The Defection of Simas Kudirka
Encyclopedia
The Defection of Simas Kudirka is a 1978 television movie
based on actual events, featuring Alan Arkin
as Simas Kudirka, a Lithuania
n 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
.
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 prevent 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.
, 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
.
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.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
based on actual events, featuring Alan Arkin
Alan Arkin
Alan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
as Simas Kudirka, a Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n merchant seaman in Soviet-era 1970 who attempts to defect to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by jumping onto a U.S. Coast Guard cutter
United States Coast Guard Cutter
Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...
. Among the movie's awards are two Emmys and another three Emmy nominations. The movie was directed by David Lowell Rich
David Lowell Rich
David Lowell Rich is an American film director and producer. He has directed nearly 100 films and TV episodes between 1950 and 1987...
.
Plot
The movie revolves around real-life Lithuanian seaman Simas Kudirka, 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 VineyardMartha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
in early 1970, Kudirka makes a dramatic leap from the deck, landing on the USCGC Vigilant
USCGC Vigilant (WMEC-617)
USCGC Vigilant is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter. She is the twelfth cutter to bear the name Vigilant, dating back to 1790 when the original Vigilant was built for the Revenue Cutter Service. She was commissioned on October 3, 1964, at Todd Shipyards in Houston, Texas at a...
. He announces that he wishes to defect, but confusion over U.S. policy on defections prevent 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.
Cast
- Alan ArkinAlan ArkinAlan Wolf Arkin is an American actor, director, musician and singer. He is known for starring in such films as Wait Until Dark, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, Glengarry Glen Ross, Marley & Me, and...
as Simas Kudirka - Richard JordanRichard JordanRichard Jordan was an American stage, screen and film actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays...
as Commander Edward Devon - Donald PleasenceDonald PleasenceSir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
as Vladimir Popov - George DzundzaGeorge DzundzaGeorge Dzundza is an American television and film actor.-Personal life:Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one...
as Gruzauskas - Nicholas GuestNicholas GuestNicholas Haden-Guest is an American actor. He primarily works as a voice actor, but is best known for a TV role, as the principal in the NBC teen sitcom, USA High.-Personal life:...
as Baltrunar - Shirley KnightShirley KnightShirley Enola Knight is an American stage, film and television actress. She has been nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, in 1960 for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and in 1962 for Sweet Bird of Youth....
as Genna Kudirka - John McMartinJohn McMartinJohn McMartin is an American actor of stage, film and television.-Early life and career:McMartin was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised in Minnesota. He attended college in Illinois and New York. He made his off-Broadway debut in Little Mary Sunshine in 1959, playing opposite Eileen Brennan...
as Phillip Chadway - Ted ShackelfordTed ShackelfordTed Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
as Blain
Production
The movie was filmed in Portsmouth, NHPortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...
in Kittery, Maine
Kittery, Maine
Kittery is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,543 at the 2000 census. Home to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey's Island, Kittery includes Badger's Island, the seaside district of Kittery Point, and part of the Isles of Shoals...
, and off the coast of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and southern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. 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
USCGC Decisive (WMEC-629)
USCGC Decisive is a United States Coast Guard medium endurance cutter.-External links:*...
at its home port of New Castle, NH
New Castle, New Hampshire
New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 968 at the 2010 census. It is the smallest town in New Hampshire, and the only one located entirely on islands. It is home to Fort Constitution Historic Site, Fort Stark Historic Site, and the New Castle...
.
Awards
In 1978, the movie won two Emmy's and was nominated for another three.Winners were:
- Outstanding Directing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy: Director David Lowell Rich
- Outstanding Film Editing for a Special: John A. Martinelli
The nominated categories and nominees were:
- Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Special (Dramatic Underscore): David ShireDavid ShireDavid Lee Shire is an American songwriter and the composer of stage musicals, film and television scores. The soundtrack to the movie The Taking of Pelham 123 and parts of the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack such as Night on Disco Mountain, an adaptation of Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald...
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special: Donald Pleasence
- Outstanding Writing in a Special Program - Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay: Bruce Feldman
In 1979, the movie won an "Eddie" from the American Cinema Editors, USA, for Best Edited Television Special, awarded to John A. Martinelli.