{"id":1572,"date":"2026-10-12T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fightinginthewarroom.com\/THOB\/?p=1572"},"modified":"2026-10-09T20:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T20:35:08","slug":"408-the-russia-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fightinginthewarroom.com\/THOB\/2026\/10\/12\/408-the-russia-house\/","title":{"rendered":"408 – The Russia House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In the years after his Oscar win for The Untouchable<\/em>s, Sean Connery remained a major movie star and box office draw. The latter proved untrue in 1990 when The Russia House<\/em> fizzled at the holiday box office. Based on the John le Carr\u00e9 novel, the film follows Connery as a publisher pulled into espionage in Russia during perestroika, only to fall in love with an informant’s wife, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. One year after The Fabulous Baker Boys<\/em>, Pfeiffer earned a Globe nomination for her performance, but Oscar honored neither of these headliners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This episode, we discuss director Fred Schepisi and the Academy’s arms-length relationship with the chillier adaptations of le Carr\u00e9’s work. We also discuss Connery’s next decade as a major star, Pfeiffer’ on her 10th THOB-day (that’s a To Gillian reference for anyone paying attention)’s extensive THOB history, and director Ken Russell hiding out among the film’s ensemble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Topics also include the 1990 EW Holiday Movie Preview, a Berlin competition lineup with two Best Picture winners, and composer Jerry Goldsmith.<\/p>\n