Magnum Photo: Filming "White Nights" in Helsinki

The crew of the film "White Nights", including director Taylor Hackford and actress Isabella Rosselini, review a scene they have just shot in Helsinki, Finland. 1984.

Credit: Eve Arnold

This photo shows a behind the scenes moment in the filming of "White Nights", a American film about Soviet and American ballet dancers and their how their political affiliations and loyalties affect their lives and their identities as artists.  The cast and crew were very international, including Americans, Russians, Italians and Brits and the movie was filmed in Finland, Portugal, the UK and the USSR.  I was not familiar with the film, but I found this photo striking for the way it shows a group of people focused on a single point, each reacting differently.  Even with a limited knowledge of film making or of the specific people involved in the making of this movie, it is easy to speculate on the roles of each person from their interaction with the screen.  The director is at the center, actively commenting,  man and woman to his right are perhaps actors, critically eyeing their performances. Should the woman with the clipboard be taking notes?  The men in the back who are less engaged-- are they crew members awaiting instruction?