/2qbTqZGOOpDxUp2kmfacDsTQCti.jpg
DramaThrillerRomance

The Russia House

- Their love was as dangerous as the secrets they kept.

Barley Scott Blair, a Lisbon-based editor of Russian literature who unexpectedly begins working for British intelligence, is commissioned to investigate the purposes of Dante, a dissident scientist trapped in the decaying Soviet Union that is crumbling under the new open-minded policies.

Release Date : 1990-12-21

Language :EnglishRussian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Pathé EntertainmentStar Partners III Ltd.Metro-Goldwyn-MayerStudio Trite

Production Country : Soviet UnionUnited States of America

Alternative Titles : La casa Russia

Cast

Sean Connery

Character Name : Bartholomew 'Barley' Scott Blair

Original Name : Sean Connery

Gender : Male

Michelle Pfeiffer

Character Name : Katya Orlova

Original Name : Michelle Pfeiffer

Gender : Female

Roy Scheider

Character Name : Russell

Original Name : Roy Scheider

Gender : Male

James Fox

Character Name : Ned

Original Name : James Fox

Gender : Male

John Mahoney

Character Name : Brady

Original Name : John Mahoney

Gender : Male

Michael Kitchen

Character Name : Clive

Original Name : Michael Kitchen

Gender : Male

J. T. Walsh

Character Name : Colonel Quinn

Original Name : J. T. Walsh

Gender : Male

Ken Russell

Character Name : Walter

Original Name : Ken Russell

Gender : Male

David Threlfall

Character Name : Wicklow

Original Name : David Threlfall

Gender : Male

Klaus Maria Brandauer

Character Name : Dante

Original Name : Klaus Maria Brandauer

Gender : Male

Mac McDonald

Character Name : Bob

Original Name : Mac McDonald

Gender : Male

Nicholas Woodeson

Character Name : Niki Landau

Original Name : Nicholas Woodeson

Gender : Male

Martin Clunes

Character Name : Brock

Original Name : Martin Clunes

Gender : Male

Ian McNeice

Character Name : Merrydew

Original Name : Ian McNeice

Gender : Male

Colin Stinton

Character Name : Henziger

Original Name : Colin Stinton

Gender : Male

Denys Hawthorne

Character Name : Paddy

Original Name : Denys Hawthorne

Gender : Male

George Roth

Character Name : Cy

Original Name : George Roth

Gender : Male

Peter Marinker

Character Name : U.S. Scientist

Original Name : Peter Marinker

Gender : Male

Ellen Hurst

Character Name : Anna

Original Name : Ellen Hurst

Gender : Female

Peter Knupffer

Character Name : Sergey

Original Name : Peter Knupffer

Gender : Male

Nikolai Pastukhov

Character Name : Uncle Matvey

Original Name : Николай Пастухов

Gender : Male

Jason Salkey

Character Name : Johnny

Original Name : Jason Salkey

Gender : Male

Eric Anzumonyln

Character Name : Nasayan

Original Name : Eric Anzumonyln

Gender : Male

Daniel Woźniak

Character Name : Zapadny

Original Name : Daniel Woźniak

Gender : Male

Giorgi Anjaparidze

Character Name : Yuri

Original Name : Giorgi Anjaparidze

Gender : Male

Vladek Nikiforov

Character Name : Tout

Original Name : Vladek Nikiforov

Gender : Male

Christopher Lawford

Character Name : Larry

Original Name : Christopher Lawford

Gender : Male

Mark LaMura

Character Name : Todd

Original Name : Mark LaMura

Gender : Male

Blu Mankuma

Character Name : Merv

Original Name : Blu Mankuma

Gender : Male

Tuck Milligan

Character Name : Stanley

Original Name : Tuck Milligan

Gender : Male

Jay Benedict

Character Name : Spikey

Original Name : Jay Benedict

Gender : Male

David Timson

Character Name : George

Original Name : David Timson

Gender : Male

Yelena Stroyeva

Character Name : Anastasia

Original Name : Yelena Stroyeva

Gender : Female

Fyodor Smirnov

Character Name : Watcher

Original Name : Фёдор Смирнов

Gender : Male

Pavel Sirotin

Character Name : Watcher

Original Name : Павел Сиротин

Gender : Male

Paul Jutkevitch

Character Name : Misha

Original Name : Paul Jutkevitch

Gender : Male

David Henry

Character Name : Jr. Minister - Whitehall

Original Name : David Henry

Gender : Male

Martin Wenner

Character Name : Scientist - Whitehall

Original Name : Martin Wenner

Gender : Male

Paul Rattee

Character Name : Army Officer - Whitehall

Original Name : Paul Rattee

Gender : Male

Simon Templeman

Character Name : Psychoanalyst - Whitehall

Original Name : Simon Templeman

Gender : Male

Gina Nikiforov

Character Name : Russian Guest

Original Name : Gina Nikiforov

Gender : Female

Raisa Ryazanova

Character Name : Russian Guest

Original Name : Раиса Рязанова

Gender : Female

Kate Lock

Character Name : Jacky

Original Name : Kate Lock

Gender : Female

Charlotte Cornwell

Character Name : Charlotte

Original Name : Charlotte Cornwell

Gender : Female

Craig Crosbie

Character Name : Technician

Original Name : Craig Crosbie

Gender : Male

Keith Edwards

Character Name : Hoover

Original Name : Keith Edwards

Gender : Male

Michael Fitzpatrick

Character Name : Hoover

Original Name : Michael Fitzpatrick

Gender : Male

Rob Freeman

Character Name : Hoover

