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Moscow on the Hudson

  • 1984
  • R
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
14K
YOUR RATING
Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Cleavant Derricks in Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:20
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeSatireComedyDramaRomance

A Russian saxophonist visiting New York City with a USSR circus troupe suddenly decides to defect in Bloomingdale's.A Russian saxophonist visiting New York City with a USSR circus troupe suddenly decides to defect in Bloomingdale's.A Russian saxophonist visiting New York City with a USSR circus troupe suddenly decides to defect in Bloomingdale's.

  • Director
    • Paul Mazursky
  • Writers
    • Paul Mazursky
    • Leon Capetanos
  • Stars
    • Robin Williams
    • Maria Conchita Alonso
    • Cleavant Derricks
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    14K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Paul Mazursky
    • Writers
      • Paul Mazursky
      • Leon Capetanos
    • Stars
      • Robin Williams
      • Maria Conchita Alonso
      • Cleavant Derricks
    • 67User reviews
    • 18Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations total

    Videos2

    Moscow on the Hudson
    Trailer 2:20
    Moscow on the Hudson
    Moscow On The Hudson: I Defect
    Clip 0:52
    Moscow On The Hudson: I Defect
    Moscow On The Hudson: I Defect
    Clip 0:52
    Moscow On The Hudson: I Defect

    Photos214

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    + 208
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    Top cast88

    Edit
    Robin Williams
    Robin Williams
    • Vladimir Ivanoff
    Maria Conchita Alonso
    Maria Conchita Alonso
    • Lucia Lombardo
    Cleavant Derricks
    Cleavant Derricks
    • Lionel Witherspoon
    Alejandro Rey
    Alejandro Rey
    • Orlando Ramirez
    Saveliy Kramarov
    Saveliy Kramarov
    • Boris
    • (as Savely Kramarov)
    Elya Baskin
    Elya Baskin
    • Anatoly
    Oleg Rudnik
    • Yury
    Aleksandr Benyaminov
    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
    Donna Ingram-Young
    • Leanne
    Olga Talyn
    • Svetlana
    Aleksandr Narodetsky
    • Leonid
    • (as Alexander Narodetzky)
    Pierre Orcel
    • Young French Man
    • Director
      • Paul Mazursky
    • Writers
      • Paul Mazursky
      • Leon Capetanos
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews67

    6.513.8K
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    Featured reviews

    Schlockmeister

    Great American Story

    This movie is the story of a Russian immigrant to America. We can all relate to it in that we all have had dreams and then lived them only to discover that our dream may not have been all it was cracked up to be. The movie is all Robin Williams, it is an excellent showplace for his many talents. He is very much like Charlie Chaplin and Red Skelton in that they can be very funny and also very sad, often at the same time. The movie is set in New York City, but everyone is from somewhere else in the world, all trying to make a new life there. Williams' character is very multi-level and rich. He is not merely a clown, you really do get under his skin and understand his motives. The movie can strike some as sad in that Robin's character has a deep sense of melancholy about him, from his days as an unhappy Russian musician to his days as a "free" american. We sense his deep sadness behind the laughs. Recommended if you are a fan of Robin Williams or just need a pickup. This would make a good Fourth Of July tradition movie to watch.
    6faraaj-1

    Early Robin Williams comedy

    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.
    7marcslope

    I love New York

    Manhattan looks so much more varied and gritty and real and less mall-ified than it does today in this, Paul Mazursky's 1984 love letter to the American way, and one of the last unambiguously patriotic mainstream American movies. (It's very much a product of its Reagan time, right down to the casual homophobia.) Robin Williams, for once not twinkling too hard or overworking his virtuosity or adorableness, is an Everyman Russian who unexpectedly defects in Bloomingdale's and goes on to live the immigrant experience, suffering urban indignities and romantic angst along the way. His worklife is a little easier, his economic situation a little less treacherous, and the people he meets a little nicer than they would be in real life. For all that, in its celebration of the melting pot and its warm embrace of the American urban landscape, the movie moved me to tears.
    7moonspinner55

    Another slice of bittersweet melancholia from Paul Mazursky...

    Robin Williams is excellent as a Russian circus performer in New York City with his troupe for the first time, deciding to defect and become a U.S. citizen. After an appropriately dark, though somewhat heavy-handed opening, this comedy-drama from director Paul Mazursky suddenly finds its niche and seldom wavers. It may appear from the early parts of the picture that Williams is giving yet another of his overly-colorful, cartoonish performances, but he too gets into the groove of this project and fleshes out this charming, confounding, complicated man. Maria Conchita Alonso is wonderful as the working girl who falls for Williams (they have terrific chemistry, and Alonso has never been better). A fuzzy, friendly, thoughtful film, a bit too long but occasionally sublime. *** from ****
    geosochi

    An experience of a Russian immigrant to America

    As a Russian immigrant myself, I related the story to myself and liked the movie a lot. For those who never had such an experience, you may start to understand how hard it is to adapt to a new culture and why do people want to migrate in the first place. Also, for those who don't get the Russian culture, this might be kind of an introduction to it. Robin Williams is great as always, and I like especially his comedic style in a semitragic movie, which makes it so much easier to watch. If you have something against new immigrants to America and don't get why they come here at all, watch this movie and you'll understand why.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      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. Williams's teacher was a Russian actor called David.
    • Goofs
      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.
    • Quotes

      Vladimir Ivanoff: Yesterday I bought my first pair of American shoes. They were made in Italy.

    • Alternate versions
      CBS edited 19 minutes from this film for its 1986 network television premiere.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Hard to Hold/Tank/Moscow on the Hudson/Mike's Murder (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Freedom
      Written by David McHugh

      Produced by Chaka Khan and David McHugh

      Performed by Chaka Khan

      Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records

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    FAQ19

    • How long is Moscow on the Hudson?Powered by Alexa
    • WHY IS THIS THE ONLY REFERENCE POINT FOR Lucia Lombardo

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 6, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Russian
    • Also known as
      • Moskau in New York
    • Filming locations
      • Munich, Bavaria, Germany(city: Moscow)
    • Production companies
      • Columbia Pictures
      • Bavaria Film
      • Delphi Premier Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $13,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,068,724
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,536,687
      • Apr 8, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $25,068,724
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Cleavant Derricks in Moscow on the Hudson (1984)
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