When a sightseeing Soviet commander (Alan Arkin, The In-Laws) runs his submarine aground off the New England coast, his crew tries to find a boat to dislodge the sub almost starts World War III. Arkin leads an all-star cast that includes Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith, and Jonathan Winters – in this riotous, uproarious, and sidesplitting comedy. Russian Lt. Rozanov (Arkin) and his crew hit the beaches of Massachusetts unaware of the panic they’re about to start. Despite the Russians’ harmless intentions, the folks in town think a full-scale Soviet invasion has been launched! What’s worse, their police chief (Keith) has left his hysterical assistant (Winters) in charge… and the one man who knows the truth (Reiner) is only stirring up more chaos! The great Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night) directs this wonderful comedy based on the Nathaniel Benchley novel with a screenplay by William Rose’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). The hilarious cast includes Paul Ford, Theodore Bikel, and John Phillip Law. Nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Director (Norman Jewison), Best Actor (Alan Arkin), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
For thoughts on The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/EebQYEN6tQ8?si=nWhRkzGxa4KnOxK4&t=3038]
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray from Kino Classics gives The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1 that is a pleasant enough watch. The film was released on Blu-Ray by the label quite a while ago in 2015, although it appears to have been out of print for a little bit. The new disc is derived from the same base master, but this release boasts a new BD-50 disc instead of the more compressed BD-25 from before. We do not have that disc to compare the two experiences, but this looks largely very nice despite being from an older source
The feature has a pretty decent, thick grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing discrete details in the uniforms, production design, and natural environments. The color palette occasionally fluctuates unnaturally, but for the most part, things remain consistent. The hues that make up the frame show up on the screen with a welcome vibrancy. Black levels hold up well enough with some admirable depth to the image. There are no egregious bits of damage to be found in this presentation with only a smattering of dirt and specks in the image. Kino Classics made the right decision to give this one a second life, although a 4K UHD Blu-Ray upgrade would have been killer.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with an inviting DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that represents this one quite well. Dialogue and background noises are balanced capably with all parallel elements so that everything remains distinct. This track reveals very little in the way of age-related wear and tear. The track can sound the slightest bit weak when it comes to its peaks, but this is far from a persistent issue. The Johnny Mandel score plays well with the dialogue and other important information so nothing gets lost. The audio track complements the visual elements well. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film Historians Michael Schlesinger and Mark Evanier provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss the production history of the film, the background of the performers, the work of Norman Jewison, the shooting locations, the thematic elements of the narrative, the legacy of the feature, and much more.
- The Russians Are Coming To Hollywood: A 23-minute archival featurette with Norman Jewison in which he discusses why he wanted to make this film, the state of the nation when the film was released, the development of the script with William Rose, constructing the submarine, making California look like Cape Cod, and more.
- Trailers: An inventive four-and-a-half-minute trailer for The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is provided here. There are trailers for How I Won The War, Hannibal Brooks, The Great Escape, 40 Pounds of Trouble, The Art of Love, In The Heat Of The Night, and The Thomas Crown Affair.
Final Thoughts
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming is a clever satire that works on both a comedic and dramatic level in equal measure. The creative team understands the behavior worth skewering, yet at the end of the day, it drives home a message of understanding that hits home in our modern divisive times as powerfully as ever. The large ensemble works together to allow almost everyone to get a spotlight moment, especially standouts Alan Arkin and Carl Reiner. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that shows off a good A/V presentation and a welcome selection of special features. If you have missed this one until now, you should definitely add it to your collection. Recommended
The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming (Special Edition) is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
