The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming

Welcome to post #500! Today we will briefly look at this 1966 Norman Jewison classic. The cold war was still in full effect and a Russian sub goes off course and ends up docking off the coast of New England. What folllows is some very dated comedic sketches and some not so dated examples of paranoia and misinformation. I say dated because the humor is of a style that if you were to try and make such a film in North America today it would end up straight on DVD at best. It is simply too slow and far too cerebral for the modern audiences. This being said, Jewison does wonderful work with what could now be considered an all-star cast. Alan Arkin, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Theodore Bikel, Eva Marie Saint and John Phillip Law who looks so good here he could match any current Hollywood hunk pound for pound. Jewison even brings in Michael J. Pollard for what looks to me to be nothing more than an excuse to film his unique facial expressions. To give you an idea of the subtleness of the humor...one ongoing gag has a drunkard chasing his horse through a field trying to mount to warn others of the Russian invasion. I found it amusing but I'm not so sure others will. Worth a look if you are old enough to get this sort of thing.