Rent The Russia House (1990)

Brilliant, simply brilliant. - The Russia House review by JM

I have read some reviews of this, in which some have described it in rather negative terms, but I quite liked this. A lot.

Based on a novel by the great John Le Carre, THE RUSSIA HOUSE tells the story of boutique publisher Barley (Sir Sean Connery) who gets involved with mysterious figure Dante (the great Klaus Maria Brandauer), who Barley meets whilst on business in the USSR, and it turns out that Dante happens to have secrets to share…and about which no more should be divulged. Don’t want to ruin it for you!

But, make no mistake, I think it’s a belter! Some have criticised the film for slowness, but I thought that was one of its strengths; the tale unfolds in an impressively novelistic fashion and I found this utterly gripping. Credit to Aussie director Fred Schepisi and screenwriter Sir Tom Stoppard for that. Great performances add extra fuel to this particular fire. Sean Connery is IMHO perfectly cast as the grizzled Barley, a Jazz-loving souse who comes to wonder what the hell he’s got himself mixed up in, but somehow the whole enterprise eventually gives him a new lease and outlook on life. Even better is Michelle Pfeiffer, who proves revelatory in her role as Katya, an ordinary government worker bee who acts as Dante’s go-between. Oscar-worthy, in fact. That could apply to this cast as a whole. It’s all killer and no filler!

Touted at the time as the first western film to be mostly shot in the USSR, the film is a delight in sight and sound. Sumptuously shot in the high-resolution Technovision film format by the very excellent Ian Baker (a longtime Schepisi collaborator), I could only marvel at how beautifully he made Moscow and Leningrad (as it then was) look, even when viewing the film on a plain old DVD playing on a 4K TV. And don’t speak to me about the music! The legendary Jerry Goldsmith (PLANET OF THE APES, ALIEN) provides an amazing Jazz-inflected score, featuring the aural firepower of master Saxman Branford Marsalis, which gives the film added emotional juice and then some. It’s almost an extra character in the film. Suffice it to say, it’s well done in every direction.

So, these are my thoughts on THE RUSSIA HOUSE, a thoughtfully wonderful film that was an unfortunate failure back in 1990, and one that had far too many sterling qualities to deserve such a fate. In fact, I consider this almost as good as the 2011 TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY and even THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD and that’s not praise I give out lightly. 

Languid but heartwarming. - The Russia House review by NP

John Le Care’s not-so-simple love story concerns washed-up writer/publisher Barley Blair and Russian book editor Katya Orlova, set amidst a backdrop of political types falling over themselves to double-cross each other. When you have a cast of this calibre, it’s difficult initially to separate well-known actors such as Sean Connery and Michele Pfeiffer from the characters – but the performances ensure that doesn’t last long.

Fred Schepisi’s adaption is a languid affair. There could be more tension here, but ultimately, the story shines through. What emerges is a gradually heart-warming production set amidst magnificent but grey surroundings. It’s impossible to resist the two leads, and the ever-flustered officials tracking their every move (including Roy Scheider, Ken Russell, Martin Clunes and John Mahoney) are compelling in lesser roles. Two disheartened human beings amid the machinations of cold manipulation – irresistible.

Pfeiffer has a scene – possibly a contractual obligation – where she is in full glamorous make-up and looks customarily stunning; for me, she works better when Orlova is dressed down and unassuming, because the character is more real, and it is easier to appreciate her actual acting.

My previous and first experience of this story is a 1995 audio version, produced for BBC Radio 4, starring Tom Baker and Valentina Yakunina, which is excellent. Of the two (different) endings, I prefer this filmed version. My score is 9 out of 10.