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starring: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren, Geraldine Pagedirected by: Taylor Hackford
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302862942
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
ISBN: 6302862949
Label: Sony Pictures
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Sony Pictures
Release Date: July 28, 1998
Running Time: 135 minutes
Sales Rank: 6500
Studio: Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release Date: November 22, 1985
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
Sometimes movies are built around a great idea begging for a story, in this case pairing ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov with tap great Gregory Hines. The resulting storm of dance in White Nights, as one would expect, is great, but the story is a little forced. Baryshnikov plays (in parallel to his own life) a Russian defector to the U.S. who ends up a prisoner in the motherland after his plane is forced to land in Leningrad during an emergency. Hines is an American expatriate who gets involved with the situation. Director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman) punctuates an escape scenario and relationship dilemmas with as many dance sequences as possible, and the result is a wobbly, unconvincing tale with some furious footwork. Fortunately, performances carry the day, as the two male leads are both very strong as actors, and the supporting cast--Isabella Rossellini, Helen Mirren, and filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski (Moonlighting)--is terrific. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Great dancing and engaging drama - what more could you want!
I first saw White Nights many years ago and loved it. Having recently watched it again I was a little cautious about how it would be, so many years later. It's still just as great. Typically dancers don't have the best track record when it comes to quality acting, but Baryshnikov is terrific. The storyline is incredibly believable and the music adds perfectly to the drama of Communist Leningrad. I would highly recommend this movie to lovers of both dance, and good drama.
Rating: - White Nights - hot dance in Soviet Russia!
A movie with ballet - but not a ballet movie! The opening scene showing Mikhail Baryshnikov's mind-blowing dance piece against turbulent orchestral music sets the scene for a serious, complex movie. He plays Nikolai Rochenko, a Russian deserter who defected to America but crash-lands back in the Motherland (some of the best air-crash footage I've ever seen).
Stuck back in communist Soviet Union, he tries to escape back to the USA but is thwarted by Colonel Chaiko and a bugged apartment. ... Read More
Rating: - For Baryshnikov Fans! A Must!
I first saw this movie when it came out years ago. I loved it then and I love it now! If you are a fan of ballet, dance, and Baryshnikov it is a must have! The story follows the era of the Russian Cold War and the isolation its dancers went through. It is a likely story for its time with dancers being controlled by a harsh government, people wanting to escape the life of poverty and government control, and finding freedom somehow. To watch Baryshnikov dance in anything is wonderful!
Rating: - High Concept, Medium Delivery...
1985's "White Nights" pairs legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov and equally legendary tap dancer Gregory Hines in a pedestrian Cold War thriller most notable for the dance sequences and the music score.
Russian defector and former Bolshoi dancer Nikolai Rodchenko (Baryshnikov essentially playing himself) ends up back in Soviet hands when his airliner makes an emergency landing in Leningrad. Overjoyed Soviet officials insist he rejoin the Bolshoi, and park him with American defector ... Read More
Rating: - Must have
One of my alltime favorites. The dancing is breathtaking. A must have for a DVD collection.
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