{"id":8585,"date":"2024-11-19T00:12:05","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/?p=8585"},"modified":"2024-11-19T00:12:05","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T05:12:05","slug":"the-russia-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/2024\/11\/19\/the-russia-house\/","title":{"rendered":"The Russia House"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"The Russia House <\/strong>(1990)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MGM\/Suspense-Drama\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 123 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Fred Schepisi \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Screenplay: Tom Stoppard\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Jerry Goldsmith\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Ian Baker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: December 21, 1990 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Roy Scheider, James Fox, John Mahoney, Michael Kitchen, J.T. Walsh, Ken Russell, David Threlfall, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mac McDonald, Nicholas Woodeson, Martin Clunes, Ian McNeice, Colin Stinton, Peter Marinker, Ellen Hurst, Peter Knupffer.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Box Office: $22.9M (US)<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: ***<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Russia House<\/strong>, an adaptation of John le Carre\u2019s spy novel, came out around the time when the former Soviet Union was collapsing. Gorbachev had established a policy of\u00a0glasnost\u00a0<\/em>which meant that all the activities of the USSR were made known to the rest of the world. No more secrecy, less censorship and greater freedom of information; these would become the norm in the new Russia. With the end of the Cold War, the face of Russia was changed. Westerners had greater access to the once-insular country. Even though Communism was effectively dead (it became a reality in December \u201891), it was replaced by corruption. People still had to stand in long line for essentials like shoes. It was difficult for the citizens to leave the country. The Russia House<\/strong> is the perfect spy thriller for this point in time. With the changed rules, it was easier for a spy to enter the country. He still had to watch what he said though; the government still had eyes and ears throughout the country.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Directed by Fred Schepisi (A Cry in the Dark), The Russia House<\/strong> is the kind of movie I’d go to see with my father at 13 or 14. I’d understand it on a fundamental level while watching it. Dad would fill me in on the stuff that went over my young head afterwards. I wished he was sitting next to me when I saw it at 23 on Christmas Eve \u201990. It\u2019s dense and confusing with the international politics and activity between MI6 and the CIA.\u00a0 It’s difficult to keep track of the various characters and plot developments. I suppose that’s what defines a good spy thriller. The viewer is never sure what’s going on and who’s doing what to whom. The spy game is one of deception and subterfuge.<\/p>\n

\u00a0As depicted in The Russia House<\/strong>, it also involves a lot of talking. Contrary to what you\u2019ve seen in the James Bond and Jason Bourne movies, it\u2019s NOT about fancy gadgets and explosive action scenarios. Le Carre\u2019s books, which also include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, tend to be complex and cerebral. If anybody knows anything about espionage, it\u2019s le Carre. Before gaining fame as a novelist, he worked for British intelligence for a few years (1958-64) before being betrayed by infamous double agent Kim Philby. He understands perfectly and it shows in his work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Russia House<\/strong> takes its time setting up its story of a reluctant spy who finds himself in the middle of a potentially volatile political situation. Barley Scott-Blair (Connery, the original James Bond) is a cynical, world-weary, alcoholic, jazz-loving publisher brought in for interrogation after a manuscript meant for his eyes only ends up in the hands of British intelligence instead along with a letter to Blair from Katya (Pfeiffer, Dangerous Liaisons), a Russian office worker he doesn\u2019t know. The manuscript contains sensitive information about the true nuclear capabilities of the Soviets. The British and the American both realize its vital importance to the ongoing arms race. They need confirmation that the author\u2019s claims are true. This is where Blair comes into it. They need him to go to Moscow, meet up with Katya and set up a meeting with the author identified only as \u201cDante\u201d (Brandauer, Never Say Never Again) to verify his information. After some very basic spy training from his MI handler Ned (Fox, A Passage to India), an uncertain Blair goes to Russia to complete his mission.<\/p>\n

\u00a0No mission would be complete without some sort of complication. In The Russia House<\/strong>, it\u2019s Katya. In short, Blair falls in love with the divorced mother of two. Such a relationship could compromise the integrity of an already tense situation that has some powerful people on edge. If the USSR\u2019s nuclear capabilities are as weak as Dante claims, it could potentially upset the balance of power in world politics. It could have a negative effect on the weapons industry which counts on the continuing Cold War for their continued prosperity. In short, making this information public would have serious repercussions. It puts Blair in a moral quandary. Should he be loyal to his country or his heart?<\/p>\n

\u00a0Schepisi and screenwriter Tom Stoppard (Empire of the Sun) have made a compelling but slow spy thriller consisting of endless scenes of middle-aged men sitting around and talking. Included among the conversationalists are Roy Scheider (Jaws 1 & 2) and John Mahoney (Moonstruck) as CIA agents, J.T. Walsh (Good Morning Vietnam) as an American military official and director Ken Russell (Tommy) as Ned\u2019s MI6 colleague. It\u2019s a great supporting cast; it\u2019s too bad the screenplay underserves them by limiting their performances to the above mentioned scenarios.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Thankfully, the love story between Connery and Pfeiffer breaks the monotony. It helps that they both deliver solid individual performances. Connery is perfectly cast in the lead. He\u2019s completely believable as the drunken, disheveled publisher thrown into a situation far above his pay grade. The exquisitely beautiful Pfeiffer is absolutely splendid as Katya. She even manages a convincing Russian accent. She\u2019s the one that makes Blair realize it\u2019s okay to hope and love after years of boozing, cynicism and self-loathing. The two actors have great chemistry. Never mind that they look more like father and daughter than lovers. Their feelings for each other add a palpable undercurrent of tension to The Russia House <\/strong>like in the scene in Katya’s apartment where they conduct a conversation by writing their words on a piece of paper, words not meant for prying ears.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The cinematography by Ian Baker is quite striking. His sharp photography captures a place that’s been largely unseen by outsiders for decades. There’s great beauty in the wintry streets and playgrounds, the well-decorated but shabby apartments, the major historical landmarks (Red Square, Lenin’s Tomb) and the crowded stores. The score by Jerry Goldsmith, which includes moody sax work by jazz musician Branford Marsalis, is terrific.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Russia House<\/strong> is a decent spy movie and a better love story. It\u2019s best described as a thinking person’s James Bond movie. It even stars the first James Bond. It\u2019s slow and boring in parts, but the romance gives it a level of emotionalism that holds the viewer\u2019s interest. It’s that nearly extinct brand of movie made for adults about adults doing adult things. Not every movie has to be about superheroes, maverick cops or giant alien robots. It’s refreshing to see a movie that requires the use of the viewer’s brain. I just wish the characters did more than talk.\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Russia House (1990)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 MGM\/Suspense-Drama\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 RT: 123 minutes\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rated R (language)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Director: Fred Schepisi \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Screenplay: Tom Stoppard\u00a0\u00a0 Music: Jerry Goldsmith\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cinematography: Ian Baker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Release date: December 21, 1990 (US)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cast: Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Roy Scheider, James Fox, John Mahoney, Michael Kitchen, J.T. Walsh, Ken Russell, David Threlfall, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mac McDonald, Nicholas Woodeson, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8855,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-suspense-thrillers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/The-Russia-House-PIC.jpg?fit=620%2C348&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8585"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8585\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8857,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8585\/revisions\/8857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movieguy247.com\/MovieGuy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}