1966 film by Norman Jewison
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
is a 1966 American
Cold War
comedy film
directed and produced by
Norman Jewison
for
United Artists
. The satirical story depicts the chaos following the grounding of the
Soviet
submarine
СпруT
(pronounced "sproot" and meaning "
octopus
") off a small
New England
island. The film stars
Alan Arkin
in his first major film role,
Carl Reiner
,
Eva Marie Saint
,
Brian Keith
,
Theodore Bikel
,
Jonathan Winters
,
John Phillip Law
,
Tessie O'Shea
, and
Paul Ford
.
The screenplay is based on the 1961
Nathaniel Benchley
novel
The Off-Islanders
, and was adapted for the screen by
William Rose
. The title alludes to
Paul Revere
's
midnight ride
, as does the subplot in which the town drunk (
Ben Blue
) rides his horse to warn people of the "invasion".
The film premiered on May 25, 1966, and was a widespread critical and commercial success.
[3]
At the
39th Academy Awards
, the film was nominated for four
Oscars
, including
Best Picture
,
Best Adapted Screenplay
, and
Best Actor
for Alan Arkin. It also won two
Golden Globes
, for
Best Motion Picture ? Musical or Comedy
and for
Best Actor ? Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
for Arkin.
Plot
[
edit
]
One September morning, a
Soviet Navy
submarine called
Sprut
[a]
draws too close to the
New England
coast when its captain wants to see North America and runs aground on a
sandbar
near Gloucester Island,
[b]
off the New England coast, with a population of about 200 people. Rather than radio for help and risk an embarrassing
international incident
, the captain sends a nine-man landing party, headed by his
zampolit
[c]
Lieutenant Yuri Rozanov, to find a motor launch to help free the submarine. The men arrive at the house of Walt Whittaker, a vacationing playwright from New York City. Whittaker is eager to get his wife Elspeth and two children,
9
+
1
⁄
2
-year-old Pete and 3-year-old Annie, off the island now that summer is over.
Pete tells his disbelieving dad that nine armed Russians are near the house, but Walt is soon met by Rozanov and one of his men, Alexei Kolchin, who identify themselves as strangers on the island and ask if there are any boats available. Walt is skeptical and asks if they are armed Russians. This startles Rozanov into admitting that they are Russians, and pulling a gun on Walt. Rozanov promises no harm to the Whittakers if they hand over their station wagon. Elspeth provides the car keys, but before the Russians depart, Rozanov orders Alexei to prevent the Whittakers from fleeing.
The Whittakers' station wagon quickly runs out of gasoline, forcing the Russians to walk. They steal an old sedan from Muriel Everett, the
postmistress
; she calls Alice Foss, the gossipy telephone
switchboard operator
, and soon, wild rumors about Russian parachutists and an
air assault
on the airport throw the island into confusion. Police Chief Link Mattocks and his assistant Norman Jonas try to squelch a citizens'
militia
led by Fendall Hawkins.
Meanwhile, Walt, accompanied by Elspeth and Pete, overpowers Alexei when Alison Palmer, an 18-year-old neighbor who works as Annie's
babysitter
, arrives for work that day and gives Walt an opening. Alexei flees during the commotion, but when Walt, Elspeth, and Pete leave to find help, he returns to retrieve his weapon from the house, where only Alison and Annie remain. Despite wanting no fighting, Alexei must obey his superiors in guarding the residence. He promises not to harm anyone and offers to surrender his gun as proof. Alison says that she trusts him and does not want his firearm.
Trying to find the Russians himself, Walt is recaptured by them in the telephone central office. After subduing Mrs. Foss, tying Walt and her together, and disabling the island's telephone switchboard, seven Russians appropriate civilian clothes from a dry cleaner's, steal a cabin cruiser, and head to the submarine. Back at the Whittaker house, Alexei and Alison have talked, kissed and fallen in love. At the phone exchange, Walt and Mrs. Foss hop outside the office. They are eventually discovered by Elspeth and Pete, who untie them. They return to their house, and Walt shoots at and almost kills Rozanov, who reached there just ahead of them. With the misunderstandings cleared up, the Whittakers, Rozanov, and Alexei decide to head into town together to explain to everyone what is happening.
