East Buys West

The Soviet film companies are buying as well as selling. The country now purchases about a dozen or more American films annually--up from 6 to 8 a few years ago.

Recent titles include “Mississippi Burning,” “Platoon” and “Romancing the Stone.” The latter, says Sovexportfilm public relations representative Oleg M. Sulkin, proved to be “a major blockbuster--everybody had to see it.”

“First Blood”--the first Rambo entry--has just begun making its way into the country’s theaters, via distribution by Mosfilm. “I can promise you that more people will see it in our country than saw it in yours,” enthuses Mosfilm general director Vladimir N. Dostal.

What kind of titles would Mosfilm and Sovexportfilm like to purchase for the Soviet Union’s diverse population of more than 286 million?

“Premiere movies,” says Sulkin, who believes that many older films--including the Disney animated films--could be hits among Soviets.

Mosfilm seeks titles “that represent a good history of American cinema,” says Dostal. “It would be wonderful to have ‘Gone With the Wind,’ which has only been shown here to film makers and not the public. I would also like to have one of your classic gangster movies, and a musical and a Western and. . . .”