White Nights (1985)

Director:

Taylor Hackford

Writers:

James Goldman (screenplay) and
Eric Hughes (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

22 November 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An expatriate Russian dancer is on a plane forced to land on Soviet territory. He is taken to an apartment...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | KGB | Ballet | Expatriate | Tap Dancing

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Mikhail Baryshnikov	...	Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko
Gregory Hines	...	Raymond Greenwood
Jerzy Skolimowski	...	Colonel Chaiko
Helen Mirren	...	Galina Ivanova
Geraldine Page	...	Anne Wyatt
Isabella Rossellini	...	Darya Greenwood
John Glover	...	Wynn Scott
Stefan Gryff	...	Captain Kirigin
William Hootkins	...	Chuck Malarek
Shane Rimmer	...	Ambassador Larry Smith
Florence Faure	...	Ballerina (Death)
David Savile	...	Pilot
Ian Liston	...	Co-pilot
Benny Young	...	Flight Engineer
Hilary Drake	...	Stewardess #1
Megumi Shimanuki	...	Stewardess 2
Daniel Benzali	...	Dr. Asher
Maria Werlander	...	Child Ballerina
Galina Pomerantzeva	...	Dvornik
Sergei Rousakov	...	KGB #1
Aleksandr Naumov	...	KGB #2 (as Alexander Naumov)
Maryam d'Abo	...	French Girlfriend
Marc Sinden	...	Charles
Josephine Buchan	...	Caroline
Helene Denbey	...	Bess
Sussanah Morley	...	Journalist in Opera House (as Susannah Morley)
Elisa Tornqviet	...	Journalist at Consulat (as Elisa Tornqvist)
Jirí Stanislav	...	Chaiko's Driver (Leningrad)
Eduard Ochagavya	...	KGB Agent (as Edward Ochagavia)
Marc Michalsky	...	KGB Agent
Michael Petrovitch	...	Helicopter Pilot (as Michael Petrovich)
Andreas Markos	...	Escamilla
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Helen Kelly	...	Woman in Spandex Pants (uncredited)
Anthony Straeger	...	Russian Boarder Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Taylor Hackford

Writing credits
James Goldman		(screenplay) and
Eric Hughes		(screenplay)
James Goldman		(story)
Nancy Dowd		uncredited

Produced by
Bill Borden	....	associate producer
William S. Gilmore	....	producer
Taylor Hackford	....	producer

Original Music by
Michel Colombier

Cinematography by
David Watkin

Film Editing by
Fredric Steinkamp
William Steinkamp

Casting by
Nancy Klopper

Production Design by
Philip Harrison

Art Direction by
Richard Dawking
Malcolm Middleton
Austen Spriggs

Set Decoration by
Joanne Woollard		(as Joan Wollard)

Costume Design by
Evangeline Harrison

Makeup Department
Madeleine Masters	....	makeup artist (as Madeline Masters)
Barry Richardson	....	hair stylist
Neville Smallwood	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Stuart Benjamin	....	executive supervisor: New Visions
Anja Harjula	....	production manager: Finland
Denis Holt	....	executive in charge of production
Juhani Jotuni	....	unit manager: Finland
Maria do Carmo Moser	....	production manager: Portugal
Neville C. Thompson	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tony Aherne	....	third assistant director
Ray Corbett	....	assistant director
José de Sá Caetano	....	assistant director: Portugal (as José Sá Caetano)
Matti Ollila	....	assistant director: Finland
Kieron Phipps	....	second assistant director

