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| The Russia House [1990] | ![The Russia House [1990]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413KPWQSPAL._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Fred Schepisi
Actors: Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Roy Scheider, James Fox, John Mahoney
Studio: MGM Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £12.99
Buy New: £3.30
You Save: £9.69 (75%)
Buy New/Used from £3.30
Avg. Customer Rating:  (5 reviews)
Sales Rank: 11858
Format: Anamorphic, Pal, Widescreen
Languages: French (Subtitled), Italian (Subtitled), Danish (Subtitled), Dutch (Subtitled), Norwegian (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Swedish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Russian (Original Language)
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Media: DVD
Running Time: 118 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5050070007893
ASIN: B000063BME
Release Date: April 29, 2002
Theatrical Release Date: December 19, 1990
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Intelligent casting, strong performances and the persuasive chemistry between Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer prove the virtues in director Fred Schepisi's well-intended but problematic screen realization of this John Le Carre espionage thriller. At its best, IThe Russia House/I depicts the bittersweet nuances of the pivotal affair between a weary, alcoholic London publisher (Connery) and the mysterious Russian beauty (Pfeiffer) who sends him a fateful manuscript exposing the weaknesses beneath Soviet defence technology. Connery's Barley is a gritty, all-too-human figure who's palpably revived by his awakening feelings for Pfeiffer's wan, vulnerable Katya, whose own reciprocal emotions are equally convincing. Together, they weave a poignant romantic duet.p The problems, meanwhile, emanate from the story line that brings these opposites together. Le Carre's novels are absorbing but typically internal odysseys that seldom offer the level of straightforward action or simple arcs of plot that the big screen thrives on. For IThe Russia House/I, written as Iglasnost/I eclipsed the cold war's overt rivalries, Le Carre means to measure how old adversaries must calibrate their battle to a more subtle, subdued match of wits. Barley himself becomes enmeshed in the mystery of the manuscript because British intelligence chooses to use him as cat's paw rather than become directly involved. Such subtlety may be a more realistic take on the spy games of the recent past but it makes for an often tedious, talky alternative to taut heroics that Connery codified in his most celebrated early espionage role. p If the suspense thus suffers, we're still left with an affecting love story, as well as some convincing sniping between British and US intelligence operatives, beautifully cast with James Fox, Roy Scheider and John Mahoney. Veteran playwright Tom Stoppard brings considerable style to the dialogue, without solving the problem of giving us more than those verbal exchanges to sustain dramatic interest. I--Sam Sutherland/I
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| Customer Reviews:
 Based on John Le Carres novel June 24, 2007
When Katya (Pfeiffer), a beautiful Russian book editor, attempts to send British publisher Barley Blair (Connery) a manuscript written by a noted Soviet Scientist, she unwittingly draws them both into a world of international espionage.br /br /The manuscript, which contains information which could alter the balance of world power , is intercepted by the West's spy-masters.br /br /Who then send Blair to Russia to gain more information on the mysterious document.br /br /But when Blair meets Katya, he finds himself torn between his mission and the woman whose passion for her country - and for Blair - knows no bounds.
 One of the best Le Carre adaptations December 15, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Russia House is one of Connery's last really good performances before he realized that they'd still pay him the big bucks even if he was just sleepwalking through a part and refusing to do more than one take. It's also one of the best screen adaptations of a John Le Carre novel, a surprisingly ambitious screenplay by Tom Stoppard that folds chronology, character and plot points in on themselves like origami in the opening and closing scenes making for engaging and occasionally playful viewing. The excellent supporting cast, including an exceptionally good Michelle Pfeiffer, don't hurt either. Only the last minute studio-imposed happy ending grates, but not enough to do any real damage. Jerry Goldsmith provides a fine score, the love theme proving third time lucky after it was dropped from both Wall Street and Alien Nation.br /br /MGM/UA's disc offers a good widescreen 2.35:1 transfer, but the only extra is the film's full trailer.
