The Death of Stalin | Canadian First Time Watching | Movie Reaction | Movie Review | Commentary

[@paulsuter5816]

Jason Isaacs is absolutely the MVP of this movie. And Simon Russell Beale as Beria is terrifyingly good.

[@zterrans]

@paulsuter5816 he steals the movie from his first appearance, it's awesome

[@kingleech16]

It was a trip for me because I best knew Beale from a series of documentaries on religious music. Going from a narrator on religious music to Beria was a big jump! He’s incredible in this.

[@neilbiggs1353]

Beria might be the most appalling character ever in a comedy, and the actor knocks it out of the park

[@SSArcher11]

so like DeNiro

[@chrisp2805]

@@kingleech16he is fantastic in the BBC radio adaptions of the George Smiley books - Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy etc

[@christopherwall2121]

You almost forget how little of this movie Jason Isaacs is in because of how thoroughly he dominates it once Zhukov does show up.

[@katashworth41]

There’s a reason he’s competing with Daniel Craig as my favourite actor.

[@jdelark6428]

Jason looked like he was enjoying every minute playing it up as Zhukov 'from Yorkshire'. It was a stellar performance.

[@PadConnelly]

6:43 This DID happen, but slightly differently. The pianist was roused from her bed to make another recording at Stalin's demand, and paid the 20,000 rubles as a tip from Stalin. They did actually have to find a replacement conductor. In fact, they had to find two. One fainted, one was too panicked to perform, and the third finally saved the day (although not in his bathrobe). They originally had it that way in the script, but it was deemed to be *too* absurd for the opening scene of the comedy.

[@MrJamaigar]

That anecdote about the re-recorded concert is taken from "Testimony" ,a book by journalist Solomon Volkov: Same account, except Volkov's version claims it happened around 1944. A made-up story, regardless of the year. They'd later incorporate it into the "Death of Stalin" comics from 2010/12. The movie is based on those.

[@ThreadBomb]

@@MrJamaigar Volkov is notoriously unreliable. After he left the USSR he basically made a career out of making stuff up. Unfortunately some naive people still take him seriously.

[@migmit]

@@MrJamaigarI'd say, unconfirmed. It's not something that couldn't happen; but, as there is only one account, it's doubtful.

[@MrJamaigar]

@@migmit Much of the stuff happening in this movie comes partly from the comics, partly from accounts, memoirs from former soldiers,etc. -The musicians being forced to re-record the concert, and having also to bribe Maria Yudina to get her to play. -Yudina later leaving a note with the records, where she calls Stalin out for his tyranny. -Beria was already making his first moves while Stalin was on his deathbed: he sided with Deputy Malenkov, whom he was planning on using and eventually killing once he was done with him. Seeing that coming, Kruschev and co. turned to the Red Army for help: so, immediately, they arrested Beria and his cronies, and had them all shot. 😈 (Lucky for them, the Red Army and the NKVD hated each other's guts, so Marshall Zhukov was on board as soon as they asked.)

[@j.murphy4884]

@@MrJamaigar The comics get much much darker with Beria, although that makes them more accurate, as the man was literally a serial killer.

[@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower-]

Someone might've pointed this out before, but possibly the first US citizen to hear word of Stalin's death was an US Air Force sergeant posted in West Germany, intercepting and decoding Morse code messages from Soviet transmissions. That sergeant was called John Cash. "Johnny" to his friends. Yes, THAT Johnny Cash. This at least according to his daughter, to whom he told the story many times over the years.

[@puffadder92]

Makes the legendary badass Johnny Cash even more legendary

[@shawnmiller4781]

He was Air Force not army

[@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower-]

​@@shawnmiller4781 oh, whoopsey-daisy. Fixed it ^^

[@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower-]

@@shawnmiller4781 whoops. Fixed it ^^

[@force_strategy_gaming]

good ol' Johnny!

[@LacoSinfonia]

When Malenkov is comparing his portraits and says “I would like… that one destroyed” my theater laughed for 30 seconds straight

[@090giver090]

And they _really_ make the photo look like IRL Malenkov's "official photo" ( see stuki-druki.com/biofoto4/georgiy-malenkov-01.jpg )

[@LiraeNoir]

"How will they make the death of Stalin funny?" The movie: hold my mountain of beer, it's incoming!

[@j.murphy4884]

"I'm the only one kneeling in piss, yes!?"

[@raideurng2508]

History is stranger than fiction, especially in the soviet union.

