The Russia House Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

The Russia House Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 2, 2022

Fred Schepisi's "The Russia House" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures. The only supplemental feature on the disc is a vintage U.S. theatrical trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

High-stakes political maneuvers with the potential to alter the balance of power during the Cold War era. Complex personal intrigues with far-reaching consequences. Wordplays that only professional spies can properly deconstruct. This is classic John Le Carre territory.

You can instantly tell that director Fred Schepisi’s film The Russia House had studied this territory and understood how to convincingly recreate it on the big screen. The fact that Schepisi was allowed by the Soviet government to shoot on location in Moscow and St. Petersburg during the peak of glasnost obviously helped tremendously. The gray streets and buildings as well as the perpetually gloomy skies immediately reproduce an unmistakable ambience and Schepisi’s camera often captures the sad faces of total strangers that are in perfect synchrony with it. All of this would have been impossible to accurately recreate in the West.

But The Russia House managed to get something else right as well. It was the Western stars that had to fit in and make their characters look authentic as well. Sean Connery, Michelle Pfeiffer, Roy Scheider, James Fox, and more than a dozen excellent supporting actors became part of a team that operated on the same wavelength despite being scattered into two drastically different worlds. This was not easy to get right. In fact, if the cast had been mismanaged, it would have made The Russia House unwatchable even with the incredible visuals and atmosphere from the defunct U.S.S.R.

The drama begins during an international book conference in Moscow where a British publisher is handed a package with a manuscript containing highly sensitive Soviet military secrets. Shortly after, the British Secret Service launches an ambitious operation to confirm the authenticity of the military secrets at the center of which is a man with zero experience in the field of international espionage. His name is Barley (Connery) and he is a British publisher, too. Barley is asked to establish contact with Katya (Pfeiffer), the Russian woman who delivered the package with the manuscript, and with her assistance identify its author (Klaus Maria Brandauer). Initially, Barley assumes that someone has set him up to be the main star in an unusually wicked joke and immediately turns down the request to help his country. However, when the British Secret Service presents him with evidence that the discussed operation is legit and introduces his future target, he changes his mind. After a few days of rushed briefings, Barley then packs his bags and heads to Moscow to meet Katya.

The Russia House is moody, very carefully paced, intense yet unapologetically romantic, and ultimately entirely believable spy thriller. However, the most interesting aspect of its versatility is the fact that its use of the original material from Le Carre’s novel of the same name allows it to develop a unique identity without destroying its integrity. This is a tremendous accomplishment because Le Carre’s novels are notorious for their remarkably detailed descriptions of the territory where top spies from both sides of the Iron Curtain used to outsmart each other while serving their ideological masters.

Of course, The Russia House is not about top spies, but reluctant messengers who are forced to act as top spies while risking their lives. This is why the casting choices were so crucial. Connery and Pfeiffer’s characters become engaged in an intimate relationship that constantly redefines trust, and the more it does, the bigger its revelations become about the structures of the two worlds they have emerged from. So, even though there are a lot of complex developments and spectacular twists, it is the management of this intimate relationship that legitimizes the entire film. It has to look perfect in a very particular moment in time and to viewers with completely different perceptions of the socio-political realities of Connery and Pfeiffer’s characters. (The Russia House was the first big western film to be made in the U.S.S.R. with the personal blessing of Mikhail Gorbachev, so a lot of important eyes followed very closely what its creators did and how. Needless to say, this makes the finished film even more impressive).

Oscar-winner Jerry Goldsmith delivered a pearl of a soundtrack that should be considered one of his best. It gives The Russia House a timeless allure.

The Russia House Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Russia House arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures.

The release is sourced from an older but very strong master that was supplied by MGM. To be honest, I don't see much room for any significant improvements. Yes, if the film is redone in 4K it will look fresher and more vibrant, plus in a couple of areas minor nuances and details will become easier to recognize and appreciate. During the opening credits, there is a bit of room for cosmetic work and someone will surely pick up the few tiny nicks that pop up here and there. But I think that the basics of this master are very solid. For example, delineation and depth range from very good to excellent. Clarity is very pleasing as well. Color balance is convincing as well. A few primaries can be a tad healthier, but shifting nuances -- and there are many because of the different locations -- look very good. Image stability is excellent. There are no traces of compromising digital corrections. All in all, this is one of the very best older MGM masters that I have seen in quite some time, so it isn't surprising that The Russia House looks so good in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Russia House Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I only recently upgraded my DVD release of The Russia House and was thrilled to hear how well the lossless track handles Jerry Goldsmith's magnificent score. To be honest, viewing the film with the lossless track is a completely different experience because the subtle dynamic nuances are so much easier to appreciate now. Can the audio be even better? I would be very surprised if in the future MGM, or someone on MGM's behalf, produced a better lossless track for this film. If any improvements are made, they will be insignificant.

The Russia House Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - a vintage U.S. trailer for The Russia House. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

The Russia House Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

John Le Carre's novels deconstruct the spy game that was played during the Cold War era with a surgical precision that is incredibly difficult to accurately recreate on the big screen. Why? Because in these novels Le Carre routinely spent more time describing very particular moods and sensations rather than the mechanics of the spy game. Fred Schepisi's The Russia House is a great film, but not because it flawlessly recreates the drama from Le Carre's novel of the same name. It works really well because it develops a unique identity while recreating the drama and preserving its integrity with a cast of true stars. This was not as easy as the short description suggests because many of these stars had to appear legit in a completely foreign environment and during a very unusual time. Jerry Goldsmith gave the film a pearl of a soundtrack that should be considered one of his best. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.