Love Before (Other Peoples's) Duty August 27, 2004
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
A rare example of a film better than the book on which it was based, or anyway as good. Heavy drinking Barley, the fag end of a minor publishing dynasty, gets "adopted" by a scientist who wants his "eureka" philosophical experience to reach the world, which is impossible because he is a top rocket/missile expert in the dying Gorbachev days of Soviet Russia. So expert uses Barley (Sean Connery) to publish his ideas, using as bait and example some secret facts which, if found out, will mean his death for treason or espionage.br /br /Barley is recruited pro tem by British Intelligence (look out for a great cameo plus performance by mad Ken Russell). They want the rocket secrets, not the philosophical packing. br /br /Barley meets expert's friend and ex-girlfriend, a Russian beauty with absolutely typical little daughter full of precocious enquiries (almost deja vu...I knew such a lady and daughter myself in Moscow, though I was neither spy nor publisher, nor even drunk!) and of course falls in love. She thinks Barley is a publisher, not a publisher AND a spy. Michelle Pfeiffer is sensational and utterly believable in the Katya role.br /br /In the end, Barley puts love before the duty others have placed on him...leading to a really worthwhile ending. A really good film to watch, entertaining, heartwarming, true...(to life).
A welcome change from overwrought missions impossible March 4, 2003
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
When the rusty Iron Curtain disintegrated during Gorbachev's glasnost, Hollywood filmmakers finally got access to the image-rich expanse of Mother Russia for location shoots. Whereas before, when scenes of "Moscow" or "Leningrad" were actually filmed in, say, Helsinki, now American theatergoers can gaze upon the real thing. On viewing THE RUSSIA HOUSE for the first time, I was thrilled to see the onion domes and other architectural glories of Moscow and Suzdal, which I had seen in person several years before.pSean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer are Barley and Katya in the screen adaptation of John le Carre's novel of the same title. Barney is the world-weary and alcoholic London publisher to whom a book manuscript is smuggled by the Russian Katya, a woman Barley claims most emphatically not to know. Since the document is actually a survey of the status of Soviet defense weaponry, the British Secret Service, which intercepted the manuscript, views Barley's disclaimer as tepid at best. After intense questioning, and a call upon his loyalty to Queen and Empire, Barley is persuaded to return to Moscow to meet Katya, and determine her source of information. The latter turns out to be Dante, a well-respected physicist embedded in the Soviet defense establishment, who is known to British intelligence and is also Katya's boyfriend. Finally realizing the identity and potential value of the contact, MI6 approaches the CIA with a proposal for a continuing joint operation using Barley as the field agent. The moneyed Americans, of course, insist on playing the dominant mission controller, relegating the Brits to the role of interested observer.pA criticism of this film was that it's too boring. Not so, if one accepts and understands that le Carre's plots are not action oriented by design. Rather, they revolve around character evolution and relatively subtle confrontations that are more intellectual and psychological than physical. Le Carre's books are, admittedly, an acquired taste, and not for the shallow-minded. The filmed version of THE RUSSIA HOUSE is true to its literary roots. There are here no feats of 007-like derring-do confounding the evildoers on missions impossible. The storyline unfolds at a comparatively sedate, realistic pace. pThe casting was perfect. Veterans Connery and Pfeiffer are magnificent together. The latter's portrayal of a Slavic damsel-in-distress is especially convincing. James Fox as the urbane, gentlemanly MI6 controller serves as the perfect foil to the abrasive, take-no-prisoners (stereotypically Yank) attitude of his CIA counterpart, played by Roy Scheider. Klaus Brandauer as Dante is appropriately enigmatic. The location cinematography is visually sumptuous. pAfter awhile, one gets weary of the steady diet of action spy thrillers that rampage across the silver screen. As a change of gait, THE RUSSIA HOUSE is supremely satisfying, especially the bittersweet ending. I loved it.
A film off the beaten track September 2, 2002
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Russia house is an extremely interesting film that analyses the relationship among the common people of the USA and USSR. It shows in a very vivid way that there so few things that make us different from each other.brSean Connery and Michel Pfeiffer act in a magnificent way; in this film they really show their great performing abilities in contrast to the "light" typical american films like James Bond and Scarface.brMoreover, the plot is very interesting, the scenery and photography amazing, and the whole atmosphere is framed by an exceptional soundtrack (also a must). Don't miss this film!
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