[@HerbSparks]

The most disturbing thing about this movie is how accurate it is to some historical events. Stalin would keep his cabinet up almost all night watch cowboy movies and getting everyone drunk. The smashing a tomato in the pocket was a thing he would enjoy. And all these guys were in charge of one of the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.

[@andrewcrowder4958]

Incoming Trump Administration is gonna make these guys look like the Delta Force.

[@dlxmarks]

Stalin would compel others to binge drink vodka to lower their inhibitions and compromise themselves. Even worse, his drinks were really watered down so he would stay relatively sober at the same time.

[@smythharris2635]

@@andrewcrowder4958 don't talk pish.

[@imperskiikulak446]

If you read all kinds of propaganda, then of course it will look like what you described.

[@edwardbateman3094]

@@dlxmarks what’s the credibility to this? Is it actually evidenced, or is it like all these stupid stories we hear about North Korea and how they have to push the trains?..

[@t.c.thompson2359]

Even Stalin warned his daughter about Beria.

[@arnyarny7991]

Well before stalin as leader in USSR was 108 million people when he dead in USSR was 210 million people with statistics in the world of population civilians in the world

[@shawnmiller4781]

I’ve heard that the one time Beria ever looked truly scared was when Stalin found his daughter was at Berias house and raced over there in full anger mode.

[@somestuff7876]

@@arnyarny7991where 108 million number came from? In 1926 - 147 million, in 1959 - 208 million. Granted: - Famine of 1932-1933 for which Stalin was heavily responsible with his glorious industrialization and collectivization plans claimed 6-9 millions (Kazakh, Ukrainians and Russians). - Great Terror for which this piece of sh*t was main driving force took between 1-6 million. Real talk, George *sigh* 60 millions really? Stalin & co certainly killed more than Communists of China in the 1930s, but maybe you mistook him for Austrian painter? - WWII killed... well, hard to say, but numbers thrown around were between 22-40 million. Overall, screw him. Would be awesome to see condemnation of Stalin from Georgians, specifically. While you still outside of authoritarian club.

[@Replicaate]

That's wild. Your dad, who is STALIN, is like "that guy creeps me out, don't be alone with him".

[@Fordo007]

@@ReplicaateStalin also introduced Beria as ‘He’s my Himmler’ that pretty much tells you all you need to know about Beria and Stalin.

[@wakkadakka9192]

9:00 Russia banned this movie for "mockery of history and real persons", but some cinemas showed it anyway, no one was arrested, only fined One of the best trash comedies of last decade, among with Borat and Dictator Maximum ridicule of all stereotypes and prejudices and raising everything that happens to the level of absolute absurdity - nowadays such comedies are extremely rare

[@radicaladz]

Almost as if the guy who was a former KGB ghoul who now runs the country doesn't like the idea of the regime he used to be part of being mocked by the West. Funny how that works.

[@johnedwards8982]

Only theatrical and television releases were forbidden, the movie itself is not banned. You can buy it, you can watch it, you can share it up to this day. The cinemas that showed it were fined for non-compliance with the law, not for the movie itself.

[@ratrakksstar4420]

ITS NOT BANNED

[@ThreadBomb]

I think "trash comedy" is not a good description for this very clever movie.

[@talizorahnarrayya5916]

Iirc an old Russian lady went to see it and she said in an interview that it was very accurate from what she remembered from her childhood and that it was hilarious.

[@Jeff_Lichtman]

Russians don't speak English with a Russian accent. Audiences are smart enough to understand that the characters in this film are all Russians without being constantly reminded of it with dialect. Also, Steve Buscemi's portrayal of Khrushchev was enhanced by the Brooklyn accent.

[@G1NZOU]

I personally like it, it feels more like the actors can genuinely emote in the accent they feel comfortable using rather than them all have to put on a Russian or Georgian accent and have one or two of them be noticeably worse at it to a distracting degree (think Costner in Robin Hood for example). Chernobyl does it too and it works.

[@DavetheGrue]

I remember a critic comparing it to the "Boris and Natasha" accents of Red Sparrow. I agree this was definitely the better way to do it.

[@DavidAntrobus]

I wonder now if this decision influenced the making of the _Chernobyl_ television miniseries just a couple of years later. Most of the (largely British, plus Stellan Skarsgard) actors spoke in their own accents in that show.

[@crose7412]

@Jeff_Lichtman They're not all Russians though (especially the titular character) ; they're all Soviets.

