Moscow on the Hudson

Moscow on the Hudson
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Paul Mazursky
Produced by	Paul Mazursky
Written by	Paul Mazursky Leon Capetanos
Starring	Robin Williams Maria Conchita Alonso Cleavant Derricks
Music by	David McHugh
Cinematography	Donald M. McAlpine
Editing by	Richard Halsey
Studio	Delphi Premier
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	April 6, 1984
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$13 million
Box office	$25,068,724

Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, and directed by Paul Mazursky. Williams plays a Soviet circus musician who defects from the Soviet Union while on a visit to the United States. The film was released on April 3, 1984.

Williams' co-stars in this film were María Conchita Alonso (in her film debut), Elya Baskin, Savely Kramarov, Alejandro Rey, and Cleavant Derricks.

Plot

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War early 1980s prior to the perestroika years of the later 80s, Vladimir Ivanov (Robin Williams), a saxophonist with the Moscow circus, lives in a crowded apartment with his extended family. He sucks up to the apparatchik assigned to the circus, standing in line for hours to buy shoes to obtain his favor. He cruises the streets, scrounging for black market gasoline for his friend's car. He buffers between his crazy grandfather and the KGB, who want to arrest him for shouting anti-Soviet slogans out the window.

As a rare treat, the circus troupe is sent to perform in New York City. Ivanov's clown friend, Anatoly (Elya Baskin), who has talked of little else but defecting, is intimidated into canceling his plan, and Vladimir, who had opposed the scheme as reckless and foolhardy suddenly decides to do it. He runs from his Soviet controllers, and hides behind a perfume counter at Bloomingdale's, where he originally met the clerk, Lucia Lomardo (Maria Conchita Alonso). When local police arrive, Ivanov stands up to his controllers and defects in what later becomes a newsworthy spectacle.

With the help of sympathetic Orlando Ramirez (Alejandro Rey), a naturalized citizen from Cuba and attorney who witnessed Ivanov's defection, Ivanov tries adapting to living in America. Ivanov attempts to find work despite speaking very little English and fearing the threat of his former countrymen. Aside from living in poor neighborhoods and taking low-paying jobs, he becomes friends with Lionel Witherspoon (Cleavant Derricks), a security guard who helped him at Bloomingdale's, and starts a relationship with Lucia. However, after Ivanov's romance with Lucia ends, Lionel decides to move back to Alabama to see his young son, and Vladimir learns that his beloved grandfather back home has died. Grieving, Ivanov goes to a Russian nightclub to ease his mind. He later walks back to his apartment building drunk, only to be mugged by two teenagers. He later reports the incident to the police with Orlando present and the two go to a diner where Ivanov rants about his misfortunes. A nearby Russian immigrant overhears the conversation, and interrupts Ivanov to disagree, leading the two into a tense confrontation that is settled after Ivanov realizes his fortunes of living in America. Soon after, Lucia comes back to him, Lionel moves back from Alabama, and Vladimir gets a job as a saxophonist in a wedding band, with time to play the music he loves during the day. He encounters the former apparatchik operating a hot dog stand, having lost his status back in the Soviet Union after Ivanov's defection. Ironically, the apparatchik is grateful to see Ivan and gives him a hot dog for free, showing his appreciation for the life he now has in America.

Cast

• Robin Williams as Vladimir Ivanoff
• Maria Conchita Alonso as Lucia Lombardo
• Cleavant Derricks as Lionel Witherspoon
• Alejandro Rey as Orlando Ramirez
• Saveli Kramarov as Boris
• Elya Baskin as Anatoly
• Yakov Smirnoff as Lev

The film features the late Soviet comedic actor Saveliy Kramarov, as a KGB officer, in one of his first Western film roles. Ironically, Kramarov was a Russian comedian who gave up a successful film career in his homeland for religious freedom and bit parts in films in the United States. He made 42 films in the former Soviet Union before he was allowed to leave in the early 1980s. This reality seems to mirror Vladimir's defection to the U.S. in the film.

The three Russian actors; Kramarov, Oleg Rudnik, and Elya Baskin also appear together in the film 2010 as cosmonauts. Kramarov and Rudnik play the two KGB agents always shadowing Vladimir and Baskin plays Vladimir's friend the circus clown. Stand up comedian Yakov Smirnoff also has a minor role in the film.

Reception

The film garnered positive reviews around the time of its release, and was moderately successful at the box office, bringing in $25 million in ticket sales. It currently holds an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Litigation

The poster, depicting a bird's eye view of New York with Moscow and Russia beyond, prompted a lawsuit by Saul Steinberg, the famous artist whose work frequently appeared in The New Yorker magazine. Steinberg alleged that the movie poster infringed the copyright in Steinberg's seminal depiction "View of the World from Ninth Avenue". The district court agreed and awarded summary judgment to Steinberg in Steinberg v. Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., 663 F. Supp. 706 (S.D.N.Y. 1987).

External links

• Moscow on the Hudson at the Internet Movie Database
• Moscow on the Hudson at Box Office Mojo
• Moscow on the Hudson at Rotten Tomatoes