White Nights (1985)

I haven't seen this movie since seeing it in the theater in 1985!  It's one I remember mostly loving the dancing scenes, but also, as I grew up during it, the Cold War was a big part of my life.  Movies revolving around that always appealed to me.

 

So, what's it about?  Mikhail Baryshnikov stars as a ballet dancer Nicolai (Kolya) Rodchenko who defected to America.  On a flight to Tokyo, the plane has problems and is forced to crash land at a military airfield in Siberia. Naturally, Kolya panics when he finds out where they're landing, but it's too late.  The Soviet Union is delighted to have him back.  Headed by KGB officer Colonel Chaiko (Jerzy Skolimowski) they, refuse to turn him over to the Americans claiming injuries Kolya sustained in the crash are far more severe than they actually were and that he can't be moved.

Enter Gregory Hines as Raymond, a tap dancer who defected from America to Russia.  Other than meeting the love of his life, Darya (a radiant Isabella Rosselini), Raymond regrets his decision to defect, but has resigned himself to his life.  He performs and dances in small-time performances to much acclaim from the locals.  Raymond's life changes when Colonel Chaiko tasks him with convincing Kolya to dance at the Kirov.  

Kolya and Raymond are at odds from the outset.  Kolya repeatedly tries to escape, which gets Raymond into trouble.  Ultimately, the two bond, become friends, and decide to escape back to America. 

On rewatch, I found I remembered most of the movie.  The highlights of this film are still any time Hines or Baryshnikov dance.  Hines singing "There's a boat dat's leaving soon for New York" from Porgy and Bess is just fantastic.  I tend to think of him mostly as a dancer, and I forgot how great a singer he was too.  He makes me wish there was a whole movie version of Porgy and Bess with him as Sportin' Life.  Baryshnikov gets the opening ballet scene, the famous 11 pirouettes, several other dance moments, Hines gets a few solo tap scenes, and then together we get one great dance number featuring both dancers.  These are two masters of their different dance styles, and I'm in awe of both.

 

In between, we learn the characters' back stories and we see them slowly come together, until they make their escape attempt.  Helen Mirren stars as a ballerina who was Kolya's old flame, who ends up helping him.  There's no movie not made better by her appearance!

This is Isabella Rosselini's first American film.  She's so young here, so lovely and vulnerable, and looking sooooo much like her mother.  She acts as a much-needed anchor between the maudlin Raymond and the desperate Kolya, and I don't think the movie would work nearly as well without her character.  My favorite scene is when the three pretend to be arguing (for the KGB listening in) while they in fact work together to escape.  It's delightful.  The escape itself is stressful and I remember back in 1985 worrying the whole time.

The movie runs a little long, but I still enjoyed it.

This has been my entry for the Back to 1985 blogathon. Head on over for more posts on the great movies that come out that year!