Decoding the Soviet Union

This film (drama)Also known asWhite Nights，is aUSAProducerwomen sex，At1985Released in year 。The dialogue language isEnglish, Russian，Current Douban rating7.9(For reference only)。

A Soviet ballet dancer boards a plane hijacked to the Soviet Union. After the plane lands, he is placed under house arrest in an apartment inhabited by a Black man and his Russian wife, and he is forced to dance again for the Bolshoi Ballet. His only thought is to escape... The film tells the legendary story of a Russian dance artist, with the male lead, the famous Russian ballet dancer Baryshnikov delivering breathtaking performances that are both exhilarating and haunting—capturing a white night under the spotlight, endless and timeless, a grey seen through the eyes of a mentally ill person, with only a spinning shadow running across the stage as a highlight. Baryshnikov has a face with defined features, naturally curly blonde hair, and a not-tall but sturdy physique, exhibiting a genius passion and skill, along with an extraordinary ability for rapid spins; he maintains balance regardless of the position from which he leaps... The film features not only Baryshnikov's mesmerizing performance but also the beautiful face of Isabella Rossellini, the daughter of the famous actress Ingrid Bergman. The theme song "Say You, Say Me," performed by the famous Black singer Lionel Richie, became widely popular and won the Oscar for Best Original Song at the 58th Academy Awards in 1985. Eight years ago, in pursuit of artistic freedom, renowned Soviet ballet dancer Nikolai Dolgushin escaped to the U.S. seeking political asylum. During a performance trip to Japan, his malfunctioning plane was forced to land at a Soviet military airport in Siberia. The Soviets released all passengers but kept Nikolai to demonstrate that defectors had changed their political beliefs and returned to the motherland. To win over Nikolai, KGB Colonel Cheiko brings in Raymond Greenwood, an American tap dancer who escaped to the Soviet Union protesting U.S. aggression in Vietnam. Unable to grasp why the other wants to flee their own country leads to tension and hostility between Nikolai and Raymond, but they eventually become friends as they learn about each other. Nikolai agrees to return to the Kirov Ballet, aiming to find an opportunity to escape once again. Raymond's stance shifts, and he successfully helps Nikolai escape the Soviet Union but is captured himself. Raymond is held as a hostage and later exchanged with another detained Soviet spy, returning to the U.S. This anti-Soviet Cold War film is a highly skilled Hollywood production; although the story is conventional, it is captivating: a Soviet defector escapes to the West, while an American defector, disillusioned by ideals, escapes to the Soviet Union. "White nights" serve as a metaphor, referring to regions north of the Arctic Circle where the sun never sets, as well as a surreal nightmare that occurs in daylight, becoming all the more terrifying due to its absurd brightness. Mikhail Baryshnikov, a ballet defector from the Soviet Union, portrays Nikolai Dolgushin, whose motivations for escaping mirror those of his character: for the freedom of art. It appears that artists must make a choice between their homeland and their art. While this film is not autobiographical, Mikhail convincingly embodies the role with emotional resonance drawn from his similar experiences.