Gorky Park - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Gorky Park or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Gorky Park

[kristen]

Reportedly, the production was denied access for filming in Moscow, Russia.

[terry]

Many actresses auditioned and were interviewed for the female love interest role of Irina Asanova which in the end was cast with Polish actress Joanna Pacula.

[frances]

Polish actress Joanna Pacula received an 'introducing' credit.

[carla]

Director Lindsay Anderson was offered the job of directing the picture. In the end, another Englishman, Michael Apted, was hired to direct.

[jesse]

Scottish audiences were very amused to see famous Scottish comedian Rikki Fulton turn up as a ruthless KGB agent.

[manuel]

Director Michael Apted said during principal photography: "Every time we see a stranger in a shiny raincoat standing on the fringe of the crowd, someone jumps and mutters KGB. But I think we'll be left alone. There's nothing they can do about it, and they're too smart to get into any kind of situation they can't control".

[caroline]

Key personnel, such as director Michael Apted, costume designer Richard Bruno, production designer Paul Sylbert, and producer Hawk Koch, according to the Australian magazine Movie '84 (edition No. #1), "spent months researching every detail of Russian buildings, cars, uniforms, civilian clothes, hats, and even cigarettes, finally deciding on Helsinki in Finland as the substitute city for Moscow."

[frances]

Helsinki stood in for Moscow in this movie. Because of the Cold War, Gorky Park could not be filmed on actual location in Moscow. The film group decided to come to Helsinki, the architecture of which is similar to Russian architecture.

[lonnie]

Producer Howard W. Koch said of the making of this movie whilst doing press for the picture: "We couldn't even get into Russia to film it and I can't say any of us were surprised. But that's what makes it so special. We're chalking up a first here. Nobody ever made a modern thriller like this set in Russia. It's just a pity they don't like us doing it." Koch added: "They kept telling us 'There's no crime or corruption in Moscow'. But it's like any urban city in the world, of course there's crime. They just don't tell anyone about it. That's what you get with a closed society."

[kim]

The glamorous elaborate bath house seen in the movie was actually a Swedish health center in Stockholm in Sweden and was apparently owned by pop group ABBA during the time of the making of this movie.

[albert]

Gorky Park in this movie was not the real Gorky Park in Moscow, Russia but actually was portrayed by the Kaisaniemi Park in Helsinki, Finland.

[kristen]

For the filming location of Helsinki in Finland, prior to this movie, the last big Hollywood production filming there had been Warren Beatty and his production crew there for a month shooting Reds (1981).

[ethel]

This major motion picture was made prior to 'glasnost' and 'perestroika'.

[frederick]

Director Michael Apted said of actor Lee Marvin's casting against type as Jack Osborne whilst doing press for the film: "Yes, a lot of people are surprised. In fact, they're in blank astonishment at the casting. They think I've gone bonkers. But I talked to people about him, and everyone who knew him said what an intelligent sophisticated man Lee really is. I felt he didn't have to play the cursing, swearing, stubble-chinned ex-Marine everyone knows. It's good to go against type-casting sometimes."

[wesley]

John Schlesinger was the first choice to direct.

[miriam]

Stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford were considered for the role of Arkady Renko which in the end was cast with actor William Hurt. Reportedly, Hoffman was unavailable, and producers Hawk Koch and Gene Kirkwood believed that Redford's image would be at odds with the public and the character of Renko, and as such, did not seek him for the film's lead male role.

[kim]

Of the film's lead actor William Hurt, who plays Soviet militsiya officer Arkady Renko, producer Hawk Koch said: "Bill is playing this to the hilt. We're all amazed by his performance. He's very intense. And he's got himself right into the role. I think we chose right."

[duane]

Most of the Russian characters are played by British actors, so the accent convention in this movie is that British accents are native Russians. This is why William Hurt speaks his part with a British accent, while Lee Marvin and Brian Dennehy speak naturally as their American characters.