White Nights (1985)

The title refers to the far-northern phenomenon of sunlight way into summer nights. Sure enough, the story takes place in that setting, and while the white nights themselves are not important to the plot, they serve as a symbol of confusion and frustration. I had not known this when I saved the DVD for the start of daylight saving time.

Famed first-generation American dancer Nikolai (Mikhail Baryshnikov himself) has a stroke of bad luck when his malfunctioning commercial plane (I assume this was never an in-flight movie) has to make an emergency stop in the USSR, from which he defected. In his unsuccessful haste to hide his identity, he does not brace himself for a rough landing and thus gets injured and knocked out. When he wakes, he's not in prison in the conventional sense, but neither is he allowed to go much of anywhere unless he agrees with the proposal of Col. Chaiko (Jerzy Skolimowski) to dance for Soviets again. In the meantime, in addition to being on camera, he's supervised by roommates Raymond (Gregory Hines), a stage actor and tap dancer who defected in the opposite direction; and Darya (Isabella Rosselini's U.S. debut), Raymond's wife. Can Nikolai persuade them to take the risks needed to let him flee, bearing in mind that the KGB could very well claim he died from his crash injuries?

If simply coming from the U.S. weren't enough, Raymond rather sticks out in Russia for being Black. That might actually help his career, and he feels like he faces no worse discrimination than in the old country, tho his main reason to leave was the Vietnam War. But I have to wonder how he could be so OK with his assigned role, almost as restricted as Nikolai, simply because they have vague commonalities. Race also matters insofar as Nikolai feigns racism so that Chaiko, who seems genuinely racist, doesn't suspect a budding alliance.

I'd like to mention a couple better-known actors with lesser parts. Helen Mirren plays Galina, Nikolai's ex-girlfriend, who never quite forgave his desertion. Geraldine Page plays Anne, Nikolai's...agent? At any rate, she was next to him on the plane and strives tirelessly to reach him afterward, mostly via the embassy.

There isn't a whole lot of plot progression, so the two-paragraph synopsis on Wikipedia feels adequate. I won't say I saw everything coming, but neither were there any big surprises. Or moments of brilliance, really. You could say that simplicity adds to credibility, but most professional critics weren't so generous, partly because we don't see much of the kinder side of Russia. Me, I was impressed that Moscow looked so modern at the time. Not that the studio actually shot there, of course.

It's telling that the Rotten Tomatoes audience rating is much higher than the critic rating. Just because this is a drama doesn't mean we came for intellectual stimulation. On an emotional level, it gets moderately sweet.

And nothing manipulates the emotions like music. There's a nice '80s selection on the soundtrack, often accompanied by impressive moves from Baryshnikov and/or Hines. Oddly enough, the Oscar-winning number doesn't lend itself to ballet or tap: Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me."

I can see why my friend from my last review had enjoyed WN well enough but wasn't interested in a second viewing long after. It has a once-only worth.