[@zarwil]

@@DavidAntrobus Good shout, although from what I remember their reasoning behind it was slightly different. They said they didn't wan't the series to sound like a satire, which it possibly would have if everyone spoke with bad Russian accents.

[@gilbertotoledo1421]

Stalin's cockney accent in this movie is brilliant because the real Stalin spoke Russian with a very thick and very noticeable Georgian accent as he himself was not a native Russia. He was basically a bumpkin that sleazed and murdered his way all the way to the top.

[@wyldhowl2821]

Yup, not a true ideological believer, more like a gangster who manipulated and murdered his way to the top, creating a terror state that was all about preserving his own power.

[@mickeyrube6623]

​@@wyldhowl2821In other words, a fascist.

[@DomR1997]

Sounds like a true American tale, which is super ironic, lmao

[@j.murphy4884]

@@DomR1997 He loved cowboy films, so he may have understood the irony himself, forcing his subordinates to stay up into the early morning watching them for fear of ending up on a list was a real thing.

[@AlexSmith-iy3gn]

​@@wyldhowl2821😂 Stalin - gangster, m'kay 😂

[@carlosdeferrer3585]

Armando Iannucci is a satirical genius, love his creative work.

[@carteremma]

As a fellow Scot I love his work and find his dry humour amazing.

[@adamgrocco]

The decision to let the actors use accents was genius, makes it such a unique film.

[@Argumemnon]

It wouldn't make sense for them to have Russian accents anyway. You have a "Russian accent" only if you're speaking another language than your native Russian, which these characters wouldn't be doing. It always annoys me in movies, series and video games when they have accents when they're actually supposed to be speaking their own language, translated for our benefit.

[@ThreadBomb]

This is certainly not the only film in which English-speaking actors use their own accents. Amadeus, the Hunt for Red October, and Dangerous Liaisons are only three examples.

[@aidanfarnan4683]

Jason Isaacs so owns every scene he's in, that you forget he's not in every scene. That introduction with the medals is a 10/10. This and Jojo Rabbit are how all dictators should be treated: with utter ridicule.

[@shawnmiller4781]

And that was with half the medals that Zhukov Actually had

[@katashworth41]

Jason is such an underrated actor, he steals every film he’s in.

[@Replicaate]

Jason Isaacs as Zhukov stole the show for me. Also the great part about this movie is it's not even THAT exaggerated as to what a clusterfck it was when ol Joe finally dropped dead, sometimes history really IS that absurd.

[@andersthomsen3409]

This movie is fantastic "How can you run and plot at the same time?"

[@A-small-amount-of-peas]

As someone who grew up with Harry Enfield and Chums and The Fast show I just loved seeing Paul Whitehouse in this amazing cast. Because he's so funny people sometimes forget he's also a brilliant actor

[@stobe187]

Paul Whitehouse has been crushing it forever. One of my favorite actors.

[@kingleech16]

This movie had a wonderful cast.

[@russelljackson2818]

One of my favorite comedies ever. The cast is perfect, absolutely no weak points, and everyone gets to be funny in their own way. I can watch it over and over.

[@weirds0up]

The decision to have the actors not put on Russian accents but just speak in their normal voices was based on the fact that the people they’re playing came from across the USSR and so would have different regional accents

[@cultureyeah3390]

Also there are distinct English working class vs middle class accents

[@peterireland4344]

Not sure what accents Stalin and Beria would have had....... what would be the English equivalent of a Georgian accent?

[@pedrorodrigez3367]

@@peterireland4344 maybe some kind of Indian accent. In any case an accent of someone perceived as foreigner

[@pedrorodrigez3367]

@@peterireland4344 Indian would be the closest in perception really as an accent of a (former) colony

[@Dystopia1111]

This is the best Cold War comedy not named 'Doctor Strangelove'. Buscemi was already a favorite of mine, seeing him pull off Nikita Khruschev was freaking brilliant. (Edit : spellcheck doesn't like Slavic names)

[@miriamweller812]

Cold War propaganda, you mean. Cold War comedy would be about how western citizens stil eat the whole shit show of our western fascism not being the sole cause of the Cold War to try to finish what Adolf had started, simply under a new Führer: the USA.

[@EepyPrincess12]

Buscemi actually said once that Khrushchev was his dream role,because he was mostly typecast as gangsters or tough guys

[@todd8398]

"It's just me here, kneeling in the piss, yeah?" is funnier because he's the Labor Secretary.

