The Russians are Coming The Russians Are Coming on DVD

Norman Jewison’s cold war comedy is a liberal “can’t we all just get along” vision but, fortunately, it’s also a very funny movie.

Carl Reiner stars as “Whittakerwalt,” a writer of musical comedies who, with his family, has rented a house on an island off the New England coast. His life, and that of the rest of the island’s residents, is turned upside down when a Soviet submarine runs aground just off shore and some of its crew come ashore looking for help.

Naturally, the Americans figure they’re being invaded and that World War III is beginning - when all the Soviets really want is a hand at getting their sub back into deeper water.

Alan Arkin leads the landing party, and he’s very funny. He’s ably assisted by John Philip Law as a young Russkie who falls for one of the island’s natives (Andrea Dromm).

Nobody in this movie is particularly bright, and that’s a main reason for all the confusion - and the comedy. The local police chief (Brian Keith) doesn’t believe the Russians are there at all, while the “hawkish right wingers” as represented by the head of the local Legion (Paul Ford) go off the deep end trying to stem the tide of invaders.

It all works out in the end, of course, thanks to a bit of humanitarian action that brings both sides together in friendship.

There are plenty of very funny scenes pulled off with comic aplomb by a cast that also includes Jonathan Winters, Eva Marie Saint, Theodore Bikel, Ben Blue and Tessie O’Shea. The political commentary isn’t heavy handed, fortunately, and taken in the context of the movie’s time it’s probably appropriate. The slapstick is in the vein of “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (though not as good), and it’s this that really propels the movie.

The DVD is very good. MGM has given it a nice-looking anamorphic widescreen transfer, and the picture is quite sharp and very colorful. Audio is Dolby Digital mono and is unremarkable but okay.

For extras you get the theatrical trailer, which is a pretty funny fake interview between Carl Reiner and Alan Arkin, and a very interesting interview with producer/director Jewison as he reminisces about what was a very important film in his then-young career.

The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! From MGM Home Video
126 min. anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), 16x9 TV compatible, Dolby Digital mono
Starring Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin, Brian Keith, Jonathan Winters, Theodore Bikel, Paul Ford
Written by William Rose, Produced and Directed by Norman Jewison

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