Art Department
George Ball	....	property master
Peter Benson	....	stand-by props
Les Butterfield	....	stand-by carpenter
Stan Cook	....	chargehand dressing prop
Bill Fisher	....	stand-by painter
Denis Hopperton	....	stand-by props (as Dennis Hopperton)
Harold Michelson	....	visual continuity
Andrew Nightingale	....	stand-by stagehand
Syd Nightingale	....	construction manager
Stuart Rose	....	assistant art director
Mel Sansom	....	stand-by rigger
Peter Walpole	....	production buyer
Simon Wilkinson	....	dressing propman
Emma Harrison	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Peter Mann	....	constructor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Don Digirolamo	....	sound recording mixer
Doreen A. Dixon	....	supervising adr editor
Robert Glass	....	sound recording mixer (as Bob Glass)
Joseph Holsen	....	sound editor (as Joseph H. Holsen)
Dushko Indjic	....	boom operator
Jay Kamen	....	adr editor
Robert Knudson	....	sound recording mixer (as Buzz Knudson)
Tom McCarthy Jr.	....	supervising sound editor
Trevor Rutherford	....	playback
Don S. Walden	....	sound editor
Clive Winter	....	sound mixer
Vanessa Theme Ament	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Terence J. Cox	....	special effects assistant (as Terry Cox)
Martin Gutteridge	....	special effects aerial unit
Jeff Hawke	....	performer: crash sequence/aerial unit
Garth Inns	....	special effects
Roy Moores	....	front projection
Tom Vaughn	....	assistant: performer crash sequence/aerial unit
Ian Wingrove	....	special effects aerial unit
Brian Warner	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Peter Brayham	....	stunt coordinator
Helen Caldwell	....	stunt personnel
Steve Crawley	....	stunt personnel
Romo Gorrara	....	stunt personnel
Robert Harman	....	stunt personnel (as Bob Harmon)
Dave Holland	....	stunt personnel
Malcolm Weaver	....	stunt personnel

Camera and Electrical Department
Alan Barry	....	best boy
Bob Bridges	....	video operator
Kevin Brookner	....	video assist
Murray Close	....	still photographer
Mike Connors	....	focus puller (as Michael Connors)
Freddie Cooper	....	camera operator
Maurice Gillett	....	chief lighting technician (as Maurice Gillette)
Ray Hall	....	camera grip
John Harris	....	additional photographer
John Harris	....	additional photographer
Frank M. Holgate	....	aerial photographer: aerial unit (as Frank Holgate)
Clay Lacy	....	pilot: camera plane, aerial unit
Pat Miller	....	electrician
Shane O'Neill	....	clapper loader
Gregory J. Schmidt	....	aerial camera assistant: aerial unit (as Greg Schmidt)
Kenneth J. Withers	....	additional photographer (as Ken Withers)
Brian Ellis	....	focus puller: additional camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Noel Davis	....	casting: Europe
Paula Gilmore	....	location casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Roy Beck	....	wardrobe supervisor
Ken Crouch	....	assistant wardrobe
Janet Tebrooke	....	wardrobe mistress

Editorial Department
Peter Culverwell	....	assistant editor: UK
Deveril Goodman	....	associate film editor
Valerie Lesser	....	assistant editor: UK
Rick Meyer	....	assistant editor
Paul Steinkamp	....	apprentice editor
Dennis Michelson	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Jules Chaikin	....	music contractor (as Jules Chaiken)
David Foster	....	song producer
Doug Morris	....	music guidance
Phil Ramone	....	music production
Phil Ramone	....	music supervisor
John Richards	....	music recordist
Tony Smith	....	music guidance
Curt Sobel	....	supervising music editor
Richard Garcia	....	music supervisor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
J.J. Sullivan	....	captain: 747 (uncredited)

Other crew
Alan Arnold	....	publicist
Andrea Asimow	....	consultant
Mikhail Baryshnikov	....	additional choreographer
Allen Burry	....	publicist
Juliet Clarke	....	assistant to producer
Jeff Conroy	....	production assistant: USA (as Jeffrey Conroy)
Mo Coppitters	....	production coordinator
Peter Elford	....	location manager
James W. Gavin	....	aerial unit director (as Jim Gavin)
James W. Gavin	....	pilot: 747, crash sequence
Bernard Hanson	....	location manager (as Bernard Hansen)
Jeff Hawke	....	aerial coordinator
Gregory Hines	....	tap improvography
Johanna Kärävä	....	production coordinator: Finland
Ron Lambert	....	supervising lab timer
Jerri Lauridsen	....	assistant: Mr. Hackford
Dan Perri	....	title designer
Roland Petit	....	choreographer: "La jeune homme et la mort"
Lissa Ruben	....	continuity
Carrie Stein	....	production associate: USA
Twyla Tharp	....	choreographer
Tom Vaugh	....	co-pilot: 747, crash sequence
Gerald C. Wheatley	....	chief accountant