[@harryrabbit2870]

Great pick for a reaction. I love how all the party bigwigs essentially act like the Mob. Loved watching George and Simone giggle their way through this. It's a dark, dark comedy and one of my favorite movies.

[@azzamat001]

Jason Isaacs' Zhukov was the most memorable performance. And that's saying something, because everybody acted the s**t out of their roles in this movie.

[@mradriankool]

Jason Issacs “right I’m just going to steal the whole film as Zhukov with broad Yorkshire accent” His amazing performance stands out and given who he’s cast with makes it even greater

[@smigoltime]

I am so glad You guys understood the message of all the scenes in this movie. The moment George realised the dark humour behind the first scene with the phone, I knew it's gonna be a good reaction :D

[@tightyellowshorts]

George laughing hysterically is one of the best sounds in the universe.

[@MikeFromOz]

It really is. When I have bad days, I cue up their reactions to movies like Tropic Thunder just to see them absolutely lose it at some of the situations in the movie. This is now going to also join the list.

[@inkpendude]

Exactly!

[@kenny240]

Yeah, I love hearing both of their laughter. Listening to it always brightens my day.

[@GorgeousRandyFlamethrower-]

@@MikeFromOz the Superbad reaction in my case :D

[@asterix7842]

I can’t get enough of Simone’s laugh. I think she should react only to comedies from now on. 😂

[@MrDeanjam]

Armando Iannucci is great at reducing people in power to show how small they really are. Definitely recommend In the Loop. It's a spin off from The Thick of It, but you don't need to have seen that show to follow it.

[@TheDemonicPenguin]

That would be Lemon....lemon difficult.

[@playedout148]

Needs to do one on Lt. Bonespurs.

[@sterow]

Yes, there's not even continuity with the show (only Capaldi plays the same character). Capaldi and Gandolfini having a scene together in that film is such a gift, it's my version of De Niro and Pacino together in Heat.

[@MrDeanjam]

@@sterow The confused look on Gandolfini's face when Capaldi says never to call him English again.

[@rederik99]

OMG, can't believe you're doing this movie. So pumped! very under rated.

[@alolkoydesigns]

I appreciate George's knowledge of world history. I'm an elderly US citizen who lived through some of this history and am painflully aware the the vast majority of people George's age in this country are clueless about any of this.

[@DocLunarwind]

I’m not American, only 40 and still think as you do.

[@jculver1674]

It's crazy to me how Stalin killed so many people he made Hitler look like Mr. Rogers, yet people rarely talk about it and there are almost no movies about him. This was a rare exception.

[@Str52849]

"I appreciate George's knowledge of world history" Really?)) George starts with "Deaths...60 million I think..." so George must be joking. Even for Stalin this would be too much))

[@spoonunit1]

Yes, It helps immensely in the enjoyment of this movie if you are aware of the real life Beria, khrushchev and Zhukov et al.

[@jamesbarels469]

​@@Str52849 , The funniest thing is how he puts on the air of liking things to be logical but is willing to make statements of claim without any understanding of the knowledge. When you say "I think..." it often means "I don't know."

[@basils8255]

I have a very relevant family story about fake crying. My aunt walked in on her school teacher using onion to induce tears on the day death of Stalin was announced. He hugged her and said I know that you won't tell anyone (my grandfather was arrested in 1947). She did tell, but years later.

[@mistersir-sz2gh]

To answer George’s question at 9:00. It was banned and when a theatre held an airing of the film in defiance of the ban the screening was raided and the theatre owner arrested.

[@cassu6]

Really? Still? Even after Stalins death how every Soviet leader denounced him? I guess Putin wants to keep up that legacy

[@mistersir-sz2gh]

@ it was banned for being “anti-Russian propaganda” officially

[@wakkadakka9192]

@@mistersir-sz2gh bullshit , no one was arrested, these cinemas were just fined

[@mistersir-sz2gh]

@ my mistake then

[@SilentBob731]

@@wakkadakka9192 Yeah, but they halted further screenings. I'm guessing that if they hadn't, someone would have "fallen out of a window".

[@TrickyDicky2006]

As a Yorkshireman, Yep. We tell it like it is!

[@GarrettJayChristian]

Since I'm first: "SVETLANA!!!"

[@t.c.thompson2359]

SVETLANA!!

[@GarrettJayChristian]

@t.c.thompson2359 No, you don't. SVETLANAAAA!

[@t.c.thompson2359]

The race has started... SVETLANAAA!!

