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The Jump

Play trailer Poster for The Jump 2021 1h 24m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
It's Thanksgiving Day, 1970, the Atlantic Ocean. A US patrol boat meets a Soviet fishing vessel. A Soviet sailor jumps across the icy water onto the American boat in a frantic bid for freedom. To his horror, and to the outcry of the world media, the Americans return him to the Soviets. Through rare archival footage and a dramatic, first-person re-enactment by the would-be defector, 86-year-old Simas Kudirka, we relive one of the most unpredictable Cold War muddles.

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The Jump

Critics Reviews

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Dmitry Samarov Chicago Reader The man himself remains a cipher. Deciding late in life to move back to the homeland he once rejected, he leaves the viewer wondering why he ever wanted to escape in the first place. Mar 8, 2022 Full Review Ben Kenigsberg New York Times In its first half-hour, the documentary “The Jump” brings a bracing immediacy to a 50-year-old Cold War incident. Mar 1, 2022 Full Review Robin Clifford Reeling Reviews Of course, a documentary about such a significant event is rich in archival information, including the photograph of Simas, in mid-air, making the famous jump. Rated: B Mar 4, 2022 Full Review Laura Clifford Reeling Reviews ickyt opens with vintage U.S. news coverage, immediately engaging his audience with the need to know just why the U.S. would have handed a defector back to the Soviets...Kudirka is an entertaining guide... Rated: B Feb 22, 2022 Full Review Chris Knight National Post I won't spoil any of the diplomatic twists that followed. But it's worth noting that Kudirka is a natural raconteur with the soul of a poet. Rated: 4/5 Jan 15, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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brent m Taking a leap of faith -- literally and figuratively -- is a truly inspiring act, especially when we believe that doing so will help us fulfill a cherished dream. But what happens when that aspiration doesn't pan out as planned? That's what happened in 1970, when Lithuanian seamen Simas Kudirka leapt from his Soviet fishing boat onto the deck of a US Coast Guard vessel in hopes of seeking asylum, a request that was surprisingly denied, setting off both an international incident and a mass wave of indignant protests in the West. The heartbreaking and heartwarming saga he subsequently underwent provides the focus of director Giedre Zickyte's in-depth documentary about Kudirka's incredible odyssey. The film not only outlines Kudirka's remarkable journey, but also presents an up-close profile of a colorful and vibrant individual, one who shows us our lack of appreciation for things that we should be valuing, as well as how to stay vital well on into our senior years. It's a combination that works quite well, although the final segment loses some of the picture's steam as it winds down to the final frame. Nonetheless, even though this is a story that has largely gone forgotten, it delivers a message that should never be. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Jump

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Cast & Crew

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Giedre Zickyte

Director

Henry Kissinger

Self

Ralph W. Eustis

Self

Daiva Kezys

Self

Simas Kudirka

Self

Grazina Paegle

Self
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The Jump

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Movie Info

Synopsis It's Thanksgiving Day, 1970, the Atlantic Ocean. A US patrol boat meets a Soviet fishing vessel. A Soviet sailor jumps across the icy water onto the American boat in a frantic bid for freedom. To his horror, and to the outcry of the world media, the Americans return him to the Soviets. Through rare archival footage and a dramatic, first-person re-enactment by the would-be defector, 86-year-old Simas Kudirka, we relive one of the most unpredictable Cold War muddles.
Director
Giedre Zickyte
Producer
Jim Butterworth, Uldis Cekulis, Daniel J. Chalfen, Vesna Cudic, Catherine Simeon, Giedre Zickyte, Andrius Korvel
Screenwriter
Giedre Zickyte, Giedre Zickyte
Production Co
Moonmakers, France Télévision, VFS Films, SVT
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 26, 2021, Limited
Runtime
1h 24m
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