The Russia House (1990)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

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 | CIA | Male Female Relationship

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:

Referenced in Shirtless: Hollywood's Sexiest Men (2002) (TV)

An amazing film

This is a movie that will overwhelm you, if you let it. If you are interested in nonstop action, look somewhere else. If you are looking for a nice, linear story line, look somewhere else. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a complex story set at the sunset of Soviet Russia, with an incomparable musical score and believable characters you can accept as the real thing, rent or buy this movie. Sean Connery does a wonderful job as a worldly and inebrieated man confronting true love, and all it ramifications, for once in his life. Michelle Pfeiffer is a beautiful, but tired, mother of two who doesn't have the time for love without meaning. Behind the scenes, the interplay between American and British intelligence is priceless. Lastly, the score is wonderful. If you can't bring yourself to watch the film, at least buy the CD of the soundtrack. This is top shelf stuff. You will not be disappointed.