White Nights
Two men. Not soldiers. Not heroes. Just dancers. Willing to risk their lives for freedom-and each other.
Country
Production
Budget
$0
Box office
$42 160 849
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
William S. Gilmore, Taylor Hackford
Camera operator
David Watkin
Composer
Artist
Philip Harrison, Stuart Rose
Audition
Nancy Klopper, Jeremy Zimmermann, Noel Davis
Editing
William Steinkamp, Fredric Steinkamp
Whole Team (102)
Whole Team (102)
Short description
After his plane crashes in Siberia, a Russian dancer, who defected to the West, is held prisoner in the Soviet Union. The KGB keeps him under watch and tries to convince him to become a dancer for the Kirov Academy of Ballet again. Determined to escape, he befriends a black American expatriate and his pregnant Russian wife, who agree to help him escape to the American Embassy.
What's left behind the scenes
- In preparation for filming, Helen Mirren, Gregory Hines (1946-2003), and Isabella Rossellini visited Leningrad.
- Director Taylor Hackford encountered quite predictable difficulties when choosing locations for filming. A large part of the film's plot unfolded in the USSR, particularly in Siberia and Leningrad. Given the film's subject matter – and especially the participation of Mikhail Baryshnikov – filming there was out of the question. Siberia could not be filmed on location either, as the technical capabilities of that period did not allow for accurately recreating the typical lighting for northern latitudes. The filmmakers took several trial trips to countries bordering the Arctic Circle and eventually chose the Finnish island of Reposaari. The majority of the island's population, which by that time numbered 1071 people, adhered to communist ideals, so producer William S. Gilmore had to use maximum diplomacy to obtain permission to film. One way or another, the Finnish communists proved to be pragmatic. Filming meant investment in the island's economy and temporary work for its inhabitants (the port, chemical plant, and fish processing plant located on the island had long been in decline). In short, only three residents of the island opposed filming and turning their village into a Siberian town for two weeks.
- Director Taylor Hackford faced criticism and ridicule for using old photographs of Helsinki in the film, which he presented as photographs of Leningrad. In fact, Hackford used photographs of Leningrad obtained at his request from representatives of a Finnish tourist agency. Despite the criticism, he endured the mockery for a long time and remained silent about the origin of the photographs so as not to compromise his Finnish friends.
- The filmmakers needed to find a venue that could pass for the interior of the Leningrad S.M. Kirov Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Order of Lenin and Order of the October Revolution. Ultimately, it was decided to film at the São Carlos National Theatre in Lisbon. In all of Western Europe, it most closely resembled the Leningrad theatre in its atmosphere and the elegance of its interior, a sentiment shared by Mikhail Baryshnikov. At that time, the theatre had already existed for nearly 200 years. It served as a symbol of the Portuguese capital's rebirth after the terrible earthquake of 1783. The interiors of the Kirov Theatre were filmed in Portugal, while the exterior was filmed directly in Leningrad in the then-USSR. In 1992, the Kirov Theatre was renamed the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre.
- The film opens with an excerpt from the ballet “The Young Man and Death” (choreographer – Roland Petit, librettist – Jean Cocteau), which premiered in 1946 on the stage of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
- The film's director, Taylor Hackford, was criticized and mocked for using shots of old Helsinki and passing them off as images of Leningrad. In reality, Hackford had used shots of Leningrad provided to him by representatives of a Finnish travel agency. Despite the criticism, he endured the ridicule and remained silent about the origin of the photos for a long time to avoid compromising his Finnish friends.
- Actress Helen Mirren and director Taylor Hackford met on the set of this film. They subsequently married.
- Helen Mirren convincingly played Galina Ivanova, which is not surprising considering her father was Russian. Her birth name is Elena Lidia Vasilievna Mironova. Her grandfather, Pyotr Vasilievich Mironov, was a military engineer and served on the Russian Government Committee in London, where he oversaw arms procurement for the Russian army. A staunch monarchist, he remained in Great Britain after the revolution (according to other sources, he fled Soviet Russia).
- Actress Helen Mirren and director Taylor Hackford met on the set of this film. They later married.
- While preparing for filming, Helen Mirren, Gregory Hines (1946-2003), and Isabella Rossellini visited Leningrad.
- When selecting filming locations, director Taylor Hackford faced quite expected difficulties. Much of the film's plot unfolded in the USSR, specifically in Siberia and Leningrad. Given the film's theme—and especially the participation of Mikhail Baryshnikov—filming there was out of the question. Siberia could not be recreated on a studio set either, as the technical capabilities of that period did not allow for an accurate reproduction of the lighting typical of northern latitudes. The filmmakers made several scouting trips to countries bordering the Arctic Circle and eventually settled on the Finnish island of Reposaari. A large part of the island's population, which numbered 1,071 people at the time, adhered to communist ideas, so producer William S. Gilmore had to employ maximum diplomacy to obtain permission to film. One way or another, the Finnish communists proved to be pragmatists. Filming the movie meant investment in the island's economy and temporary employment for its residents (as the island's port, chemical plant, and fish processing plant had long since fallen into decay). In short, only three residents of the island spoke out against the filming and the transformation of their village into a Siberian town for a period of two weeks.
- Helen Mirren gave a very convincing performance as Galina Ivanova, which is unsurprising given that her father was Russian. Her birth name is Elena Lydia Vasilyevna Mironova. Her grandfather, Pyotr Vasilyevich Mironov, was a military engineer who served in the Russian Government Committee in London, where he managed arms procurement for the Russian army. A staunch monarchist, he remained in Great Britain after the revolution (according to other sources, he fled there from Soviet Russia).
- The filmmakers needed to find a venue that could pass for the interior of the Leningrad Order of Lenin and Order of the October Revolution Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after S.M. Kirov. Eventually, it was decided to film in the premises of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in Lisbon. Throughout Western Europe, it most resembled the theatre in Leningrad in terms of atmosphere and the elegance of its interior, as Mikhail Baryshnikov also agreed. At that time, the theatre had been around for almost 200 years. It served as a symbol of the revival of the Portuguese capital after the terrible earthquake of 1783. The interiors of the Kirov Theatre were filmed in Portugal, and the exterior – directly in Leningrad in the then USSR. In 1992, the Kirov Theatre was renamed the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
