In Russia, ‘The Death of Stalin’ Is No Laughing Matter
In November, shortly after the film’s release date was announced, the Russian culture minister,
Vladimir Medinsky, dismissed any suggestion that "The Death of Stalin" would be banned.
In 2015, his ministry withdrew the distribution license of "Child 44," a Cold War thriller about a series of child murders in the Soviet Union
in 1953, saying it "distorted historical facts." "Such films should not enjoy mass release in our country, profiting from our viewers.
He added that the film’s release in advance of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad,
which will be celebrated nationwide on Feb. 2, would be an affront to Russia’s World War II veterans.
On Tuesday, two days before the movie’s official release in Russia, the Culture Ministry withdrew the film’s distribution license.
"The film desecrates our historical symbols — the Soviet hymn, orders
and medals, and Marshal Zhukov is portrayed as an idiot," Pavel Pozhigaylo, a member of the Culture Ministry’s advisory board, told the RBC newspaper after a private screening on Monday to determine the film’s fate.
Mr. Medinsky is a longtime official in Vladimir V. Putin’s government and a staunch promoter of the myths
that have shaped the official narrative of Russia’s past since Mr. Putin’s ascension to power in 2000.
In November, shortly after the film’s release date was announced, the Russian culture minister,
Vladimir Medinsky, dismissed any suggestion that "The Death of Stalin" would be banned.
In 2015, his ministry withdrew the distribution license of "Child 44," a Cold War thriller about a series of child murders in the Soviet Union
in 1953, saying it "distorted historical facts." "Such films should not enjoy mass release in our country, profiting from our viewers.
He added that the film’s release in advance of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Stalingrad,
which will be celebrated nationwide on Feb. 2, would be an affront to Russia’s World War II veterans.
On Tuesday, two days before the movie’s official release in Russia, the Culture Ministry withdrew the film’s distribution license.
"The film desecrates our historical symbols — the Soviet hymn, orders
and medals, and Marshal Zhukov is portrayed as an idiot," Pavel Pozhigaylo, a member of the Culture Ministry’s advisory board, told the RBC newspaper after a private screening on Monday to determine the film’s fate.
Mr. Medinsky is a longtime official in Vladimir V. Putin’s government and a staunch promoter of the myths
that have shaped the official narrative of Russia’s past since Mr. Putin’s ascension to power in 2000.
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