The death of Stalin

[avrelia]

I know that the Ides of March are the Tumblr’s greatest holiday, but I want to see more March 5th celebrated with more glee.

It is Stalin’s Death day.

A couple of days before that Stalin had a stroke, but his household stuff and his security detail were so terrified of disobeying his last order to leave him alone and not bother him, that they waited for a long time despite worrying to check on him.

Then of course, there was a problem with doctors – Stalin’s paranoia at the time got to the medical professionals who, he believed, wished him ill, so he arrested a lot of really good doctors. And so they couldn’t be summoned to treat him.

Anyway, he died on March 5. And his team started scrambling and scheming to grab for power. I wouldn’t go as far as to say the life in USSR immediately became wonderful and happy, but things got better. And they never got as bad as they were during Stalin’s reign. Not even now.

This is what I celebrate today – that every tyrant keeps seeds of their own destruction. That everybody will die, even Koshei the Deathless. No autocracy can last forever. That change is inevitable, and things can change for the better, even in Russia.

And to celebrate the death of Stalin I suggest you watch a movie “The Death of Stalin”. It is not a documentary, by all means. It is a dark satirical comedy and an adaptation of a French graphic novel. But there is a higher truth in it. The truth of hope, the truth of spring. The truth of death.

Also, it has hilarious scheming Khrushchev, played by Steve Buschemi.
Funny broken Molotov played by Michael Palin.
Deliciously amusing glorious Zhukov played by Jason Isaacs…

Suffering is not funny, and movie never laughs at people who suffer from Stalin’s an his team’s actions. But the chaos of power struggle is funny, and the movie allows itself to look at the Soviet leader and point how ridiculous they are, even while admitting they are horrible.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukJ5dMYx2no

Comments

[hamsterwoman]

I have heard very good things about "The Death of Stalin", but that Zhukov is played by Jason Isaacs is news to me, and both slightly brain-breaking and RTMI XD

[avrelia]

It is pretty good, as long as one is ready to laugh at the people and situation in question and doesn't expect much factual accuracy. lots of events are true, but moved in time for better story, and the characters are somewhat exaggerated, but I found not too far away or caricatury-zed .

Jason Isaacs is a surprising choice, but he plays Zhukov as comedic version of this portrait https://tatfrontu.ru/gallery2/v/kazan-muzei-pamyatniki-memorialy/galereya-kvasileva/marshal-zhukov.jpg.html

and I take his portrayal of Жуков over Vladimir Menshov's in Ликвидация

[elisi]

That is SUCH a good movie! We should re-watch it.

[avrelia]

it should be a tradition to re-watch it every year!