Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)

Director:

Aki Kaurismäki

Writers:

Sakke Järvenpää (story)
Aki Kaurismäki (story)
(more)

Release Date:

24 February 1994 (Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Music

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Leningrad Cowboys

Cast

Twist-Twist Erkinharju	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Ben Granfelt	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Sakke Järvenpää	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Jore Marjaranta	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Ekke Niiva	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Jyri Närvänen	...	Leningrad Cowboy (as Lyle Närvänen)
Pemo Ojala	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Silu Seppälä	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Mauri Sumén	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Mato Valtonen	...	Leningrad Cowboy
Matti Pellonpää	...	Moses / Vladimir
Kari Väänänen	...	The Mute
André Wilms	...	Lazar / Johnson / Elijah
Nicky Tesco	...	American Cousin
Jacques Blanc	...	Owner of Bingo Parlour
Nicole Helies	...	Bingo Hostess
Kirsi Tykkyläinen	...	Singer of Babylon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Aki Kaurismäki	...	Factory Worker imitating Chaplin (uncredited)

Directed by
Aki Kaurismäki

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sakke Järvenpää		story
Aki Kaurismäki		story
Mato Valtonen		story

Produced by
Reinhard Brundig	....	executive producer
Otmar Hitzelberger	....	line producer: Frankfurt
Aki Kaurismäki	....	producer
Paula Oinonen	....	executive producer
Maciej Skalski	....	line producer: Poland
Bernhard Türcke	....	line producer: Frankfurt
Fabienne Vonier	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mauri Sumén

Cinematography by
Timo Salminen

Film Editing by
Aki Kaurismäki

Production Design by
John Ebden

Art Direction by
Mark Lavis

Production Management
Pauli Pentti	....	unit production manager
Remi Pradinas	....	production manager: France
Jaakko Talaskivi	....	production manager
Sarah Vogel	....	production manager: New York

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Erkki Astala	....	assistant director
Marek Brodzki	....	assistant director: Poland (as Marek Brodski)

Art Department
Tom Jarmusch	....	art department: New York
Markku Pätilä	....	constructions
Ravil Salah	....	property master
Jukka Salmi	....	constructions

Sound Department
Tom Forsström	....	sound mixer
Timo Linnasalo	....	sound
Jouko Lumme	....	sound
Jan McLaughlin	....	boom operator: New York
Tellervo Savela	....	sound synchronisation

Camera and Electrical Department
Nathalie Eno	....	still photographer
Heikki Färm	....	first assistant camera
Marja-Leena Helin	....	still photographer: Mexico
Xavier Henselman	....	key grip (as Xavier Henselmann)
Moune Jamet	....	still photographer: France
Risto Laasonen	....	second assistant camera
Dominique Levy	....	second assistant camera: New York
Satu Mikkanen	....	still photographer: New York
Ilkka Paloniemi	....	electrician
Markku Pätilä	....	electrician
Jukka Salmi	....	electrician
Olli Varja	....	electrician
Val Williamson	....	gaffer: New York

Casting Department
Zoya Spivakovsky	....	casting: New York
Zoya Spivakovsky	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Tuija Kotamäki	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Masa Hukkanen	....	music recordist
Stade Kenttä	....	music recordist
Mikko Mustonen	....	additional musician
Heikki Savolainen	....	additional musician
Heikki Savolainen	....	music mixer
Mauri Sumén	....	music mixer
Tokela	....	additional musician
Achim Zell	....	music recordist

Transportation Department
Jouni Kortesato	....	driver
Jouni Kosenius	....	driver
Hannu Mertanen	....	driver

Other crew
Haije Alanoja	....	continuity
Haije Alanoja	....	production secretary
Erkki Astala	....	publicist
Andrzej Besztak	....	production coordinator: Poland
Jacques Blanc	....	production coordinator: France
Jay Cookson	....	production assistant: New York
Delphine Coutant	....	production assistant: France
Düsi	....	production services: Dresden
Milos Fedas	....	production services: Czech Republic
Jürgen Findeisen	....	production services: Leipzig
Gabriéle Forsetti	....	production assistant: France
Klaus Heydemann	....	production executive
Kaapo	....	caterer
Katrin Kogel	....	production assistant: Frankfurt
Piotr Kolodziejczyk	....	production assistant: Poland
Jouni Kortesato	....	cars
Jouni Kosenius	....	cars
Grazyna Kozlowska	....	location manager: Poland
Andre Krabbe	....	production services: Dresden
Erkki Lahti	....	caterer
Hannu Mertanen	....	cars
Timo Nousiainen	....	film grading
Mattusch Pfitzner	....	production services: Dresden
Kim Platz	....	production assistant: New York
Remi Pradinas	....	location manager (as Rémi Pradinas)
Kari Pulkkinen	....	caterer
Ulrike Pöhls	....	production secretary: Frankfurt
Johanna Rekola	....	caterer
Tim Steffa	....	script translator
Sasha Tsyrlin	....	location manager: New York
Heikki Ukkonen	....	location manager
Sinikka Usvamaa	....	accountant (as Sinikka)

Thanks
Mika Kaurismäki	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Pandora Filmproduktion
• La Sept Cinéma
• Sputnik

Distributors

• Pyramide Distribution (1994) (France) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2009) (Australia) (video) (VOD)

Other Companies

• H.T. Filmservice  production services: Frankfurt
• Michal Szczerbic Films  production services: Poland
• Red Barn Films  production services: New York
• SES Film Sound Oy  sound mixing
• Villealfa Filmproduction Oy  equipment

Also Known As:

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Finland | Germany | France

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

Amiens, Somme, France

Company:

Pandora Filmproduktion

Quotes:

Vladimir:Business is business! But Moses... is Moses!

Movie Connections:

References Modern Times (1936)

Soundtrack:

Wedding March

Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (1994)

This is harder to enjoy than GO America for sure. A more somber and low-key affair, with fewer jokes and even the music is more downtempo (including an amusing cheesy lounge version of "Rivers of Babylon"). But I don't think it deserves the low reputation it has... currently a 5.0 rating on IMDb, and one commenter on a forum pegs it as "comfortably Kaurismaki's worst." Comfortably AMONG his worst, but even at his worst he's usually fun. I certainly wouldn't consider it any worse than TAKE CARE OF YOUR SCARF TATIANA or his ho-hum adaptation of CRIME AND PUNISHMENT. There's a number of funny bits as he takes potshots at Christianity, phony evangelists, capitalism, and communism (the movie came out not long after the fall of the Soviet Union). Apparently half the group had left by this point, which is explained away as death by tequila, and another batch of faces is brought in. Normally this might be a big deal, but few of the band members were showcased in the first film. And it allows for the great line "Where is the Mexican department of the orchestra?" Okay, so it's not as memorable or endearing as its predecessor, but you've gotta have some love for a movie where someone steals the nose from the Statue of Liberty to take back to Russia.