Soleil de nuit

I just saw this on television - having resisted my sister-in-law's entreaties years ago to see it. It's awfully good.

The movie is imaginative - having Gregory Hines in a theater in Siberia, a defector to Russia when disillusioned and unable to find use for his talents as an adult tap dancer in America after the Vietnam War, married to the translator initially assigned him (an astonishing peformance by Isabella Rosellini), and performing Porgy & Bess to audiences including Russian troops - well, it's a character and situation you don't find in movies every day!

I was amazed at the close-knit work of actors who were not then first name movie stars - and at how well-drawn these characters are -

Helen Mirren is superb as Baryshnikov's former lover, partner, and now director of the Kirov Ballet - angry and constantly deluding herself that things are getting more artistically free in Russia -

Baryshnikov is excellent, reliving the pain of defection in his old theater, seeing a tape of himself when at 17 he was care-free and full of illusory ambition, the discovery of the erasure of his name among children in Russia, the anger of his former partner for his abandonment of her and denunciation of his "selfishness" in defecting -

Hines as a man living with an atrocious mistake and trying always to justify itself to himself - in Siberia, he seems like a man on Mars -

an almost unrecognizable Rosellini as a Russian woman in pained love with Hines (just the looks on her face of love and sympathy and pity and helplessness for Hines are so powerful and moving - I'll never forget them)-

the four are so very very fine together. Each TRULY seems the person they're portraying. If one were to see news photographs or a documentary about such characters - they would look this way, sound this way, move and speak and dress this way.

The dancing is very enjoyable to watch - and you really needn't be a fan of dance (I'm not) to marvel at it.

The only downside of the movie is that it takes these four fascinating and pained characters, and stuffs them into a somewhat formulaic action plot. I also found the music too heavy throughout - let there be silences as they contemplate their messy situations.

This is very well worth seeing.

The plot of White Nights is well-planned, the script neatly written and two relatively unknown actors as the lead men - Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gregory Hines - carry this feature well. The end result is a touching, funny drama with a romantic edge. It is, therefore, a good film in its own right. But the real reason to see it is for the spectacular dancing of Baryshnikov. I last saw the film - wait for it - in 1990 but it has remained one of the most moving films I have ever seen: so much so that it inspired me to pay a sizeable sum for the pleasure of seeing Baryshnikov dance at the Sadlers Wells Theatre in London in June 1999, 9 years later, having never thought I would have the opportunity to see my school-days hero live and in person...

Gregory Hines is a good second-lead (and has been much underused in films since), providing a sparring partner for Baryshnikov both in dance - as jazz/tap dancer vs ballet dancer - and to the benefit of the script. Isabella Rosselini plays a damsel in distress, complementing the duo and providing the romantic angle, balancing the story-line.

Overall it is a well-made film, though not the best ever, and if your interest lies about as far afield from dance as the local football field it is unlikely to appeal. But for anyone wanting to see a romantic 'weepie' it can provide a good slice of entertainment for a Sunday afternoon. And as for the dancing ... well, Baryshnikov was 37 then and I have never seen such athleticism and agility in a dancer of that age. Such expressive emotions come through his steps that he needs no words.

Without the dancing the film would undoubtedly have lost its true winning power, but with it may well have provided the motivation to dance for both children and adults ... I hope you enjoy it as much as I have

9 years later it is remains one of my top 20 best films.

The story is only fair, the acting not quite as good as the story, but the dancing....can't be beat. Try to decide who is the best dancer... Hines with Ballet or Baryshnikov with tap... or both doing a combination of both styles. These guys can dance

I hadn't seen this movie in 20 plus years and had forgotten most of it except that I'd really liked it. I enjoyed it in my rewatch too, a unique story, worth checking out for the opening dance number with Mikhail Baryshnikov if nothing else. Its incredible, showcasing a true athlete. Gregory Hines is pretty great too, tap dancing and singing, the two together are fantastic.

White Nights is from the mid 80's and except for some cheesy music stands up well. Baryshnikov plays a touring ballet dancer who, after defecting to America years earlier finds himself back in Russia when the plane he's travelling on is forced to make a crash landing in Siberia. Trapped in the country he'd once escaped, 'Nicolai' is taken to stay with American (Gregory Hines) who himself defected during the Vietnam war. Together they dance and plot an escape.

This role must have been written exclusively for Baryshnikov because I can't think that anyone else could have done it.

Isabella Rossellini plays Hines' Russian wife. Her character is well acted but a bit of a twit. If I was making a run for the American embassy and my life was on the line I would not be wearing a bright red sweater, especially during white nights when the sun doesn't set. We also get an appearance from a very young Helen Mirren as Nicolai's former love that he left behind when he defected.

Worth checking out for views of the old soviet union, fantastic dance sequences.

A couple songs from Phil Collins on the soundtrack and some other bad 80s music is used

I'm not a dance fan, but the opening ballet sequence alone is worth the price of a rental. Baryshnikov had a vertical leap matched only by Olympic high jumpers and a few NBA players. Even if the drama flags in spots, the characters are sympathetic and well-drawn, and the action/suspense is as good as that in other adventure flicks of the time. By now the movie also serves a documentary purpose, convincingly conveying the feel of life in the Soviet Union during its waning years.