The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming (1966)

Without hostile intent, a Soviet submarine runs aground off New England. Men are sent for a boat, but many villagers go into a tizzy, risking bloodshed.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

Nathaniel Benchley (novel), William Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carl Reiner	...	Walt Whittaker
Eva Marie Saint	...	Elspeth Whittaker
Alan Arkin	...	Lt. Rozanov
Brian Keith	...	Police Chief Link Mattocks
Jonathan Winters	...	Norman Jonas
Paul Ford	...	Fendall Hawkins
Theodore Bikel	...	The Russian Captain
Tessie O'Shea	...	Alice Foss
John Phillip Law	...	Alexei Kolchin
Ben Blue	...	Luther Grilk
Andrea Dromm	...	Alison Palmer
Sheldon Collins	...	Pete Whittaker (as Sheldon Golomb)
Guy Raymond	...	Lester Tilly
Cliff Norton	...	Charlie Hinkson
Richard Schaal	...	Oscar Maxwell

Storyline

In the Cold War, when the captain of a Russian submarine comes too close to the Gloucester Island in Massachusetts to give a look at America, the submarine gets stranded. A nine-man team commanded by Lieutenant Rozanov goes onshore to search a motor boat to release the submarine and arrives at the summer house of the New Yorker writer Walt Whittaker that is spending the weekend with his family in Gloucester. When he realizes that they are Russians, he believes that it is an invasion. Soon the information leaks, leading hysteria and paranoia along the inhabitants of the small village.

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Plot Keywords:

soviet submarine | stranded | soviet navy | language barrier | cold war | 

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Taglines:

It's A Plot!... to make the world die laughing!!

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Genres:

Comedy | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The only Best Picture Oscar nominee not nominated in either of the support acting categories that year.

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Goofs

Established etiquette for displaying the United States flag when hung vertically is to have the blue union on the uppermost left - during the credits at the end of the movie the flag appears with the union on the upper right.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[Rozanov arrives on the bridge of the Russian submarine after learing from the chart man how close they are to the USA coast]
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian; subtitled] What is it Captain? What are you doing?
[to a chart man]
Lieutenant Rozanov: Show me our position.
[the chart man shows Rozanov how close they are to an island]
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian] What? WHAT? Tovarich Captain...
The Russian Captain: [in Russian] Take it easy.
Lieutenant Rozanov: [in Russian] Permit me, Captain. Look at our position.
The Russian Captain: [in Russian] I don't need your advice.
[...]

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Crazy Credits

In the title, the letters R and N in RUSSIANS are reversed to resemble Russian letters (which would literally translate to Ya and I), and the G in COMING is a hammer and sickle.

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Alternate Versions

Some local stations played a slightly different version of the film in the mid-80's: they cut at least part of both credits. For example, instead of beginning the movie with the credits that show the title, and such things (the one that alternates between Russian and American flags), but the tv version removes most of the opening credits. They only credit the writer, producer and director. This means that most of the credits are cut, and the film opens with the shot of the captain opening his eye over a black screen. Also, the end credits were also shortened-they fade out immediately after the last of the cast list has been shown, and it doesnt show the scroll end. This basically only deletes about three seconds, and all that is really noticable is the rather abrupt ending of the credit music.

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Connections

Referenced in Alan Arkin: Live from the TCM Classic Film Festival (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Shining Sea
(uncredited)
Written by Johnny Mandel & Peggy Lee
Performed by Irene Kral

User Reviews

A personal favorite!

"Hilarious" doesn't begin to describe it! I saw this in the theater in 1966 when it first came out, and I enjoyed it immensely! Arkin was great and Bikel excels in just about everything he does! This gets ***** out of ***** with me!

So it's an excellent comedy, but like all truly great comedy, it has a dark and serious side: that people will become hysterical with xenophobia when they live in a culture that expects it of them. During the Cold War, it was a given among us kids that ALL the Russians were evil beings, godless Communist robots out to destroy us. We were taught to so regard ALL of them.

This movie serves as a poignant reminder that not everyone who lives in an officially "hostile" nation hates us.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

25 May 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les Russes s'en viennent

Filming Locations:

Eureka, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,900,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1