Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Mazursky which stars Robin Williams as a Soviet circus musician who defects while on a visit to the United States. It co-stars María Conchita Alonso (in her film debut), Elya Baskin as the circus clown, Savely Kramarov as one of two KGB apparatchiks, Alejandro Rey as the musician's immigration attorney, and Cleavant Derricks as his first American host and friend.
Plot
Vladimir Ivanoff, a saxophonist with the Moscow circus, lives in a crowded apartment with his extended family. He stands in lines for hours to buy toilet paper and shoes. When Boris, the apparatchik assigned to the circus, criticizes Vladimir for being late to rehearsal and suggests Vladimir may miss the approaching trip to New York City, Vladimir gives Boris a pair of shoes from the queue that made Vladimir late. While Ivanoff is riding in his friend Anatoly's Lada, Anatoly stops to buy fuel for his car from a mobile black market gasoline dealer. While the friends wait for the gasoline seller to fill Anatoly's jerrycans, the two practice their English.
More details
author | Leon Capetanos Paul Mazursky |
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director | Paul Mazursky |
editor | Richard Halsey |
genre | comedy-drama |
keywords | african american apartment building apparatchik bad news becoming an american citizen black market bloomingdale's blue jeans build busboy circus troupe defect defection drive extended family fbi jerrycan kgb lada limousine driver mcdonald's new york city new york city police department nothing nypd rid saxophone security guard speak street vendor toilet paper unemployed united states nationality law |
musicBy | David McHugh |
producer | Paul Mazursky |
productionCompany | Delphi Premier |
publisher | Columbia Pictures |
theme | romantic comedy war |