Stalin (1992)

The life and career of the brutal Soviet dictator, Joseph Stalin.

Director:

Ivan Passer

Writer:

Paul Monash

Stars:

Robert Duvall, Julia Ormond, Maximilian Schell

Won 3 Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Duvall	...	Stalin
Julia Ormond	...	Nadya
Maximilian Schell	...	Lenin
Jeroen Krabbé	...	Bukharin (as Jeroen Krabbe)
Joan Plowright	...	Olga
Frank Finlay	...	Sergei
Roshan Seth	...	Beria
Daniel Massey	...	Trotsky
András Bálint	...	Zinoviev (as Andras Balint)
John Bowe	...	Voroshilov
Jim Carter	...	Sergo
Murray Ewan	...	Khrushchev
Stella Gonet	...	Zina
Ravil Isyanov	...	Yakov
Colin Jeavons	...	Yagoda

Storyline

Josef Stalin rises from his rejection as being physically unfit in the Czar's army during world War I to undisputed head of the huge Soviet empire of the 1950s. After the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 he vies with arch-rival Leon Trotsky for power under the acknowledged leader, Vladimir Lenin. After Lenin's stroke, the merciless Georgian's ruthless methods soon eliminates all rivals and his cruel paranoia and overt sadism help him maintain power by eliminating every possible rival including many former comrades.

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Plot Keywords:

paranoia | bolshevik | dictator | cold war era | cruelty | 

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Thriller | War

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Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

Russia Hungary USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Сталин

Filming Locations:

The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films,Mark Carliner Productions,Magyar Televízió Müvelödési Föszerkesztöség (MTV) (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for the role, Duvall watched numerous hours of newsreels, read many books about Stalin, and spoke to Russians who remembered him. He said that playing Stalin was the most challenging role of his career.

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Goofs

Very obvious wig worn by Robert Duvall throughout the film.

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Quotes

Stalin: [after hearing about the situation on the Eastern Front] Beria! Beria! Bring up security troops. Shoot anyone trying to retreat.
Voroshilov: Shoot our own men?
Stalin: Yes, and we'll shoot you too! You incompetent fool!
Voroshilov: Koba! How can you say that? Who killed off all our best generals? 40,000 of our best officers? Called them 'enemies of the people'? Had them shot? Who trusted Hitler? Who said he would not attack us? Voroshilov? No! It was you! It was YOU!

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Connections

Featured in Close Encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond (2016)

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Soundtracks

Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78
by Sergei Prokofiev
Performed by Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur (as Kurt Mazur), Conductor
Courtesy of Teldec Classic International
by arrangement with Warner Special Products
Used as background music for archive footage

User Reviews

This movie made me love HBO for years

I freakin love this movie. I don't even really know why. Probably a combination of factors. First of all, this was the first movie I ever saw Robert Duvall in, and he does an exceptional job as he has done in every role he has ever had. Also, it gave me a decent historical picture of Stalin which led to years of fascination with the man. It was also one of HBO's first in a long string of award winning historical fiction TV movies, and still my personal favorite. If you like Robert Duvall and great dialogue, I highly recommend it.