Thanks
Jerry Benjamin	....	in loving memory of
Mary E. Hackford	....	in loving memory of

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Delphi IV Productions
• New Visions Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia Pictures (1985) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1988) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (video)

Other Companies

• Atlantic Records and Cassettes  original soundtrack album published by
• Energy Productions  time-lapse photography
• Evergreen Recording Studios  music recording
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Movie Magic  titles
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Russian Roulette Ltd.  location casting
• Smith & Siegal  publicity
• The David Forbes Company  marketing consultant

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Norway:16 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bristol Hippodrome, Bristol, England, UK

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Helen Mirren and director Taylor Hackford met on the set of this movie and would eventually marry.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When they are beginning their escape, Daria replaces the argument tape with the apology tape. When the tape reaches the end and flips back, playing the apology again, you see a shadow cross the player as a person hits stop and reverse on the player.

Quotes:

Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko: It wouldn't be right ...
Galina Ivanova: Right? You knew what was right?
Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko: I was suffocating here! You knew it!
Galina Ivanova: When they told me you had defected to the West, they couldn't believe that you would leave without telling me. I couldn't believe it either.
Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko: I'm sorry.
Galina Ivanova: They took away my passport. For four years I wasn't allowed to travel.And for three years, they would take me to the big house to answer their questions. Every day, the same, stupid questions!
Nikolai 'Kolya' Rodchenko: You answered well. You're an important person, with power. I hear you drive a Mercedes now.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Navy NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Endgame (#7.7)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Prove Me Wrong

Fine interesting movie, wonderfully acted (and of course danced)

I just saw this on television - having resisted my sister-in-law's entreaties years ago to see it. It's awfully good.

The movie is imaginative - having Gregory Hines in a theater in Siberia, a defector to Russia when disillusioned and unable to find use for his talents as an adult tap dancer in America after the Vietnam War, married to the translator initially assigned him (an astonishing peformance by Isabella Rosellini), and performing Porgy & Bess to audiences including Russian troops - well, it's a character and situation you don't find in movies every day!

I was amazed at the close-knit work of actors who were not then first name movie stars - and at how well-drawn these characters are -

Helen Mirren is superb as Baryshnikov's former lover, partner, and now director of the Kirov Ballet - angry and constantly deluding herself that things are getting more artistically free in Russia -

Baryshnikov is excellent, reliving the pain of defection in his old theater, seeing a tape of himself when at 17 he was care-free and full of illusory ambition, the discovery of the erasure of his name among children in Russia, the anger of his former partner for his abandonment of her and denunciation of his "selfishness" in defecting -

Hines as a man living with an atrocious mistake and trying always to justify itself to himself - in Siberia, he seems like a man on Mars -

an almost unrecognizable Rosellini as a Russian woman in pained love with Hines (just the looks on her face of love and sympathy and pity and helplessness for Hines are so powerful and moving - I'll never forget them)-

the four are so very very fine together. Each TRULY seems the person they're portraying. If one were to see news photographs or a documentary about such characters - they would look this way, sound this way, move and speak and dress this way.

The dancing is very enjoyable to watch - and you really needn't be a fan of dance (I'm not) to marvel at it.

The only downside of the movie is that it takes these four fascinating and pained characters, and stuffs them into a somewhat formulaic action plot. I also found the music too heavy throughout - let there be silences as they contemplate their messy situations.

This is very well worth seeing.