Monday, 14 January 2019

THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING; THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING

"The Russians are Coming; the Russians are Coming" is a comedy from the height of the Cold War about a Russian invasion of America. Of course, the joke is that there is no invasion; rather a lone Russian submarine has strayed too close to the shore, (of an island community off the mainland), causing widespread panic among the inhabitants. Rather than aim for outright farce as Spielberg did in the not dissimilar 1941 the humour here is almost quaint which should come as no surprise since it was written by William Rose. It was also the film that brought stage actor Alan Arkin to the movies and he turns in a brilliant comic performance and one that won him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. There is also excellent work from the likes of Brian Keith, Jonathan Winters, Paul Ford and a very likeable John Phillip Law. The fine direction is by Norman Jewison and the splendid location photography is by Joseph Biroc.

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