Stalin (1992)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I think it's worth a 7/10 but given the focus on Stalin's way of thinking, I give it a 8/10.Some actors play well, others more like on a theater stage. Some scenes are strangely filmed, more like a theater act for some reason.Not the type of 'entertainment' film, as we would see in a Hollywood production, it's somehow like a narration acted documentary.But the main thing is the focus on the main subject. We get to see that Stalin had normal conversations, daily normal contacts with individuals surrounding him. This because we may see him as an horrifying Godzilla because of his dictator status. The scene at the cemetery with the members of his family is eloquent. Despite the poor acting of some of the family members, we get the picture of a dysfunctional clan, and his place into this clan as well.What was in his mind? From the movie, it seems he had for part of the time a lucid mind and evaluation of things, but this seems coupled with a 'broken' part of his mind, altered perhaps by distressing psychological fear and intense physical abuse perpetrated by his father. His (Stalin's) mind seem to had a deranged area of the brain were there is no judgment but fear, violence, brutality, a willing to preserve his own integrity by destroying what appears to put this integrity in danger. If the movie is right, what triggered this brain area was the fear of others, people who would want to hurt him, to his understanding. What caused him to suspect so many random people in this way is not explained in the movie.Put such disturbed brain at power, at the head of an organization or state, and see what happens.

a delicate subject. because it propose a character who remains obscure. and that is the motif for know few basic things about Stalin before see the film. because Robert Duvall does a great job. each detail. each scene. the dialog. and the moments who defines a world, step by step, convincing, touching, precise. a film who reminds more than presents. because it gives a nuanced portrait of a dictator, not in black and white, but in its essential points. to discover Stalin is served with admirable art by the script and director. Stalin by Duvall is not a statue or a stamp. he is the evil but the humanity has few scenes for discover the roots of crimes. and that is the great virtue of the film. to propose a sketch who represents start for understand a period.

"Stalin" is a sensationalized made for TV drama about the Soviet dictator. Much of the film focuses on Stalin's relationship his first wife, Nadezhda Alleluieva, which tends to dilute the more interesting plot elements. The film also tends to humanize Stalin a bit too much, trying to show his 'tender' side, as well as many of the old Bolsheviks without discussing their own crimes.The filmmakers seem to be quite ignorant of the way many of the main characters looked and acted - strange given the tremendous access to research materials. Robert Duvall's Stalin is highly reminiscent of an Italian gangster. Lenin, played well by Schell, looks like Bozo the Clown. Bukharin is portrayed by a man who looks nothing like him whatsoever, and has more hair than Bukharin ever had. Conversely, Yezhov is depicted as quite balding and wearing a mustache - neither of which is accurate (even though the actor's eyes and height were dead on). Beria and Yagoda, by contrast, are a closer bet to the real thing. Julia Ormond does very well here.There are various minor historical errors here and there, coupled with dramatic liberties, but this - sadly - is usual fare for a TV production.

Robert Duvall is a marvelous actor and he delivers an extraordinary performance as Stalin, one of the most bloody dictators of the 20th century. Stalin killed 50 million of people, twice as Hitler, and it has called my attention the fact that we have many movies depicting the cruelty of the Nazis (which I think is good because the victims deserve that tribute and I identify with their suffering), and just a few films depicting the cruelty of the Communists. After living 35 years in the United States, watching this movie brought back all the sad memories of my childhood and adolescence under the Communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro. This realistic movie really touched my heart. This film is a gem.