The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming

"Hilarious" doesn't begin to describe it! I saw this in the theater in 1966 when it first came out, and I enjoyed it immensely! Arkin was great and Bikel excels in just about everything he does! This gets ***** out of ***** with me!

So it's an excellent comedy, but like all truly great comedy, it has a dark and serious side: that people will become hysterical with xenophobia when they live in a culture that expects it of them. During the Cold War, it was a given among us kids that ALL the Russians were evil beings, godless Communist robots out to destroy us. We were taught to so regard ALL of them.

This movie serves as a poignant reminder that not everyone who lives in an officially "hostile" nation hates us.

As someone who remembered how and where to crouch when the air raid siren went, and wondering how we were supposed to know when it was safe to come out, I have always cherished this film as a reminder that we're all human. It has every stereotype going, but it's okay - the characters are so lovingly drawn you don't care. I live in New England now, and while you don't see this version of xenophobic hysteria anymore(thank God!), you still hear the accents and see the regional quirks. Alan Arkin is dead on in his role, and as a student of Russian, I've gotten so I actually understand most of the dialogue. My daughter doesn't get the point of the movie, but then she didn't have duck and cover drills. I wish I knew when or if it were coming out on DVD.

A situation comedy of errors with lots of sight gags, a who's who of character actors, and a heartwarming ending.

However, I don't understand the "goof" listed above: "Errors in geography: Both the US and Russian maps show Gloucester as an isolated island, which is clearly not the case. There is also the implication (in the film) that Gloucester is not connected to the mainland, also not the case."

How can this be an error when Gloucester is a fictional island? The map looked like Nantucket stood on its end.

Better quotes for this movie are:

"Emergency. Everybody to get from street." -- Russian landing party "We've got to get organized!" --Jonathan Winters "Muriel, whatcha doin' up there?"

This funny film based on the comic novel ¨The Off-Islanders¨ by Nathaniel Benchley deals with a Russian submarine runs aground off Nantucket Island and then things go wacky, as the garrulous townspeople go gaga , not knowing what to do first , get guns or vodka , building a mountain of laughter . As the residents falsely think that the nine-man crew is the start of a Soviet invasion , though they are only looking for help . It is in the Russians' panic which the fun chiefly lies. Don't You Just Hate People Who Drop In Unexpectedly? . It's A Plot!... to make the world die laughing!!

A gem of comedy with laughs , thrills , emotion , messes , lots of face-twitching , grunting , entertainment and amusement . Concerning an accident of a Russian sub, then a memorable set of crazy happenings follows the landing , enginereed by the imaginative inhabitants and a town full of overactive assumptions. Splendid and attractive cast delivers a solid comedy , but silly at times , about cultures clash. Seldom a hilarious jigsaw had so many perfectly fitting pieces . Cued by engaging and sympathetic portrayals from a motley main and support cast , such as : Carl Reiner as the sulking father , Eva Maria Saint as the kind mother , Thedore Bikel as the stiff-upper-life sub commandant , Brian Keith as town sheriff , Jonathan Winters as deputy , Paul Ford as gun-ho veteran , John Philip Law as naive young Russian , Alan Arkin as out-of-his-depth Russian sailor, among others .

It contains a lively and moving musical score by Johnny Mandel. As well as appropriate and colorful cinematography by Joseph H. Biroc. The motion picture was well produced and directed by Norman Jewison . He is a prestigious and veteran filmmaker, his greatest film is of course Jesus Christ Superstar . He directed successful movies as Fiddler on the roof , Agnes of God , Moonstruck , Thomas Crown and Cinncinati Kid . However , he also got some flops as Bogus, In country , Only you and Other's people money and his last picture titled The statement . He considers The Hurricane (1999) the last in a trilogy of racial bigotry movies he's realized, the first two being In the Heat of the Night (1967) and A Soldier's Story (1984). Rating : 7/10 . Good, worthwhile seeing for its amusing moments and great comical actors . You will find many extraordinarily enjoyable moments in this charming comedy .

This is one of the better 1960s comedies and the acting is first-rate. Alan Arkin as the Soviet Navy officer and Brian Keith as the police chief got deserved Oscar nominations. This was one of Jonathan Winters' first movies and he steals every scene he's in. Carl Reiner is excellent as "Whittaker Walt", the musical comedy writer who is the only sensible person on the island. One part of the movie that stands out for me is how well Theodore Bikel and Arkin are able to speak Russian which they do flawlessly although I doubt either of them grew up speaking Russian. And the girl who plays Allison? Zowie!

The ending of the movie always gets me choked up. . .Rent it and enjoy.