La fille de la rue Petrovka

When I saw this title on the TV didn’t know what to expect. Anthony Hopkins with Goldie Hawn and Hal Holbrook…It was enough for me so I decided to stay up (it was late at night) and watch it! I didn’t regret it. I saw Goldie Hawn in a role that I am not used seeing her in. Anthony Hopkins acting was really different from what I am used too and Hal Holbrook was great as well. The story was really crazy but decent and I didn’t find a lot of comic elements. It is about an American journalist falling in love with a Russian woman who was an outcast. It takes place in the Soviet Union and it has a really dramatic touch. Although it is a romantic film, I wouldn’t call it a chick flick. The story is really great and I hope that if you get a chance to see this one you will really like it.

Chicago journalist in Moscow, the American news correspondent to the Soviet Union, becomes smitten with a bubbly young woman who has an elderly benefactor but no working papers (she sells her body to make ends meet); it doesn't take much for him to convince her that capitalism suits her better than communism. Terrible vehicle for Goldie Hawn, who nevertheless was reportedly quite proud of this misbegotten romantic drama, adapted from the book by George Feifer. Hawn, speaking (and singing!) with a wobbly Russian accent, is still easier to take than Hal Holbrook, more cranky and nasal than usual. Anthony Hopkins shows them both up as Hawn's flamboyant friend, although there isn't much of a role there. Filmed in Vienna, the picture certainly looks good, but the characters are simply not engaging. *1/2 from ****

I didn't know much about this when I picked it up. The fact that I haven't ever heard of a film before doesn't necessarily mean that it's poor, and I enjoy discovering the overlooked gems of recent time as well as older releases. Unfortunately, that approach can also lead to finding average nothings like this, that just happen to have landed talented actors. It is kind of funny to see Hopkins be so animated, I can't think of many other roles where that is so; he's usually so subtle and downplayed. And you can't help but fall for Hawn, she is so lively and fun. There are some reasonably developed characters that are mostly credible. The editing and cinematography are fine. This didn't grab me or particularly have me engaged at any point. Now, I realize that this was made before the wall fell... still, seriously, OK, we get it, Soviet Russia sucks, quit hammering it home. Several of these problems exist in America, too, y'know, like drinking merely to get through the day and being unhappy even though you supposedly have everything that you "should" ever want. This is a cheap and see-through piece of propaganda, and it actually loses all of its credibility, in spite of having strong points. The story has nothing new to offer. I recommend this solely to the biggest fans of those who appear in this. 5/10

A romantic Tragedy with comic elements, this underrated early Goldie Hawn feature is set in Russia during the Cold War (a very serious and cynical place). Goldie's conflicted character, Oktyabrina, appears mostly as a silly young woman, beautiful but fickle. While she is very interested in older men, there are also signs that she has been deeply hurt by them. Through most of the movie she is a puzzle and a pain, especially to her co-star (Hal Holbrook as Joe, an older American journalist), who has trouble seeing through her carefree facade. What is wrong with her? Does she feel unworthy? Is she too jaded? Can she overcome her issues? Her behavior regarding willingness to risk and sacrifice is both fascinating and informative. But perhaps Soviet Russia is simply too brutal a place for love. Will Joe give up on her?

A good 'chick flick', this film also has interesting Cold War elements such as "official truth" (pravda) and the relationships between Oktyabrina's men which lead me to rate it as a 'date movie' also. Definitely worth seeing, this love story breaks the stereotype, showing a woman running from intimacy. Simultaneously, it examines the timeless question 'if you can't feel innocent, how can you fall in love?'

If you haven't seen this little gem of a film - and most people haven't - do yourself a favor and spend a couple of hours with stars Goldie Hawn, Hal Holbrook, and an up and coming young British stage actor named Anthony Hopkins. It's a terrific story, thoroughly engaging, and the performances (and Russian accents) are spot on. This is a wonderful movie, beautifully shot and directed in 1974 that holds up well with the passing of the years. It's a shame that more people haven't seen this one, as it really is something very special. It was adapted from a novel by journalist George Feifer, and Joe, the Holbrook character, may be seen as a thinly veiled version of the author himself. Don't miss this one.