The Russians Are Coming Again Comedy Farce
Screen: 'The Russians Are Coming':Wide Farce Arrives at Three Theaters
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May 26, 1966
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Subsequently 2 decades of common cold war during which Americans and Russians have stared downwardly the gun barrels at each other at all points of the compass, the United States has come upward with a rousingly funny — and perceptive — motion picture well-nigh a badly unfunny world situation."The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming," which landed at 3 New York theaters yesterday, is a credit to those who made it. By personalizing a dangerous confrontation betwixt Russians and Americans, information technology reveals, through broad farce, the good and bad in both, the strengths and weaknesses of people under stress and the fundamental fact that, after all, Russians and Americans are basically human beings and, therefore, share bones human qualities. And not one whit of this lesson is accomplished by preaching, but rather by a hilarious troupe of actors telling a hilarious tale in a hilarious fashion.A squealer-headed Soviet submarine commander (played entirely in Russian by Theodore Bikel) is and so engrossed past his first view of America through the periscope of his submarine that he ignores the warnings of his aides. C-R-U-N-C-H the submarine goes aground on an island just off Cape Cod.All in the globe the Russians want to practice is to go off that sandbar silently and quickly. To that end they transport a shore party to the island to borrow or steal a power boat to pull their submarine complimentary.At the same fourth dimension the shore political party, led by Alan Arkin, is landing, a vacationing New York writer, played by Carl Reiner, is getting out of bed. He is clammy to the depths of his basic after 10 weeks on the island and keenly waiting the morrow on which he can accept his wife and ii children back to the urban center.Mr. Arkin and Mr. Reiner meet and the comedy takes off in wild flight. Eventually all of the isle becomes involved in pursuit and counter-pursuit. Misunderstandings proliferate; there are patriotic overtones of the Revolutionary defense at Concord Bridge and fifty-fifty an inept local Paul Revere, Ben Bluish, in the office.The farce is zestfully played by such experts every bit Mr. Reiner, Mr. Arkin (a kickoff total-length film appearance and a particularly wonderful performance), Paul Ford, Jonathan Winters, Parker Fennelly, Philip Coolidge and a flock of worthies. Norman Jewison, the director and William Ross, the writer, wisely gave this talented coiffure their heads.Anybody volition detect favorite comie bits—Mr. Reiner's efforts to prove to his son that he is not a Benedict Arnold; Mr. Arkin, barely able to speak English himself, teaching English to his crew of invaders; Mr. Reiner's and the amply proportioned Tessie O'Shea's attempts to free themselves after the Russians take bound them together, and Brian Keith, the police chief, meeting a wildly improbable situation with the but applied solution that would occur to a police chief—he takes out his book and gain to write a ticket for the offending Russian submarine. Subsequently all, it is illegally parked in United States territory.There is besides slap-up satirical fun in Johnny Mandel's musical score.The wild comedy turns grim at the cease, grim and suspenseful, and is only saved by a deus ex machina. Simply forget that. Become to the theater to enjoy this farce. The cold war has owed us all a adept laugh for a long, long time.
THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, screenplay by William Rose, produced and directed by Norman Jewison and released by Mirisch Corporation through United Artists. At the Astor Theater, Broadway and 45th Street, the Trans-Lux East Theater, 3rd Avenue and 58th Street, and the Murray Colina Theater, 34th Street due east of Lexington Avenue. Running time: 126 minutes.Walt Whittaker . . . . . Carl ReinerElspeth . . . . . Eva Marie SaintRozanov . . . . . Alan ArkinLink Mattocks . . . . . Brian KeithNorman Jonas . . . . . Jonathan WintersThe Russian Captain . . . . . Theodore BikelFendall Hawkins . . . . . Paul FordAlice Foss . . . . . Tessie O'SheaKolchin . . . . . John Phillip LawAlison . . . . . Andrea DrommLuther Grilk . . . . . Ben BlueMr. Porter . . . . . Philip CoolidgeMr. Everett . . . . . Parker FennellyDESPITE its title, the "Blindfold" that was lifted for customers yesterday at local theaters is not the piece of work of a groping grouping. Afterwards a few sequences of hip palaver about psychiatry, intrigue involving an abducted, horribly of import theoretical physicist, mistaken identities and misunderstood romance, it becomes apparent—fifty-fifty to a common denizen who tin can't differentiate betwixt the C.I.A. and the Mets—that the squad who fashioned this nominally suspenseful caper was technically knowledgeable but not quite certain whether it wanted to be mysterious or funny. Unfortunately, information technology never quite succeeds either way.For the overly suspicious, it should be noted that the major ingredients of many previous adventures in this genre are hither, including such sure-fire, center-catching items as Rock Hudson and Claudia Cardinale, colour, a script that leans heavily on photogenic locales such as Central Park and New York in the spring and the swampy, live-oak, rustic Southward, and slapstick donnybrooks that are as wonderfully obvious and fictitious as whatever belted out by Mack Sennett.Oh yes, this is all exterior equipment for Mr. Hudson, herein called "a lodge psychologist," who is pulled from his equus caballus during a canter in Primal Park by a hush-hush armed forces cadre headed by plain-clothed "Full general" Jack Waldron, to aid straighten out the dislocated scientist (Alejandro Rey), "Doctor" Hudson's quondam patient, who is being held in that hideout in the Due south. Merely, of form, in that location also is Guy Stockwell, who trades in brainy types he sells to the highest applicant ready to snatch our hero (he's always transported to that secret Southern mansion blindfolded, see?) as well every bit the scientist. And, naturally, there's Claudia Cardinale, a chorine-ballerina, who happens to exist the scientist's sis and snarls things up past becoming technically engaged to our harried psychologist-hero."Md" Hudson is a healer honest plenty to know he is a docile "Bluebeard," who is compulsive nigh becoming engaged to nearly every young thing he meets, so it'southward natural that he would quite willingly become tied to the shapely, if strident and unbelievable Miss Cardinale. Information technology doesn't actually matter who turns out to be the real government men or who cares for who. Things motion swiftly, they are fairly mysterious, if muddled, and the jokes, if not the fights, are contemporary and mildly comic.Miss Cardinale, in black leotards, is guaranteed to wake even senescent types, but she is inappreciably a model for aspiring comedians. Mr. Hudson is equally decorative and unfunny, and the Messrs. Waldron and Stockwell and the rest of the featured cast are energetic, if uninspired."All psychologists are nuts," mutters one of the "Blindfold" principals early in these hectic proceedings. He's absolutely wrong. In this example, they are merely confused—like any attentive viewer.
'Blindfold' Begins RunBLINDFOLD; screenplay past Philip Dunne and W. H. Menger; based on the novel of the same name by Lucille Fletcher; directed by Mr. Dunne; produced by Marvin Schwartz; executive producer, Robert Arthur; a Universal-Vii Pictures Production. At local theaters. Running fourth dimension: 105 minutes.Dr. Bartholomew Snow . . . . . Rock HudsonVicky Vincenti . . . . . Claudia CardinaleGeneral Pratt . . . . . Jack WaldronFitzpatrick . . . . . Guy StockwellSmitty . . . . . Anne SeymourArthur Vincenti . . . . . Aleiandro ReyDetective Harrigan . . . . . Brad DexterCaptain Davis . . . . . Hari RhodesMichelangelo Vincenti . . . . . Vito ScottiLavinia Vincenti . . . . . Angela ClarkeMario Vincenti . . . . . John MegnaBarker . . . . . Paul Comi
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