Original Name : Rob Freeman

Gender : Male

Gennady Venov

Character Name : Katya's Father

Original Name : Gennady Venov

Gender : Male

Aleksandr Yatsko

Character Name : Russian Writer

Original Name : Александр Яцко

Gender : Male

Vladimir Zunetov

Character Name : Dan

Original Name : Vladimir Zunetov

Gender : Male

Jack Raymond

Character Name : Lev

Original Name : Jack Raymond

Gender : Male

David Ryall

Character Name : Colonial Type

Original Name : David Ryall

Gender : Male

Nikolay Dik

Character Name : major of KGB

Original Name : Николай Дик

Gender : Male

Alexei Jawdokimov

Character Name : Arkady

Original Name : Alexei Jawdokimov

Gender : Male

Constantine Gregory

Character Name : KGB Interviewer

Original Name : Constantine Gregory

Gender : Male

Sergey Reusenko

Character Name : KGB Man

Original Name : Sergey Reusenko

Gender : Male

Yegueshe Tsturvan

Character Name : Flute Player

Original Name : Yegueshe Tsturvan

Gender : Male

Jonty Reason

Character Name : Delegate (uncredited)

Original Name : Jonty Reason

Gender : Male

Vladimir Kuznetsov

Character Name : company representative (uncredited)

Original Name : Владимир Кузнецов

Gender : Male

Tina Simmons

Character Name :

Original Name : Tina Simmons

Gender : Female

Vladimir Sidorov

Character Name : an officer of the Leningrad police

Original Name : Владимир Сидоров

Gender : Male

Reviews

W

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

_**Artistic production with Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer, but uninteresting spy story**_ A few years before the fall of the Soviet Union, a boozy English publisher named Barley (Sean Connery) is sent a mysterious manuscript via a beautiful Russian editor named Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer), but it’s intercepted by British intelligence and Barley is coerced into going to Moscow & Leningrad to meet with Katya and the writer of the documents (Klaus Maria Brandauer), which contain technical data that calls into question the quality of the Soviet defense weaponry. Meanwhile both British and American agents (Roy Scheider, James Fox, et al.) surveil Barley’s activities. Based on John le Carre's novel, "The Russia House" (1990) is a spy drama/romance and NOT an action thriller in the mold of James Bond. Its considerable attributes include spectacular (and rare) on-location work in Russia (shot just a couple years before the fall of the USSR), Jerry Goldsmith's sumptuous jazzy score with Branford Marsalis playing soprano sax and, of course, the notable cast. The film is aesthetically pleasing and the love story is effective, especially its culmination, but the spy yarn didn’t interest me. This may because I didn’t utilize the subtitles and therefore missed a lot of the highly accented verbiage, which is a mistake when a movie is dialogue-driven, like this one. The depiction of intelligence work is presumably realistic (as opposed to 007), but static, boring, cynical and with little human decency. Next time I watch it I’ll be sure to use the subtitles. The film runs 2 hour, 3 minutes, and was shot in Moscow & Leningrad and points nearby; as well as Lisbon, Portugal (Barley’s flat); Bowen Island, British Columbia (American Intelligence 'safe house'); and London (book fair & jazz concert), as well as nearby Pinewood Studios. GRADE: C+/B-

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-12-08

Sean Connery at least looks like he's having some fun in this otherwise rather dry adaptation of the John Le Carré tale of Cold War espionage. He's "Barley", a publisher who is recruited by MI5 to investigate a secret document sent from the USSR purporting to itemise their nuclear arsenal. Needless to say both the British and their CIA counterparts are wetting themselves at the very thought of this being real, but that needs to be verified - and that's where they recruit "Barley". He travels to Moscow to meet the author, codenamed "Dante" (Klaus Maria Brandauer) and it's whilst there he becomes increasingly distracted by his "editor" (Michelle Pfeiffer) - a woman whom his source claims never to have met! As the plot develops, it becomes clear that strings are being pulled but also that "Barley" is beginning to think on his own, and not necessarily with his brain either. Will he stick to the plan or will he throw a spanner in the works of his Western handlers? It's a solid enough story but it's padded out far too thinly. There's no chemistry between the characters from Connery and Pfeiffer (and her ropey accent) and though there are plenty of red herrings to fuel the intrigue, that's all delivered in a remarkably sterile and disjointed fashion. Le Carré's stories always focussed on detail and this film rather skirts over that in favour of developing the burgeoning romance, and that rather neuters the sense of suspense that's also not really helped by the blandness of James Fox and Roy Scheider. It's watchable, but nobody's finest two hours.