Search - The Russia House on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1990 DVD Release: 12/26/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 3 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Spy Film, Drama, Romantic Drama, Unglamorized Spy Film

"Barley" Scott Blair (Sean Connery) is an alcoholic book editor from a bargain-basement publishing house in Great Britain who'd rather be drinking in Lisbon than attending a book dealers' show in Russia. So he's surprised when a CIA agent (Mac McDonald) pulls him from his boozy holiday. It seems that the CIA has through a book show intermediary received a package from a Russian book editor named Katya (Michelle Pfeiffer) containing amazingly detailed notebooks written by a cynical Russian physicist named "Dante" (Klaus-Maria Brandauer). The notebooks show that Russia's nuclear threat is a joke: Russian rockets "suck instead of blow...and can't hit Nevada on a clear day," in the acerbic words of CIA Agent Russell Sheridan (Roy Scheider). But why is Dante sending the notebooks to Blair? How shall the Western world respond to what could be the end of the nuclear arms race? Blair gets drafted by a British Secret Service agent (James Fox) to go to the new Russia to meet Katya. He must see whether the new Russia is still immersed in the old Cold War and whether the notebooks are genuine or another deadly chapter in the war of the spies. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide

Sean Connery - Barley Blair
Michelle Pfeiffer - Katya
Roy Scheider - Russell
James Fox - Ned
John Mahoney - Brady
Klaus Maria Brandauer - Dante

Fred Schepisi's adaptation of The Russia House comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround, while a Spanish soundtrack has been recorded in Dolby Digital Mono. Subtitles are accessible in all three of languages. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer, and advertising materials. This MGM/UA release does a solid job of presenting the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide