A stellar Robin Williams and a subject more relevant than ever make Moscow on the Hudson a truly essential film.
Until I saw Twilight Time’s release of Moscow on the Hudson on Blu-ray, I had more or less just assumed that the film was nothing more than a throwaway early Robin Williams comedy. I never thought it could function as a comment on immigration, how difficult it is to become an American, and how much those who seek it want it. The film is an interesting title to revisit right now for the most obvious of reasons and almost feels like a fantasy in this current day and age. Yet Moscow on the Hudson is a poetic, endearing, and truthful look at a man who yearned for a different life and what it cost to get it.
In Moscow on the Hudson, Vladimir Ivanoff (Williams) is used to life in his native Russia, which includes standing in line for hours in order to get goods such as toilet paper. But his solid family life and a relationship make it worthwhile as he earns a living as a circus performer. When the circus he belongs to is asked to perform in America, he goes and finds himself immediately enthralled by the lights and the promise he finds in New York City. Suddenly, during a carefully monitored shopping excursion in Bloomingdale’s, Vladimir decides to defect from Russia and stay in America. What follows is the long, eye-opening journey which has Vladimir experiencing the various hardships of living in America, which comes with questioning where he belongs in the world.
Moscow on the Hudson presents its audience with an honest look at life in Russia and all the frustrations and hardships that come from living in a land where even having sex with someone you love is considered almost criminal. It’s for this reason that we can sympathize with Vladimir’s decision to leave. At the same time, we see what he gives up and what it costs him; namely, his family (which he knows he will most likely never see again), the place he knows as home, and the only existence he has ever known. It’s all these notions which make the scene in which Vladimir defects such an inspiring one. With Connie Chung in attendance, Vladimir makes the news and is greeted by an entire crowd of Bloomingdale’s shoppers who collectively applaud when he softly says, “I defect.” It’s a moment which induces tears of both sadness and happiness that’s just beyond beautiful. The sentiment is echoed with other scenes, including the one where our hero is seen buying his first pair of shoes; moments like these are fleeting, yet incredibly symbolic.
The bulk of Moscow on the Hudson’s humor comes from the sort of typical fish out of water instances such a plot would produce, such as watching the main character run the gamut of enthusiastically working the most menial of odd jobs to earn his living and adjusting to the many intricacies of Western culture, including smiling at a gay man whom he perceives as simply being friendly. This is an honest and real comedy that depends on the humor of everyday life, especially when faced with the harsh reality of the outside world. At the same time, the movie’s depth comes at seeing what trying to make it in America does the human soul after having to work said jobs for a goal which cannot help but become questionable at times. Adding to this is Vladimir questioning his loyalty to his homeland by deciding to leave it and struggling to remember that life in America is a goal worth fighting for even when the city wears him down. Despite this, watching Vladimir look at the wonders of the city for the first time is downright magical. You can literally feel what he and countless others have felt for the first time in terms of all the possibilities the world has to offer now being within reach.
There is so much depth and sensitivity in Williams’s portrayal as well as commitment (the actor even learned Russian for the film’s opening scenes). What makes his performance so special is that Williams doesn’t play anything for laughs, but rather treats the entire project with earnest respect. As a result, Moscow is the first film to showcase him as a true actor, rather than a stand-up comic or a sitcom star. Meanwhile, having all of the key supporting characters be of differing ethnicities is one of the film’s strongest comments. Each of them never run the risk of getting lost in Williams’s large presence, but rather come off as true individuals with their own journeys and pasts. The strongest of these are Alejandro Rey as an immigration lawyer and Maria Conchita Alonso as Lucia, Vladimir’s Italian girlfriend, with the latter deftly illustrating her own character’s conflicted feelings about becoming an American.
Moscow on the Hudson is a tale about the promise, freedom, and hope for something better and everything that such a notion entails. It is a feeling which permeates throughout everyone coming to America for the first time; a moment beautifully illustrated when Vladimir’s friend Anatoly (Elya Baskin) scribbles “freedom” in frost on the bus window when the two first arrive in the city. Nowhere is the theme more prevalent, however, than in the scene at Lucia’s swearing where the idea of what it means to so many to become citizens and what being an American should mean is so tellingly reinforced. While Moscow on the Hudson stars one of the most gifted comic actors who ever lived, its comment on the promise and endless dreams which have helped shape America for years goes beyond breezy comedy to touch everyone who watches it.
The Package
There’s a vintage commentary track included here from the film’s writer/director, the late Paul Mazursky, who reveals a sequel idea which never materialized involving Vladimir’s return to Russia.
The Lowdown
Now more than ever, Moscow on the Hudson stands as a great example of a 20th century parable with possibly the first great performance from Williams.