As the tide rises, the sub floats off the sandbar, and it proceeds on the surface to the island's main harbor. Chief Mattocks, having investigated and debunked the rumor of an aerial assault, arrives back in town with the civilian militia. With Rozanov acting as translator, the Russian captain threatens to open fire on the town unless the seven missing sailors are returned to him; his crew faces upwards of 100 armed townspeople. As the situation nears the breaking point, two small boys climb up to the church steeple to see better and one slips and falls, but his belt catches on a gutter, leaving him hanging 40 feet
[d]
in the air. The American islanders and the Russian submariners unite to form a
human pyramid
and rescue the boy.
Peace is established between the two parties. However, Hawkins contacted the
Air Force
by radio. In a joint decision, the submarine leaves the harbor with villagers in boats protecting it. Alexei says goodbye to Alison, the stolen boat with the missing Russian sailors meets the sub, which they board, before two Air Force jets arrive. The jets, however, break off after seeing the escorting flotilla of small craft. To the cheers of the islanders, the
Octopus
is free to proceed to deep water and safety.
Cast
[
edit
]
The Islanders
[
edit
]
The Russians
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
Aerial view of
Noyo Harbor
in California where part of the film was shot
84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
F-101B Voodoo
Although set on the fictional "Gloucester Island" off the coast of
Massachusetts
, the movie was filmed on the coast of
Northern California
, mainly in
Mendocino
. The harbor scenes were filmed in
Noyo Harbor
in
Fort Bragg, California
, about 7 miles (11 km) north of Mendocino. Because of the filming location on the West Coast, the dawn scene at the beginning of the film was actually filmed at dusk through a pink filter.
[4]
The submarine used was a fabrication. The
United States Navy
refused to lend one for the production, so the producers asked the Russian Embassy for a Soviet submarine, which was similarly refused.
[5]
The Mirisch Company rented a mockup of a submarine that had been used in the 1965 film
Morituri
.
[6]
The planes used were actual F-101 Voodoo jets from the
84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
, located at the nearby
Hamilton Air Force Base
. They were the only Air Force planes that were based near the location of the supposed island.
[7]
The title alludes to
Paul Revere
's
midnight ride
, as does the subplot in which the town drunk (
Ben Blue
) rides his horse to warn people of the "invasion".
Pablo Ferro
created the main title sequence, using the American flag's red, white, and blue colors and the
Soviet
hammer and sickle
as transitional elements, zooming into each to create a montage, which ultimately worked to establish the tone of the film. The music in the sequence alternates between the American "
Yankee Doodle
" march and a combination of the Russian songs "
Polyushko Pole
" (Полюшко Поле, usually "Meadowlands" in English) and the "
Song of the Volga Boatmen
".
[8]
Much of the dialog was spoken by the Russian characters, played by American actors at a time when few American actors were adept at Russian accents. Musician and character actor
Leon Belasco
– who was born in Russia, spoke fluent Russian and specialized in foreign accents during his 60-year career – was the dialog director.
Alan Arkin
extensively studied Russian in preparation for his role as Lt. Rozanov.
[9]
As of 2017, he could still remember his Russian lines from the film.
[10]
Theodore Bikel
was able to pronounce Russian so well (he had taken a few classes, but was not at all fluent in the language) that he won the role of the submarine captain.
[11]
Alex Hassilev
, of
The Limelighters
, also spoke fluent Russian and played the sailor Hrushevsky.
John Phillip Law
's incorrect pronunciation of difficult English phonemes, most notably in Alison Palmer's name ("ah-LYEE-sown PAHL-myerr"), was unusually authentic by the standards of the day.
[
citation needed
]
Brian Keith, who also spoke fluent Russian, did not do so in the film.
