Main Cast: Robert Duvall, Julia Ormond, Jeroen Krabbé, Joan Plowright, Maximilian Schell
Release Year: 1992
Country: UK/US
Run Time: 173 minutes
Plot
The made-for-cable film Stalin relates the story of the ruthless Soviet dictator and his tyrannical rule. Robert Duvall gives an excellent performance as the dictator and the photography is beautiful, as are the sets, since much of the movie was shot on location in Russia. The screenplay also does a good job of detailing Stalin's aggression, not only on his citizens, but also his young wife (Julia Ormand). Nevertheless, the story is very detailed and viewers need to pay close attention in order to make the film a rewarding experience. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Review
Authenticity buttresses this 1992 HBO biography of Joseph Stalin (Robert Duvall), the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party from 1922 to 1953. Not only does the camera enter the Kremlin to recreate scenes from Lenin's apartment and the czar's ballroom, but it also visits Stalin's dacha, or country house, to recreate scenes between Stalin and his daughter Svetlana. What is most impressive, though, is the camera's ability to peer into the soul of Stalin himself -- thanks to Duvall's brilliant portrayal of the "man of steel" -- to reveal the cunning brutality of his twisted mind. With the help of makeup artists' efforts to sufficiently Stalinize him, Duvall presents the leader the way history has depicted him: as a rough-hewn, paranoid opportunist who connives his way to the top over the corpses of political enemies and friends alike, without suffering so much as a single twinge of conscience. To make the portrayal convincing, Duvall speaks with a Russian accent and adopts fist-pounding, finger-wagging Stalinesque gestures that may or may not forecast another assassination. Equally impressive is Maximilian Schell as Lenin. He looks and acts like the Lenin of history: He is fatherly, passionate, pragmatic, single-minded and, after suffering a third stroke, vulnerable to Stalin's wiles. Beautiful Julia Ormond delivers a fine performance as Stalin's second wife -- viewers may shed a tear for her after she is driven to suicide. Stalin was one of the first HBO productions to prove that cable television could produce a motion picture on a grand scale -- equal to or exceeding the quality of Hollywood's most lavish productions. ~ Mike Cummings, All Movie Guide
Frank Finlay - Sergei Alliluyev; Andras Balint - Zinoviev; Jim Carter - Sergo; Colin Jeavons - Yagoda; Yevgeny Lazarev - Vyshinsky; Miriam Margolyes - Krupskaya; Daniel Massey - Trotsky; Kevin McNally - Kirov; Clive Merrison - Molotov; Lisa Orgolini - Anya Larina; Joanna Roth - Svetlana; Roshan Seth - Berea; Oleg Tabakov - Dr. Vinogradov; Emil Wolk - Kamenev; Stella Gonet - Zina; John Bowe - Voroshilov; Murray Ewan - Khrushchev
Credit
Ivan Passer - Director, Peter Davies - Editor, Stanislas Syrewicz - Composer (Music Score), Keith Wilson - Production Designer, Vladimir Murzin - Production Designer, Vilmos Zsigmond - Cinematographer
