A seemingly unlikely source of humour, this dark comedy
takes a look at the final days of the "Great Terror" and the chaotic
aftermath of Stalin's death, when his closest allies in the party begin
jockeying for power. The film treads a fine line between horror and comedy. In
the early scenes we see an orchestral performance that is going out live over
the radio. When Stalin sends a message to say he would like a recording of the
night's concert, which they have failed to record, the technicians are forced
to recreate the entire show again from the beginning. It is hilarious to see
them persuading the orchestra to begin again, and taking random members of the
public off the street to fill out the audience, some of whom have already
departed, but at the same time terrifying to think that the people were living
in so much fear of this dictator. Similarly in the high commands talks of
"disappearances" of certain people there is a sense of laughing
through gritted teeth. Everything is on a knife edge that could easily tip
towards comedy or tragedy. When Stalin does die we find that those around him
are spectacularly unprepared for what follows, having given little thought to
it. Opportunities for advancement sit beside the threat of execution for those
not showing themselves to be absolutely loyal to the party or the departed
leader. Everyone has skeletons in the closet, everyone is suspect, but likewise
everyone has a lot to gain from the recent death.
Written and directed by Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It,
Veep) and long-time writing collaborators David Schneider and Ian Martin, and
based on a comic book of the same name, the film has an interesting tone. There
are slapstick elements and over-the-top moments, but there is always a dread
underlying them. The humour often relies on the peculiar situations that
characters end up in as they wrangle for power. The outstanding cast play a key
part in bringing the script to life. Steve Buscemi, Michael Palin, Jason
Isaacs, Jeffrey Tambor and others have such great delivery that it makes scenes
more entertaining than they might appear on the page. There is even a certain
sense of "Carry On Stalin" to proceedings, with the wise decision to
have the actors use their own accents, or even exaggerated versions of Western
accents, that helps lighten the mood.
It is important to poke fun at the ludicrous nature of these
regimes and this is something that the film does exceptionally well. There are
a number of memorable lines and moments and a few stand-out performances. They
have managed to mine this seemingly unpromising subject for all its comic
potential. A good political satire about power and the failings of
dictatorships.
Comments
Post a Comment