[
citation needed
]
Musical score and soundtrack
[
edit
]
Professional ratings
Review scores
|
---|
Source
| Rating
|
---|
Allmusic
| ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Star_full.svg/11px-Star_full.svg.png) ![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_empty.svg/11px-Star_empty.svg.png) [13]
|
The
film score
was composed, arranged and conducted by
Johnny Mandel
and the
soundtrack album
was released on the
United Artists
label in 1966.
[14]
Film Score Monthly
reviewed Mandel's soundtrack in their liner notes for their reissue of the score, noting the presence of Russian folk songs, writing that "These pre-existing melodies mix with original Mandel compositions, including a Russian choral anthem, a humorous march theme for the island residents' quasi-military response to the Soviet incursion, and a tender love theme...".
[13]
[15]
"The Shining Sea" was sung on the soundtrack by
Irene Kral
, although it had featured as an instrumental in the film itself. The lyrics to "The Shining Sea" were written by
Peggy Lee
, who was contractually bound to
Capitol Records
, and so unable to appear on the soundtrack album. The line "His hands, his strong brown hands" was believed by Lee's friends to be a reference to
Quincy Jones
with whom she had a brief affair. Lee herself later recorded "The Shining Sea" with her lyrics on May 21, 1966. Mandel had played the music for "The Shining Sea" to Lee, and had asked her to "paint a word picture" of what she had heard. Lee's lyrics, by coincidence, exactly matched the action on the screen of the two lovers on the beach, which astonished Mandel, who had not shown her the film.
[16]
Track listing
[
edit
]
All compositions by Johnny Mandel unless otherwise indicated
- "The Russians Are Coming...The Russians Are Coming" - 01:37
- "The Shining Sea" (lyrics by
Peggy Lee
) - 02:42
- "Hop Along" - 02:25
- "
Volga Boat Song
" (arranged by Mandel) - 01:22
- "Escorts Away (The Russians Are Coming)" - 03:45
- "The Shining Sea" - 03:14
- "Sailor's Chorus" (Bonia Shur, Mandel) - 02:45
- "
Tipperary
" (Harry J. Williams, Jack Judge) - 00:32
- "The Airport" - 02:14
- "The Russians Are Coming...The Russians Are Coming" - 02:09
Reception
[
edit
]
Robert Alden of
The New York Times
called it "a rousingly funny ? and perceptive ? motion picture about a desperately unfunny world situation."
[17]
Arthur D. Murphy of
Variety
declared it "an outstanding cold-war comedy," adding that Jewison "has made expert use of all types of comedy technique, scripted and acted in excellent fashion by both pros and some talented newcomers to pix."
[18]
Philip K. Scheuer of the
Los Angeles Times
wrote, "Considering that it is made up of variations on a single theme, the picture is astonishingly inventive. And considering that it was never done as a play on the stage (where laughs can be pre-tested and rough spots ironed out) it racks up a high average indeed, though it has its lapses and some of its points are forced?over-milked, as they say in the trade."
[19]
Richard L. Coe
of
The Washington Post
called it "a refreshingly witty topical comedy ... Some exceptionally skilled comics, familiar and unfamiliar, are extremely amusing."
[20]
The Monthly Film Bulletin
wrote that the film "almost falls flat when it indulges in sententious philosophising about the need for Russians and Americans to live peacefully together," but is "considerably helped by an amiable script (by former Ealing writer William Rose) which often manages to invest the film with the high farce of the best of the
Ealing comedies
."
[21]
Brendan Gill
of
The New Yorker
called it "an unfunny big farce ... The heavy-handed producer and director of the picture, Norman Jewison, has permitted nearly every moment of it to become twice as brightly colored, twice as noisy, and twice as frantic as it needed to be; this is all the more a pity because the cast includes a number of excellent comic actors."
[22]
According to Norman Jewison, the film – released at the height of the
Cold War
– had considerable impact in both
Washington
and
Moscow
. It was one of the few American films of the time to portray the Russians in a positive light. Senator
Ernest Gruening
mentioned the film in a speech in Congress, and a copy of it was screened in the
Kremlin
. According to Jewison, when screened at the Soviet film writers' union,
Sergei Bondarchuk
was moved to tears.
