White Nights (1985)

Great dancing and engaging drama - what more could you want!

I first saw White Nights many years ago and loved it. Having recently watched it again I was a little cautious about how it would be, so many years later. It's still just as great. Typically dancers don't have the best track record when it comes to quality acting, but Baryshnikov is terrific. The storyline is incredibly believable and the music adds perfectly to the drama of Communist Leningrad. I would highly recommend this movie to lovers of both dance, and good drama. June 18, 2008

White Nights - hot dance in Soviet Russia!

A movie with ballet - but not a ballet movie! The opening scene showing Mikhail Baryshnikov's mind-blowing dance piece against turbulent orchestral music sets the scene for a serious, complex movie. He plays Nikolai Rochenko, a Russian deserter who defected to America but crash-lands back in the Motherland (some of the best air-crash footage I've ever seen).

Stuck back in communist Soviet Union, he tries to escape back to the USA but is thwarted by Colonel Chaiko and a bugged apartment. Enlisting the help of Gregory Hines (who is amazingly radiant in this movie) and Nikolai's ex-girlfriend Galina (played by a wonderful Helen Mirren), together they try to escape during the sun-lit night of a Russian Summer. This movie was also Isabella Rossellini's first dramatic role and she is sublime as Raymond's Russian wife.

This movie will not disappoint - with drama, suspense and some of the best dance moves on film, it is a wonderfully satisfying film. March 9, 2008

For Baryshnikov Fans! A Must!

I first saw this movie when it came out years ago. I loved it then and I love it now! If you are a fan of ballet, dance, and Baryshnikov it is a must have! The story follows the era of the Russian Cold War and the isolation its dancers went through. It is a likely story for its time with dancers being controlled by a harsh government, people wanting to escape the life of poverty and government control, and finding freedom somehow. To watch Baryshnikov dance in anything is wonderful! August 15, 2007

High Concept, Medium Delivery...

1985's "White Nights" pairs legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and equally legendary tap dancer Gregory Hines in a pedestrian Cold War thriller most notable for the dance sequences and the music score.

Russian defector and former Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Rodchenko (Baryshnikov essentially playing himself) ends up back in Soviet hands when his airliner makes an emergency landing in Leningrad. Overjoyed Soviet officials insist he rejoin the Bolshoi, and park him with American defector Raymond Greenwood (Hines) and his pregnant Russian wife (a young Isabella Rossellini) while he recovers from a minor injury. The KGB tasks Raymond with getting Nikolai ready to dance, but Nikolai is intent on escaping again. An abortive attempt brings him in contact with his former ballet partner (superbly played by Helen Mirren), now a director of the Bolshoi but envious of Nikolai's recent artistic freedom.

Nikolai eventually gains the assistance of both Raymond and his former partner in a scheme to escape; Raymond because he wishes to see his child grow up free, and his former partner because she does not wish to see Nikolai crushed by the Soviet system. The hair-raising escape across Leningrad ends in a dead heat with the pursuing KGB just outside the U.S. Consulate, where tough choices have to be made.

The undoubted highlight of the movie are three dance sequences. One features Baryshnikov's free interpretation of a traditional Russian ballet for his former partner. A second features Raymond's thrilling tap dance to some American music he hasn't heard in years. The third is a fascinating mixed dance sequence by Nikolai and Raymond. The movie score includes the Oscar-winning tune "Say You Say Me" by Lionel Ritchie.

This movie is well-recommended to fans of Baryshnikov and Hines who remember their prime as exceptional dancers. The storyline is somewhat contrived, but an excellent supporting cast helps carry it off.

August 10, 2007

Must have

One of my alltime favorites. The dancing is breathtaking. A must have for a DVD collection. August 5, 2007

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