Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for po... Read allMoscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.Moscow, 1953. After being in power for nearly 30 years, Soviet dictator, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, takes ill and quickly dies. Now the members of the Council of Ministers scramble for power.
- Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards
- 18 wins & 40 nominations total
- Woman in Layers of Clothes
- (as Yulya Muhrygina)
- Man in Layers of Clothes
- (as Andrey Korzhenevskiy)
- Musician 1
- (as Roger Ashton Griffiths)
- Young Man Snitch
- (as Alexandr Piskunov)
- Middle Aged Man
- (as Ruslav Neupokoev)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaVyacheslav Molotov's (Sir Michael Palin) wife Polina's (Diana Quick) arrest and release is more or less consistent with the real events. Polina was arrested in 1949 on bogus charges and sentenced to five years of hard labor and got her freedom only after the death of Joseph Stalin. Molotov was forced to divorce her by Stalin during that time. She was used as a tool by Lavrenti Beria as depicted in this movie to secure Molotov's loyalty. They got remarried and lived together until her death in 1970. Even though their relationship seems sincere and lovely, Molotov never blamed Stalin or criticized him for the purges that led to the hardships his wife faced.
- GoofsMalenkov did not become General Secretary of the Communist Party when Stalin died. He did, however, become Premier of the Soviet Union. The Soviet leadership was clearly in flux, and Malenkov never had the status of obvious successor to Stalin that the movie implies. He did not chair the Politburo meeting after Stalin died; Khrushchev did.
- Quotes
Nikita Khrushchev: I really need your help.
Georgy Zhukov: To do what? There's bodies fucking piling up in the street, it's a bit late, isn't it?
Nikita Khrushchev: What if we blame this on someone...
Georgy Zhukov: Wait...
Nikita Khrushchev: Who's out of control?
Georgy Zhukov: Nicky, be very careful what you say next. Who?
Nikita Khrushchev: Beria.
Georgy Zhukov: I'm going to have to report this conversation. Threatening to do harm or obstruct any member of the Presidium in the process of...
[grins]
Georgy Zhukov: Look at your fucking face!
[bursts out laughing]
- Crazy creditsBlack-and-white photographs of the main characters appear over the end credits, but various figures are airbrushed out, have their faces defaced, or have other people superimposed over them, as per Soviet photos of Trotsky and purge victims.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Last Leg: Episode #13.3 (2017)
- SoundtracksPiano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K488
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Galaxy Symphonic Orchestra
I was worried that, in an attempt to extract humor from the situation that they might've glossed over just how monstrous the key characters actually were. To Iannucci and Schneider's credit however, there was absolutely no glossing over at all. Beria, for instance, is portrayed as every bit the monster in human form that he was - this, even as that portrayal is also made darkly and delightfully humorous at times.
The whole cast played their parts well and played them "straight" - which only heightened the humor and the horror of what life was like under Stalin in the Soviet Union. Even the nominal "hero" of the tale, Nakita Khrushchev, is realistically portrayed as being just as conniving and callous and power hungry as everyone else. Buscemi would seem an odd choice for that particular role but he pulls it off with style and excellence. So too does Simon Russell Beale in his portrayal of Beria.
This is a nicely done film with excellent production values, a great script, fine acting, excellent pacing, and a compelling tale that is well told.
I highly recommend it!
- thorr97
- Apr 1, 2018
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- Смерть Сталіна
- Filming locations
- Olesya Honchara 45b, Kyiv, Ukraine(Exterior of Public enemies building)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $13,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $8,047,856
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $184,805
- Mar 11, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $24,646,055
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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