The Death of Stalin (2017)
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Following the death of Joseph Stalin, members of the Soviet Politburo engage in a desperate and darkly comedic power struggle.
The story
On the night of March 1, 1953, the death of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin triggers an immediate and chaotic power struggle among the members of the Politburo. As the leadership scrambles to fill the vacuum, the various officials—including the ruthless NKVD head Lavrentiy Beria and the ambitious Nikita Khrushchev—engage in a frantic game of political maneuvering. The film depicts the internal social and political power struggle among the members of the Soviet Politburo following the death of leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, as they navigate the immediate aftermath of his passing while attempting to secure their own positions in the new regime.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the death of Joseph Stalin on March 1, 1953, after he suffers a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a note from a pianist who hated him, the Soviet Politburo descends into a frantic power struggle. Lavrentiy Beria and Nikita Khrushchev emerge as primary rivals, competing for control while maneuvering against other members like Malenkov. The plot involves the purging of rivals, the management of Stalin's children, and a chaotic attempt to control the capital. After a series of escalating tensions, including a massacre of mourners and a coup led by Marshal Georgy Zhukov, Beria is arrested and executed. The film concludes in 1956, showing Khrushchev as the new leader of the Soviet Union, while Brezhnev watches from the audience.
- First release year
- 2017
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- UK
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Armando Iannucci
- Writers
- Armando Iannucci · writer; David Schneider · writer; Ian Martin · writer; Peter Fellows · additional material
- Cast and characters
- Steve Buscemi; Simon Russell Beale; Paddy Considine; Rupert Friend; Jason Isaacs · Georgy Zhukov; Michael Palin; Andrea Riseborough; Jeffrey Tambor
- Genres
- political satire; black comedy
- Themes
- power struggle; political corruption; Stalinism
- Tone and mood
- satire; black comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- historical fiction; political intrigue; Soviet Union
- Source material / true-story basis
- La Mort de Staline (2010–2012)
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim and was described as a 'devastatingly funny dissection of power politics' and a 'brilliant horror-satire'. It faced significant controversy and was banned in Russia and Kyrgyzstan for being perceived as anti-Russian propaganda.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · scale: percentage · review count: 254; Metacritic · score: 88 · scale: 100 · review count: 43
- Awards and nominations
- British Academy Film Awards · Outstanding British Film · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's score was composed by Christopher Willis, who tried to write in the style of Soviet composer Dmitri Shostakovich.; The film was included on a list of favorite films of 2018 by former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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