The Defection of Simas Kudirka

The Defection of Simas Kudirka
Genre Drama
Written by Bruce Feldman
Directed by David Lowell Rich
Starring Alan Arkin
Music by David Shire
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Producer(s) Gerald W. Abrams
Richard Briggs
Gerald I. Isenberg
Bruce Sallan
Editor(s) John A. Martinelli
Running time 100 minutes
Production company(s) Paramount Television
The Jozak Company
Distributor CBS
Release
Original network CBS
Original release
  • January 23, 1978 (1978-01-23)

The Defection of Simas Kudirka is a 1978 television movie based on actual events, featuring Alan Arkin as Simas Kudirka, a Soviet merchant seaman in Soviet-era 1970 who attempts to defect to the United States by jumping onto a U.S. Coast Guard cutter. Among the movie's awards are two Emmys and another three Emmy nominations. The movie was directed by David Lowell Rich.

Plot

The movie revolves around the true events of a Lithuanian man named Simas Kudirka, who was at the time was a radio operator on a Soviet fish processing vessel. When his ship meets at sea with a U.S. Coast Guard cutter near Martha's Vineyard in early 1970, Kudirka makes a dramatic leap from the deck, landing on the USCGC Vigilant. He announces that he wishes to defect, but confusion over U.S. policy on defections prevents the Americans from offering him asylum. As the crew of the Vigilant looks on helplessly, Soviet officers are allowed to board the cutter, beat and bind Kudirka, and drag him back to his own ship. This tinderbox political incident occurs during a Soviet/U.S. conference over fishing rights. The ultimate fate of Simas Kudirka provides the core of the script.[1][2]

Cast

Production

The movie was filmed in Portsmouth, NH, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, and off the coast of New Hampshire and southern Maine. The final scene shows Simas Kudirka (Arkin) and his wife Genna (Shirley Knight) reviewing the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, the ship onto which Kudirka jumped. The actual ship shown in the movie was the USCGC Decisive at its home port of New Castle, NH The TS 'State of Maine', the training ship of Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine was used as the Russian fish factory ship. Many students at MMA were extras as Russian crewmen.[3]

Awards

In 1978, the movie won two Emmys and was nominated for another three.[4]

Winners were:

The nominated categories and nominees were:

In 1979, the movie won an "Eddie" from the American Cinema Editors, USA, for Best Edited Television Special, awarded to John A. Martinelli.

Home video

The movie has been released on DVD on-demand format.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Allmovie.com - The Defection of Simas Kudirka
  2. ↑ Turner Classic Movies - Overview for The Defection of Simas Kudirka
  3. ↑ IMDB.com - The Defection of Simas Kudirka
  4. ↑ IMDB.com - Awards for The Defection of Simas Kudirka
  5. ↑ VideoETA.com - Home Video releases of the movie
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