Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003162062
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Chris Gladden
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Stolichnaya, the distillers of premium Russian vodka, conducted a poll in the Soviet Union to see which American movies and actors Soviet citizens like best.
With the westernization of the Soviet Union, it seems that the tastes of the country that gave the film world Sergei Eisenstein are as free to be as bad as ours.
Among the favorite American actors were Arnold Schwarzenegger and that old red-basher Sylvester Stallone with 3 percent each. Also with 3 per cent each were Jane Fonda and Jack Nicholson, which may mean there's some hope as far as the Russians' ability to discern American acting talent. Other favorites with 2 percent each included Chuck Norris and Charles Bronson.
The top three films were "The Godfather," "Rain Man" and "Coming to America," each with 6 percent of the votes cast by 400 Muscovites, ages 18 to 39.
Other favorites were "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Octopussy," "Crocodile Dundee," "Police Academy," "Romancing the Stone" and "Alien."
A little further down the list but still popular were "Nightmare on Elm Street," "9 1/2 Weeks," "Jane Eyre," "Tootsie" "RoboCop" and "The Last Emperor." According to the poll, video clubs are popular in Moscow. Russians go to these clubs pretty much as Americans go to the movies and sit around on sofas watching VCRS - kind of couch potatoskis.
Hollywood, of course, has stereotyped Russians. For years, they've been the bad guys. Yet they like James Bond and Stallone and others who have battled the Soviets over the years.
But what the poll seems to indicate more than anything is that Russian movie enthusiasts are a varied and unpredictable lot. Some have good taste, some have bad taste. Some lean toward movies with depth and grand themes and others go for pure escapism - just like Americans.
\ The Grandin Theatre is breaking policy on second-run movies and charging more than its usual $2.75. The theater was trying to book "Born on the Fourth of July," a multiple-Oscar nominee. But Universal told manager Julie Hunsaker that the movie, which is being pulled from first run houses two weeks before the Oscars, is not being released to discount houses. Hunsaker and the Universal rep agreed that the timing was not good for such a movie to be pulled from exhibition. They compromised - The Grandin was given permission to show the film with the stipulation that the Grandin not charge a discount price. It will be the first movie there to cost $4.50. However, matinees will still be $1.75.
by CNB