[@GarrettJayChristian]

[Archer voice] SvetLANAAAAAAAAA!

[@kingleech16]

SVETLANA!!!

[@donotevenbegintocare]

The unusual accents by the different main characters are all deliberate choices. It's to invoke in us the same reaction that Russians of the time had to hearing them. For instance, Stalin's real life Georgian country bumpkin accent is "translated" as Cockney. The reaction you're having to them is exactly what was intended.

[@chrisnorman1902]

The actors are speaking in their own natural accents (rather than usual ones) instead of trying to put on a Russian accent which probably wouldn't have sounded great 😅

[@neilbiggs1353]

@@chrisnorman1902 Isaacs puts on a Yorkshire accent, since he considered Yorkshire people among the most blunt!

[@kingleech16]

@@neilbiggs1353”Right! Proper dead!” 🤣

[@kingleech16]

It’s also is a good way of pointing out how diverse the Soviet Union was, since most folks by default think of it as just being Russian.

[@SSD_Penumbra]

@@neilbiggs1353 And supposedly, Zhukov's accent was the stereotypical blunt russian accent whenever he spoke english, which was surprisingly a lot of the time considering he later retired and moved to the US.

[@MikeFromOz]

"Out of my way you fffffaaaannnniiiesss!" 🤣 An absolutely amazing movie, so funny (and also terrifying), I am really glad you decided to watch this!

[@spoonunit1]

Yeah, Simones face from laughter to horror summed it up.

[@ptittannique5621]

Made by the same guy who did The Thick of It, In the Loop, Veep, and other fantastic political comedies! All are recommended!

[@radbarij]

Armando Iannuci is GOATed when it comes to anything even remotely political. He's just so incredible at distilling the absurdity.

[@kingfield99]

The location work in this is so good, it was (mostly) all filmed in and around London but you never for a minute think it's not Moscow in the 1950s.

[@Phantomgreen29]

Hey George the History Buffs channel did a video on how accurate this movie (and many other historical films) are to actual history, I recommend checking it out for both insight and laughs. Great reaction as always, this movie is incredible with how absurd the political theatre and infighting was.

[@WhackyRavenLand]

I second this! Would make for a great spin-off reaction!

[@shawnmiller4781]

Third…..

[@Fordo007]

Agreed, I’d love to see them react to that just to see how much was true.

[@DoktorStrangelove]

Brilliant film. BTW, the director, Armando Iannucci, is now directing a stage adaptation of Dr. Strangelove in London. I hear it's fantastic, will also be performed in Dublin, and will be in cinemas in March 2025.

[@ChalkyRN]

I’ve been waiting so long for you to watch this. Jason Isaacs steals every scene he’s in, even with such an amazing cast.

[@sco020]

Thank you for making Zhukov the thumbnail. Hello to Jason Isaacs.

[@antonycharnock2993]

There is some seriously good UK comedy talent in this film.

[@iKvetch558]

Oh gosh...cannot believe CineBinge are reacting to this one...I am sure they will LOVE it! And if they don't love it, the Supreme Soviet will MAKE them love it! 😜😂

[@Smokie_666]

For the motherland!

[@NandR]

So happy someone finally watched this! I love this movie. This is how you counter terror and tyranny, you show it as ugly as possible but also it’s pointless decisions. Also there’s a great video on KZbin about Khrushchevs trip to the US where he toured the country and met with Eisenhower.

[@miriamweller812]

You mean be making fun of western terror, tyranny and the propaganda it uses to sell both? Because the movie is mainly that: a persiflage of western propaganda.

[@jmackmcneill]

9:00 it was generally well recieved by ordinary Russians and Georgians, but obviously a lot of the usual suspects condemned it as propaganda and slander.

[@lemons_s]

Please watch Four Lions (2010). I think you guys will love it.

[@16ozClawHammer]

Rubber dinghy rapids, bro. Fast track.

[@paulshaw9953]

The director was one of the creators of the character Alan Partridge who is one of the true comedy greats. Alpha Papa is one one my go to comedy flicks, so stupidly funny

[@Johnny_Socko]

Quintessential British comedy has a name, and it's... Armando Ianucci?!?

[@paulshaw9953]

@Johnny_Socko a wonderful Scottish man... 👀

[@HighTannin]

Not many videos make me go “f@ck yes!” When I open up KZbin, but this really did.

