Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson
R | 06 April 1984 (USA)
Moscow on the Hudson Trailers

A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn't have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.

Reviews
Hellen

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Claysaba

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

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Cleveronix

A different way of telling a story

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Stephanie

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

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namashi_1

Written, Produced & Directed by The Late/Great Paul Mazursky, 'Moscow on the Hudson' is a strange & wonderful, where our beloved Robin Williams soars in the title role. This performance only makes his loss all the more worse. What an actor & what a performance! 'Moscow on the Hudson' Synopsis: When a Russian musician defects in Bloomingdale's department store in New York, he finds adjusting to American life more difficult than he imagined.'Moscow on the Hudson' is about a man seeking freedom. We see the protagonist Vladimir Ivanov (Williams, of course) struggle initially in Moscow & later take the leap of faith in the US, to only realize that freedom is the best thing that can happen to anyone. His journey is real, as its sad & happy, real & affecting, as it progresses. And Williams owns the part. He speaks Russian as if it was his first language since birth & portrays a man torn between family & freedom. Williams is extraordinary & this is a performance, that definitely deserves to be watched again. A special mention for the delightful María Conchita Alonso, who enacts Williams' lady-love to perfection.Mazursky's Writing is excellent & his Direction, even better. 'Moscow on the Hudson' is a winner in almost every way. Strongly Recommended!

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TxMike

This is one of Robin Williams's very early movies just a couple of years after the TV series 'Mork and Mindy' and right before such successes as 'Good Morning Vietnam' and what followed. Of course now we know what a big star he became, and also his unfortunate death last year.Robin Williams is Russian musician Vladimir Ivanoff and most of the first part of the movie depicts how hard it was in Moscow in the early 1980s. When a performance troupe is in New York he takes the bold step of running off at a department store, chased by Russian officials, but he manages to secure refuge.The rest of the movie has him working hard to make his new home there, thus 'Moscow on the Hudson.' He first takes a job busing tables in a restaurant, just carrying dirty dishes back to the dishwasher. Eventually he takes jobs like clerk at a fast food counter, running a street hot dog cart, a limo driver ... until he is able to get a new saxophone and play good music gigs.The other running story is his attraction to pretty (actually Hispanic) Maria Conchita Alonso as Italian Lucia Lombardo, also making her way into this new land. It is on again, off again because she is not sure she wants to commit to a marriage relationship but in the end it seems they will.Good movie and Williams' Russian seems fairly authentic. I saw it on the 'Movies!' channel, some of the scene with the two of them in the bathtub is blurred and some words are bleeped out.

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tavm

After Robin Williams' death was announced a few days ago, I remembered I bought this DVD years ago at the Walmart I still work at. So I suddenly had the jones to finally watch it and Mom agreed to view it with me. We both enjoyed it though Mom thought it was a bit X-rated with the bathtub scene with Williams and Maria Conchita Alonso. Paul Mazursky made a touching dramady about the struggles of a Russian musician immigrant trying to make it in America with many others from other countries settling here befriending him along the way. Williams was really convincing speaking the language and whatever playing he did on the sax also sounded pretty good. I've always loved him as a comedian but when he does roles like this, it's when I really appreciate all the talents he used to the best of his ability during his lifetime. The way he passed on may have been tragic, but the way he lived was never less than a joy to watch. So on that note, in the words of the character I first knew him as, Mork from Ork: "Nanu, nanu!"

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faraaj-1

I first saw this film when the Iron Curtain was still firmly in place and of course it was intriguing and funny. Seeing it again, I found it quite prescient if less intriguing and funny. Robin Williams plays a Muscovite who visits the Big Apple as part of a cultural troupe. On a visit to Bloomingdales, he suddenly decides to defect (a very spin is made on this term!). The rest of the film deals with his attempts to settle in the US.Obviously given the great political changes in the USSR and Eastern Europe since the film was released, it has aged noticeably. However, it is not entirely without merit. The big plus is obviously Robin Williams. He was and is a great actor and seems to have put in great effort on his Russian and spoken English accents. Notice the way he says "Mister". The hot, hot, hot Maria Conchita Gonzalez (Miss Venezuela 1971) plays an Italian immigrant and the love interest. The overall bent of the film is liberal - African-American families are especially realistically and positively portrayed. The central lesson of the film is that the transition from a Communist to a Capitalist mentality is not easy and the adjustment can bring great joy and sorrow. That is a very valid lesson in the largest context of the later collapse of the USSR and the painful transition ex-Soviet states are still going through.

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