White Nights (1985 film)

White Nights
White Nights
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Taylor Hackford
Screenplay by	James Goldman; Eric Hughes; Nancy Dowd (uncredited)
Story by	James Goldman
Produced by	William S. Gilmore; Taylor Hackford
Starring	Mikhail Baryshnikov; Gregory Hines; Geraldine Page; Helen Mirren; Jerzy Skolimowski; Isabella Rossellini;
Cinematography	David Watkin
Edited by	Fredric Steinkamp; William Steinkamp
Music by	Michel Colombier
Color process	Metrocolor
Production; company	Delphi IV Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	November 8, 1985 (Chicago International Film Festival); November 22, 1985;
Running time	136 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English; Russian
Budget	$10–20 million
Box office	$42.2 million

White Nights is a 1985 American musical drama film directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, Gregory Hines, Jerzy Skolimowski, Helen Mirren and Isabella Rossellini.^[3]^[4] It was choreographed by Twyla Tharp. The title refers to the sunlit summer nights of Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg), the setting for the majority of the film, situated just a few degrees below the Arctic Circle.

The film is notable both for the dancing of Hines and Baryshnikov and for the Academy Award-winning song "Say You, Say Me" by Lionel Richie in 1986, as well as "Separate Lives" performed by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin and written by Stephen Bishop (also nominated). The film was the international film debut of Isabella Rossellini^[1] and Taylor Hackford met his future wife, Helen Mirren, during filming.^[5]

^ ^a ^b White Nights at the American Film Institute Catalog
^ White Nights at Box Office Mojo
^ Canby, Vincent (November 22, 1985). "BARYSHNIKOV IN 'WHITE NIGHTS,' TALE OF TWO DEFECTORS". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
^ Benson, Sheila (November 22, 1985). "'Nights': Accent On Defection". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2013-04-20.
^ Nancy Griffin (September 20, 2006). "Mirren, Mirren on the Wall". AARP The Magazine. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2010.