account of an American surviving incarceration in the U.S.S.R.

In the 1920s Victor Herman left the United States with his parents who went to the U.S.S.R. with other Americans to build an automobile factory there. They were part of an idealistic socialist group who thought that the Soviet Union would be a better place for working class people.

Herman had athletic prowess in track and field, and the Soviet authorities wanted him to represent them in world competition. At first he consented, but later demurred when their demands on him became onerous. He asked to leave the country, but of course, back then, departure equaled treason, and they sent him to a remote prison camp. This film depicts the story of his survival. It's a good account of forgotten Americans from a forgotten period.