Les Russes arrivent, les Russes arrivent

I lived on Martha's Vineyard for three years, which is why this film still commands a place in my heart. I was particularly amused by the habit of the lawmen (Keith, Winters) to regard the summer people as idiots because they don't know them, and the year-round residents as idiots because they know them too well. Gloucester Island is televisionless and almost radioless, as Nantucket was at the time, which added to the buildup of confusion in this long (in the style of the '60s) but still enjoyable comedy.

"Hilarious" doesn't begin to describe it! I saw this in the theater in 1966 when it first came out, and I enjoyed it immensely! Arkin was great and Bikel excels in just about everything he does! This gets ***** out of ***** with me!

So it's an excellent comedy, but like all truly great comedy, it has a dark and serious side: that people will become hysterical with xenophobia when they live in a culture that expects it of them. During the Cold War, it was a given among us kids that ALL the Russians were evil beings, godless Communist robots out to destroy us. We were taught to so regard ALL of them.

This movie serves as a poignant reminder that not everyone who lives in an officially "hostile" nation hates us.

This is one of the better 1960s comedies and the acting is first-rate. Alan Arkin as the Soviet Navy officer and Brian Keith as the police chief got deserved Oscar nominations. This was one of Jonathan Winters' first movies and he steals every scene he's in. Carl Reiner is excellent as "Whittaker Walt", the musical comedy writer who is the only sensible person on the island. One part of the movie that stands out for me is how well Theodore Bikel and Arkin are able to speak Russian which they do flawlessly although I doubt either of them grew up speaking Russian. And the girl who plays Allison? Zowie!

The ending of the movie always gets me choked up. . .Rent it and enjoy.

This funny film based on the comic novel ¨The Off-Islanders¨ by Nathaniel Benchley deals with a Russian submarine runs aground off Nantucket Island and then things go wacky, as the garrulous townspeople go gaga , not knowing what to do first , get guns or vodka , building a mountain of laughter . As the residents falsely think that the nine-man crew is the start of a Soviet invasion , though they are only looking for help . It is in the Russians' panic which the fun chiefly lies. Don't You Just Hate People Who Drop In Unexpectedly? . It's A Plot!... to make the world die laughing!!

A gem of comedy with laughs , thrills , emotion , messes , lots of face-twitching , grunting , entertainment and amusement . Concerning an accident of a Russian sub, then a memorable set of crazy happenings follows the landing , enginereed by the imaginative inhabitants and a town full of overactive assumptions. Splendid and attractive cast delivers a solid comedy , but silly at times , about cultures clash. Seldom a hilarious jigsaw had so many perfectly fitting pieces . Cued by engaging and sympathetic portrayals from a motley main and support cast , such as : Carl Reiner as the sulking father , Eva Maria Saint as the kind mother , Thedore Bikel as the stiff-upper-life sub commandant , Brian Keith as town sheriff , Jonathan Winters as deputy , Paul Ford as gun-ho veteran , John Philip Law as naive young Russian , Alan Arkin as out-of-his-depth Russian sailor, among others .

It contains a lively and moving musical score by Johnny Mandel. As well as appropriate and colorful cinematography by Joseph H. Biroc. The motion picture was well produced and directed by Norman Jewison . He is a prestigious and veteran filmmaker, his greatest film is of course Jesus Christ Superstar . He directed successful movies as Fiddler on the roof , Agnes of God , Moonstruck , Thomas Crown and Cinncinati Kid . However , he also got some flops as Bogus, In country , Only you and Other's people money and his last picture titled The statement . He considers The Hurricane (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial bigotry movies he's realized, the first two being In the Heat of the Night (1967) and A Soldier's Story (1984). Rating : 7/10 . Good, worthwhile seeing for its amusing moments and great comical actors . You will find many extraordinarily enjoyable moments in this charming comedy .

It's fair to say Norman Jewison has never directed a bad film. Fiddler on the Roof, Jesus Christ Superstar and Other People's Money are excellent. This film is an antidote to all other Cold War films which are either about spies or impending nuclear holocaust. The Russian submarine beaches on the New England coast by accident and the crew are very anxious about the blunder they have made. I think there's a chance this film was partly inspired by 49th Parallel. At the beginning, it's obvious that they do not wish to use their guns in anger. John Phillip Law does well as Alexei; there's a lot more to him than the angel in Barbarella. He is quite afraid of what may happen and is genuinely distraught after he pointed his gun at the wee lass because she made a noise that made him panic. The Americans are not portrayed favourably for the most part. They are shown as jingoistic and they behave in a manner reminiscent of the people who thought Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast was a news report on an actual Martian invasion. Americans, young and old, from Whittaker's 9 year old son to the elderly guys in the American Legion beanies are shown as spoiling for a fight. This might be meant to represent American cold war paranoia which had its dark side in blacklisting by the House Un-American Activities Committee and Ronald Reagan's keenness to use military action in the 1980s. The Russians are shown as well meaning and decent, genuinely afraid of what might happen to them. The scene between Alexei and Alison on the beach is very good and what they say to each other (to be found in the memorable quotes section) makes perfect sense. Alan Arkin is also very good as Lieutenant Rozanov. Whitakker is very concerned when he thinks he's killed him after impulsively firing a gun at the car he's driving. It's good the way mutual distrust turns into friendship. Leaving the serious analysis aside, there are some very funny moments like when Arkin & co tie the elderly lady up and place her on top of the cupboard and her husband doesn't notice she's there. It's a good scene at the end when the townspeople escort the submarine out the harbour in their boats and with them being there the McDonnell F-101 Voodoos flying overhead don't attack the sub. A feel good comedy indeed.