Moscow on the Hudson

Year:

1984

Duration:

115 min | West Germany:117 min

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

IMDB rate:

6.4

Director:

Paul Mazursky

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1984-04-06

Filming Locations: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Earnings

Budget: $13,000,000

Gross: $25,100,000 (USA) Filming Dates July 1983 Related Links

Cast

Actor

Character

Maria Conchita Alonso

Moscow on the Hudson

Elya Baskin

Moscow on the Hudson

Robin Williams

Vladimir Ivanoff

Cleavant Derricks

Lionel Witherspoon

Alejandro Rey

Orlando Ramirez

Saveliy Kramarov

Boris

Oleg Rudnik

Yury

Aleksandr Benyaminov

Vladimir's Grandfather (as Alexander Beniaminov)

Lyudmila Kramarevskaya

Vladimir's Mother (as Ludmila Kramarevsky)

Ivo Vrzal-Wiegand

Vladimir's Father (as Ivo Vrzal)

Natalya Ivanova

Sasha (as Natalie Iwanow)

Tiger Haynes

Lionel's Grandfather

Eyde Byrde

Lionel's Mother (as Edye Byrde)

Robert MacBeth

Lionel's Stepfather

Donna Ingram-Young

Leanne

Olga Talyn

Svetlana

Aleksandr Narodetsky

Leonid (as Alexander Narodetzky)

Pierre Orcel

Young French Man

Stephanie Cotsirilos

Veronica Cohen

Frederick Strother

Bill (as Fred Strother)

Anthony Cortino

Male Clerk

Betsy Mazursky

Bloomingdale's Manager

Kaity Tong

Royce Rich

Bloomingdale's Cop

Christopher Wynkoop

Agent Ross

Lyman Ward

Agent Williams

Joe Lynn

Mean Man on Subway

Joy Todd

Blanche

Paul Mazursky

Dave

Thomas Ikeda

Korean Cab Driver

Barbara Montgomery

Mrs. Marlowe

Dana Lorge

Wanda

Adalberto Santiago

Latin Band Leader

Sam Moses

Dr. Reddy

Yakov Smirnoff

Lev

Sam Stoneburner

Panama Hat

Michael Greene

Texan

Rosetta LeNoire

The Judge (as Rosetta Le Noire)

Sal Carollo

Uncle Sal

Filomena Spagnuolo

Uncle Sal's Mother (as Filomena Spanguolo)

Annabella Turco

Uncle Sal's Wife

George Kelly

Wild Bill Hawthorne

Yury Olshansky

Blozonov

Jacques Sandulescu

Truck Driver

Emil Feist

Circus Performer

Vladimir Tukan

Strong Man

Mark Rutenberg

Animal Trainer

Yuri Belov

Circus Clown (as Yury Belov)

Igor Panich

Circus Clown

Yuri Golovshchikov

Russian Officer (as Jurij Gotowtschikow)

Sina Kasper

Shoe Clerk

Ken Fitch

Man at Reception

Murray Grand

Piano Player at Reception

Ann E. Wile

V.A.G. #2

Michael T. Laide

Waiter at Reception

Linda Kerns

Fat Lady at Bloomingdale's

Armand Dahan

Iranian

José Rabelo

Supermarket Clerk (as Jose Rabelo)

Jim Goodfriend

Mr. Aaron

Antonia Rey

Counter Woman at McDonald's

James Prendergast

Bailiff

Brandon Rey

Carlo

Paul Davidovsky

Russian Man

Andrei Kramarevsky

Russian Man at Soho Loft

Arkady Shabashev

Leader in Russian Band

Dina Shvarts

Singer in Russian Band

Bella Rosenberg

Singer in Russian Band

Anatoly Mogilevsky

Singer in Russian Band (as Anatoli Mogilevsky)

Mikhail Shufutinskiy

Singer in Russian Band (as Mikhail Shufutinsky)

Donald King

Mugger

David Medina

Mugger

Juanita Mahone

Gorgeous Black Girl

Robert Kasel

Handsome Man

Kikue Tashiro

Japanese Woman

Joyce R. Korbin

Counter Woman at Coffee Shop

Luis Antonio Ramos

Mexican Dishwasher (as Luis Ramos)

Kim Chan

Chinese Customer

George Coutoupis

Gang Member (uncredited)

Kim Delgado

Hot Dog Customer (uncredited)

Christel-Marie Guerra

Wanda's Daughter (uncredited)

Jackée Harry

Woman (uncredited)

Udo Kier

Gay Man on Street (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Director Paul Mazursky spent a year's preparation on this movie by speaking with Russians living in the USA as well as ones still living in the then Soviet Union in Kiev, Moscow and Leningrad.

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One of the movie's main movie posters featured a long preamble that read: "America is sometimes a strange place even for Americans. Let alone for Vladimir Ivanoff, a Russian defector with a black roommate, a Cuban lawyer, and an Italian girlfriend. Who's learning to live with Big Macs, cable TV, hard rock, softcore, unemployment and a whole new wonderful word for him. Freedom."

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In preparation for his role, for about a year, lead actor Robin Williams studied Soviet customs and learned the Russian language. Reportedly, Williams spent five hours a day learning Russian and had learned to speak it well within a month. By the time of principal photography, Williams was at a proficiency level where he could carry out a conversation. William's teacher was a Russian actor called David.

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Goofs

Right at the start of film you can see crew reflected in window as Robin Williams is headed to the line to get shoes(right when the Soviet Officer catches up to him as well)

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In the credits, the city that is known as München in German and as Munich in English is listed as "Münich".

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In the USSR of the 1980s even teenagers weren't acquainted with middle finger gesture, let alone an 80-year-old man doing it towards KGB officers.

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Quotes

Orlando Ramirez, Vladimir's Cuban Lawyer: My father was called Orlando. He rolled the finest cigars in Havana. "Orlando el Rey," they called him..."Orlando the King." Then Castro came along and my father was on his ass.

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Vladimir Ivanoff: [voice over as he plays his saxophone in the park] This is a free country, welcome to almost anyone. And I'm hoping someday maybe you will join me here. Of course I will continue to write to you every week. Yes, in America almost anything is possible. Goodbye for now my beloved family. I love you. Voyia

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Vladimir's Grandfather: [in Russian] There are whores in Gorky Park who have carved my name into trees!

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