History Film / MoscowOnTheHudson

!!! "Tropes on the Hudson":

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-->"I can do anything I want. Is America."

''Moscow On The Hudson'' is a 1984 film starring Creator/RobinWilliams. He plays Vladimir Ivanov, a saxophone player for the Moscow circus. Poor and miserable, he endures the long lines and the police breathing down his neck. His friend, Anatoly, lends him his apartment so Ivanov can be alone with his girlfriend. They will be performing in New York, and Anatoly wishes to defect. Ivanov is approached by the KGB, who wants him to rat out his friend.

-->'''Lionel Witherspoon, Bloomingdale's Security Officer''' (Cleavant Derricks): "What's it like in Russia?"
-->'''Vladimir Ivanoff''' (Creator/RobinWilliams): "It's not human, but the people there are very beautiful."
-->'''Lionel Witherspoon''': "Sounds like Alabama."
-->'''Vlaidmir Ivanoff''': "You mean with slavery?"
-->'''Lionel Witherspoon''': "At least with slavery the work was steady."
-->'''Vladimir Ivanoff''': "Sounds like Russia."

During the visit to New York, however, it is Vladimir who ends up seeking asylum. In legal limbo, he can only find low-paying jobs, and has to stay with a family living in the slums. He must learn to cope in this strange land, what it holds in store for him, and whether or not he can achieve the {{American dream}}.

* AmericanDream: "We hold these truths to be self-evident..."

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* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: "I defect!"[[note]]A security guard thinks he said "defecate".[[/note]]

* UsefulNotes/ColdWar: "I defect!"

* ColdWar: "I defect!"

-->"''I can do anything I want. Is America.''"

[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moscowonthehudson_5856.jpg]]

--->"I can understand how the brother feels. I'm a refugee myself from Alabama."

* ShirtlessScene7

* MistakenForSpies: "KGB?"...."No, G-A-Y."

* RealMenWearPink: Being pursued by a possible CIA or KGB agent? Bad. Being pursued by a gay guy? No problem.

* ShirtlessScene

!!This work contains examples of:

* InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou: TropeNamer Yakov Smirnoff has a small part as a fellow Russian immigrant.

* [[CaliforniaDoubling Russia Doubling]]: The scenes set in Russia were filmed in UsefulNotes/{{Finland}}.

* FakeNationality: In addition to Williams' obvious example, Cuban-Venezuelan actress [[{{Creator/MariaConchitaAlonso}} Maria Conchita Alonso]] plays Vladimir's Italian girlfriend.

* {{Lzherusskie}}: Robin Williams isn't Russian. However, this trope is averted with most of the other Russian characters, which are played by the genuine article.

''Moscow On The Hudson'' is a 1984 film starring RobinWilliams. He plays Vladimir Ivanov, a saxophone player for the Moscow circus. Poor and miserable, he endures the long lines and the police breathing down his neck. His friend, Anatoly, lends him his apartment so Ivanov can be alone with his girlfriend. They will be performing in New York, and Anatoly wishes to defect. Ivanov is approached by the KGB, who wants him to rat out his friend.

* {{Fanservice}}: Did Maria Conchita Alonso have to have a nude scene in the bathtub? Well, she didn't ''have'' to.

-->'''Vladimir''': Do you read Ernest Hemingway?

* HowWeGotHere: The movie stars with Vladimir meeting a newly arrived immigrant on a bus and having a chat.

* AnImmigrantsTale

* HowWeGotHere

* FakeNationality: In addition to Williams' obvious example, Cuban-Venezuelan actress María Conchita Alonso plays Vladimir's Italian girlfriend.

''Moscow On The Hudson'' is a 1984 film starring {{Robin Williams}}. He plays Vladimir Ivanov, a saxophone player for the Moscow circus. Poor and miserable, he endures the long lines and the police breathing down his neck. His friend, Anatoly, lends him his apartment so Ivanov can be alone with his girlfriend. They will be performing in New York, and Anatoly wishes to defect. Ivanov is approached by the KGB, who wants him to rat out his friend.

* {{Bang Bang BANG}}: [[spoiler: Vladimir, shaken up after having being mugged, thinks he hears gunshots. It's Fourth Of July firecrackers.]]
* {{Big Applesauce}}

* {{Earn Your Happy Ending}}

* {{Faux Fluency}}: Averted - Robin Williams learned conversational Russian (and also to play the saxophone) to do this role. It's then [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] as Vladimir (Williams) and Anatoly (Elya Baskin) practice their English:

* {{How We Got Here}}
* {{In Soviet Russia Trope Mocks You}}: TropeNamer Yakov Smirnoff has a small part as a fellow Russian immigrant.
* {{It Got Worse}}: Living in the US has a steep learning curve for immigrants.

* {{Shirtless Scene}}

* {{Vodka Drunkenski}}
* {{Wrong Side Of The Tracks}}