Review: The Death of Stalin

“Stalin would like a recording of tonight’s performance… did we happen to record it?”

The Death of Stalin is a satire focusing on the change of power in the Soviet Union during the period after the death of Joseph Stalin. The film focuses on absurdities of living under such a fearful and murderous system of government, yet it still manages to present the true horrors of the time, focusing on the cruelty of Stalin and then Lavrentiy Beria (played by Simon Russell Beale), who history would find to be a real monster. Once Stalin dies, the film pieces together the political fallout and the furious political infighting as Beria and Nikita Khrushchev (played by the always brilliant Steve Buscemi) jostle for power.

Buscemi is perfectly cast

The opening of the film sets the tone of what’s to come. An orchestra has just played a performance that is broadcast on the radio, and the station master gets a phone call from Stalin saying he’d like a recording, for which none was made. However, he can’t say he doesn’t have one. He simply has to have one. To have failed the dear leader would result in punishment. The absurdity of the situation that people living under such a ruler are put into, lends itself to great comedic moments, such as here, as he frantically tries to recreate the performance to record before Stalin’s goons arrive to take the recoding back to him. Naturally, it is not an easy task, as a variety of obstacles present themselves.

Director Armando Iannucci successfully builds tension within the scene, intercutting several plots at once, whilst leading up to the frantic conclusion of handing over an untested recreation of the recording. Moments of tension and drama are interlaced with scenes of great humour. The committee has its nightly meetings with Stalin, each trying to entertain him and not say something incorrect. When Georgy Malenkov accidentally asks the wrong question, the room falls silent and Malenkov suddenly realises he has possibly signed his own death notice. Meanwhile, the lists of ‘enemies of the state’ have been sent out for the night’s political killings and Moscow is filled with the noise of screaming people being dragged out of bed and arrested or shot. The fear of being targeted leads to a number of humorous situations, such as the conductor who is dragged out bed to conduct the orchestra, in his pyjamas.

The film is a series of great comedic set ups, such as the committee all acting their way through finding their dear leader lying on the floor and trying to see who can present themselves more as the faithful servant, whilst most are clearly relieved that Stalin is dead. The film doesn’t mind adding in a few low brow jokes as well, finding a balance of all aspects to make the whole film very enjoyable throughout. That the film can be this funny, yet feature fairly gory violence and hint at rape and torture is a strong achievement on Iannucci’s part. The film pokes fun at the absurdity of the horrors of the dictatorship, without making light of it.

The actors are superb. Buscemi is perfectly cast as Khrushchev. His comedic timing is perfect but Buscemi is able to bring enough strength and underlying cunning that it doesn’t feel odd that Khrushchev ends up in charge by the end.

Simon Russell Beale as Beria has the most meat on the bone as a performer, and he is very dark and menacing in his role. You can see the desperate plot in his eyes, the hunger for power. He takes pleasure in intimidation, such as when a stuttering soldier displeases him. We see the monster, but like all great villains, he is portrayed as someone who can be charming enough to slip under people’s radar. Apparently, Beria was very disliked within the committee and even Stalin had issues with his behaviour. Committee members would always ensure none of their female family members were ever alone with Beria.

Beria (left) manipulates Malenkov (right) and seeks to be the power behind the leader, and most likely the eventual leader. The world might have been a very different place had he won out in the end.

From what I can tell from my post film watching research, something I love doing after I see a film based on true events, the film doesn’t sensationalise the story too far, keeping much of the facts of each event and outcome. Obviously the dialogue spoken is given great artistic licence, but in the end, it’s a very funny way to learn about the early days of cold war Russia. It serves as a reminder of what extreme power can lead to and a warning to us all as we continue to slip back towards the days of the cold war. The humour is smart and may not appeal to everyone, especially considering the standard of humour in mainstream cinema. Some people will probably find it unfunny as well, as the humour is so dark you almost need to light a candle next to the screen to see it. The cinematography and set design is well balanced, with a few flashy moments, but very much keeping with the style of Russia after the second world war.

Jeffrey Tambor as Georgy Malenkov. He is very funny in the role as the new leader, who struggles to lead.

Be sure to know going in that none of the actors speak with a Russian accent. If this annoys you, then perhaps ask yourself why it’s okay when Russians or Germans speak English when a film is set in their home country, yet they have to have an accent. From a performance point of view, this is the better choice. I would rather hear Steve Buscemi performing to his best ability in his very Steve Buscemi voice, than putting on a fake accent.

The five bearded questions:

1. Was it worth a cinema trip? Yes

2. Would I See It Again at the Cinema? Yes

3. Would I buy it on Blu-ray: (only films I really love get bought these days) Yes 4. Do I Recommend people see it? Yes

5. Any cheese/ Disney style bullshit?: (such as jokes wedged in at serious moments, because fun!). Dairy free.