Wonderful Movie

good back-story, and good acting

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Somehow I missed this movie when it was originally in the theaters. A few years ago on a sleepless night it was playing on one of the retro channels and I got all excited about the dance scenes and went on a hunt to find the DVD. I found it and now I watch it from time to time if I want to watch real good dancing.I have never been to the Soviet Union, so I cannot really judge how authentic the situation portrayed was. I know that the Russians adore ballet and their dancers and that they might have been very unhappy to lose such a talent. The treatment of the American dancer seems pretty accurate to me . I had a relative , a scientist, who decided to emigrate into a Communist country and I think he regretted that move for the rest of his life.I think it is an interesting and entertaining movie and I certainly love the dance scenes. For me the strongest dance number is the one in the beautiful Kirov theater with the Russian music. I have seen it so many times and cannot get enough of it. It is beyond words, it is pure perfect dance. And Mikhail Barychnikov is a gifted man. He does not need costumes or a great backdrop, he can say it all with his body.

White Nights is helped greatly by the Phil Collins title track and the dancing between the leads although the basic storyline is both intriguing and silly.A Russian ballet dancer (Baryshnikov) turned defector finds his Tokyo bound plane has crash landed suddenly in the Soviet Union and the KGB are in no mood to forget his lack of patriotism.The KGB get Baryshnikov to live with a black American defector (Gregory Hines) but amidst some verbal sparring they both decide to escape. Helen Mirren plays a former love interest of Baryshnikov who feels betrayed by him.The latter part of the film is a cliché spy film plot as our protagonists try to escape the Russians. However the film is an excuse to see Baryshnikov in his pomp doing what he was known for best. Ballet Dancing as well as busting some moves with Hines, himself a noted Jazz/Tap dancer.Both actors were underutilised by Hollywood for their dancing skills and although the plot is basic (Hines reason to leave America looks a tad weak) both actors play well against each other, ably supported by Mirren and Rossellini. The film is kitschy fun with a dated 80s style.

I remember sitting in a hotel room in Manhattan in June, 1984, and my then-lover had just walked out the door - probably for good. I turned on the radio and the song "Separate Lives" came on. Well. And may I say, NOT for that reason alone did I always feel Stephen Bishop was robbed blind at the Oscarsd the following spring by losing to Lionel Richie's vapid, pointless "Say You, Say Me." BUT back to the movie! Even my mother wanted me to take her when that movie came out. And GOD, what a killer. Much Kleenex. But because it held a depth of emotion that was genuine. Gregory Hines.......................wow. And you know, really, in view of recent world events, the premise which some of us thought rather silly at the time - well, doesn't all that seem more plausible now?

Nikolai Rodchenko (Mikhail Baryshnikov, one of the best ballet dancers) is a famous ballet dancer who tours around the world with his company. While traveling to Japan for a presentation, the plane crashes down and they are forced to land on the USSR. Nikolai had defected the Soviet Union 8 years ago, so he is captured by the KGB. The Soviets want him back to the Kirov Ballet... but all he wishes is to scape. When I first saw this movie, I was 12 years old and I enjoyed it very much. Filmed in the USSR during the Cold War, this movie has a good story, script, direction and the performances are superb. Most of all, the dance sequences were Nikolai and his fellow American dance partner Raymond Greenwood (Gregory Hines, another talented dancer) are rehearsing. Also, the most impressive scene is when Nikolai dances in the Kirov Theatre, in front of his ex-girlfriend Galina Ivanona (Helen Mirren, in yet another great performance). If you enjoy watching dance movies, or looking for a good drama story, get "White Nights". You won't regret it :)