Moscow on the Hudson

"Vladimir Ivanoff walks into a department store to buy blue jeans, walks out with a girl friend, an immigration lawyer and a buddy. His life and theirs will never be the same again."

1984 1h 55m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 235

ComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Russian circus visits the US. A clown wants to defect, but doesn't have the nerve. His saxophone playing friend however comes to the decision to defect in the middle of Bloomingdales. He is befriended by the black security guard and falls in love with the Italian immigrant from behind the perfume counter. We follow his life as he works his way through the American dream and tries to find work as a musician.

“Vladimir Ivanoff walks into a department store to buy blue jeans, walks out with a girl friend, an immigration lawyer and a buddy. His life and theirs will never be the same again.”

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Cast

Robin Williams
Vladimir Ivanoff
María Conchita Alonso
Lucia Lombardo
Cleavant Derricks
Lionel Witherspoon
Alejandro Rey
Orlando Ramirez
Savely Kramarov
Boris, KGB agent
Elya Baskin
Anatoly Cherkasov
Oleg Rudnik
Yuri
Aleksandr Beniaminov
Vladimir's Grandfather

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Paul Mazursky
Writers: Paul Mazursky, Leon Capetanos
Languages: Russian, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Paul Mazursky, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David McHugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robin Williams and María Conchita Alonso and Cleavant Derricks carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Vladimir Ivanoff walks into a department store to buy blue jeans, walks out with a girl friend, an immigration lawyer and a buddy. His life and theirs will never be the same again.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087747 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Paul Mazursky directs. Donald McAlpine behind the camera. David McHugh scores. Richard Halsey cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Russian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Russian, English.
3Directed by Paul Mazursky, shot by Donald McAlpine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by David McHugh. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Richard Halsey shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Robin Williams and María Conchita Alonso and Cleavant Derricks carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Vladimir Ivanoff walks into a department store to buy blue jeans, walks out with a girl friend, an immigration lawyer and a buddy. His life and theirs will never be the same again.".
8IMDB entry: tt0087747 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.