[23]
Jewison, in an interview, also stated that not only were the Russians thrilled with the movie, they were a little disappointed they hadn't thought of the plot first.
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Russian
:
Спрут
,
lit.
'
Octopus
'
.
- ^
This location is fictional.
- ^
lit.
'
political officer
'
.
- ^
12 m.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Tino Balio,
United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry
, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 186
- ^
"The Russians are Coming, the Russians are Coming!, Box Office Information"
. The Numbers.
Archived
from the original on June 15, 2013
. Retrieved
April 16,
2012
.
- ^
"Jonathan Winters - Rotten Tomatoes"
.
www.rottentomatoes.com
.
Archived
from the original on 2019-12-25
. Retrieved
2019-12-14
.
- ^
"Filmed in Mendocino"
.
Archived
from the original on 2019-12-14
. Retrieved
2019-12-14
.
- ^
Place, Hill (February 21, 2016).
"Hill Place: "Flat Top" to "The Great Escape" to "Midway": An Interview with Producer Walter Mirisch"
.
Archived
from the original on June 12, 2018
. Retrieved
June 10,
2018
.
- ^
pp. 241-242
Mirisch, Walter
I Thought We Were Making Movies, Not History
Univ of Wisconsin Press, 10 Apr. 2008
- ^
"60th FIS at Otis AFB 1959-71"
.
www.fisrg.com
. Archived from
the original
on 28 December 2014
. Retrieved
17 January
2022
.
- ^
"FSM: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (Johnny Mandel)"
.
www.filmscoremonthly.com
.
Archived
from the original on 2015-09-24
. Retrieved
2015-08-11
.
- ^
"Remembering Alan Arkin, an Oscar- and Tony-winning actor/filmmaker"
.
NPR
.
Archived
from the original on 2023-07-08
. Retrieved
2023-07-11
.
- ^
"Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin Answer the Web's Most Searched Questions | WIRED"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on 2023-07-15
. Retrieved
2023-07-11
.
- ^
Bergan, Ronald (July 22, 2015).
"Theodore Bikel obituary"
.
The Guardian
.
Archived
from the original on December 23, 2016
. Retrieved
December 16,
2016
– via www.theguardian.com.
- ^
Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, The (1966)
Archived
2015-09-06 at the
Wayback Machine
.
Soundtrack Collector
. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^
a
b
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
? Review
at
AllMusic
. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- ^
Ivan, Santiago-Mercado.
The Peggy Lee Bio-Discography's Picture Gallery: Movie Soundtracks
Archived
2015-09-24 at the
Wayback Machine
accessed August 11, 2015
- ^
Film Score Monthly: The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
Archived
2015-09-24 at the
Wayback Machine
accessed August 11, 2015
- ^
James Gavin (11 November 2014).
Is That All There Is?: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee
. Simon and Schuster. pp. 255?.
ISBN
978-1-4516-4168-4
.
- ^
Alden, Robert (May 26, 1966)
"Screen: 'The Russians Are Coming'".
Archived
2019-04-18 at the
Wayback Machine
The New York Times
. 55.
- ^
Murphy, Arthur D. (May 25, 1966). "Film Reviews: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming".
Variety
. May 25, 1966. 7.
- ^
Scheuer, Philip K. (June 5, 1966). "Marxmanship, Comedy Meet in 'Russians'".
Los Angeles Times
. Calendar, p. 3.
- ^
Coe, Richard L. (June 22, 1966). "A Perceptive, Witty Comedy".
The Washington Post
. B13.
- ^
"The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming".
The Monthly Film Bulletin
.
33
(393): 152. October 1966.
- ^
Gill, Brendan (June 4, 1966). "The Current Cinema".
The New Yorker
. 87.
- ^
"The Russians Are Coming to Hollywood", (DVD featurette), 2002.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
1951?1975
| |
---|
1976?2000
| |
---|
2001?present
| |
---|