[@SlySharp]

I'm from Russia. This film was banned from showing in cinemas. So I had to watch it at home in an amateur translation. Yes, this is our reality

[@thecrimsonviscount5689]

I'm from Russia. No, this is not our reality at all.

[@Alvaro89Rus]

@@thecrimsonviscount5689 what not at all, asslicker? I'm from Russia too, so come on, tell us.

[@sergeityrrellp3496]

I'm from Russia too and I agree, our reality now is different. I mean, it gruesome in different way.

[@SSgtJ0hns0n]

This movie really surprised history enthusiasts on how accurate it was to both the spirit of its history as well as some seemingly minor details. 1) As many have pointed out, a lot of the events were either compressed or moved around to fit the movie's timeframe (the concert recording, the funeral and the coup against Beria, etc) 2) Khrushchev really had his wife write down all of the jokes that hit or crash landed with Stalin just to keep on the boss' good side. Khrushchev's joker antics was a real tactic he used to get people to underestimate him until he pulled off the coup. In the finale Svetlana alludes to this with the line, "Never thought it'll be you." 3) Stalin did have a short lucid moment after the stroke which made the politburo collectively (see what I did there?) shit their pants. _Especially_ Beria who IRL actually shit-talked Stalin in the presence of his unconscious body and the rest of the politburo. As seen in the movie, he didn't say anything and randomly pointed at stuff which no one knew what that meant, if anything at all. 4) The purge of Stalin's home never took place nor the liquidation of the staff, thankfully. The look-alikes and body doubles were real though. 5) Beria was a much, MUCH worse monster as portrayed. The girls he, 'interacted' with can be seen gifted flowers, essentially as a form of forced 'consent'. If they rejected, they'll disappear; if they accepted it, it was seen as mutual therefore no crime had taken place. Stalin once nearly had a heart attack when he learnt that Beria visited his home when young Svetlana was there, essentially alone. Stalin sent two agents with explicit orders to have Beria shot should he have so much as touched his dear Svetlana - Beria of course was smart enough not to even be anywhere close to her. 6) Molotov IRL genuinely loved his wife and never ever backbited her in contrast to his movie portrayal. Even though he never faulted Stalin, he also never forgave himself for letting her be taken and always told his servants to set his dinner table for him and his wife as a painful reminder. In fact, during the funeral day (which was also Molotov's birthday) Beria jokingly asked him what he wanted as a present. Molotov, with sheer contempt and barely restrained fury asked for his wife Polina back. The next day Beria released her. 7) Svetlana lived in various places in the Soviet Union, Europe and even India following her father's death, but eventually defected to the US in 1967. Her life was a rollercoaster of various dead husbands and estranged children, but by all accounts had a happy life. Some of her grandchildren are still around today. 8) While Russia did ban the movie, several more liberal voices had relatively nicer things to say about it. Especially after one Moscow theatre defied the ban and showed it to the public, to 'ok' reception. Shortly afterwards in typical Soviet fashion the police and government raided and closed the theatre investigating the owners and staff for various 'crimes'.

[@miriamweller812]

Nonsense, the movie is a ridiculous joke when it comes to history. History enthusiast see it more like a funny way to portray how western propaganda paints Russian history.

[@Chris-ci8vs]

@miriamweller812 nope, wrong.

[@YvonneSanders-hv2gc]

@miriamweller812 it's not a documentary

[@YvonneSanders-hv2gc]

the irony of 8)

[@laserpanda94]

@miriamweller812 Well I'm a history enthusiast (with a specific academic interest in this period of history) and that is most definitely not my take on it. Moving things around to fit the movie timeline doesn't make it 'a ridiculous joke' or make the events it portrays any less real. The purpose of the movie is to use humour to show just how extreme, horrific and absurd actual historical events from that period were and it does that admirably and with accuracy _where accuracy is important._ No amount of petty whining about specific dates, who did exactly what, when or what someone would have been wearing is going to change that; it just demonstrates that the point of the film has sailed over your head. And pretending your specific myopic take is shared by many others doesn't make it so.

[@CrazyCanadian-t4l]

I am so glad that this movie is being reacted to here.... Ever since I first saw this move I have always believed that it is been underrated and I am happy to so just how much George and Simone are enjoying it!!!

[@WheelsonRails728]

The response from the powers-that-be in Russia when the movie came out was that it made the Politburo look like "a bunch of gangsters"; Pretty accurate!

[@djJaXx101]

The Death of Stalin! having requested this movie a number of times, I am delighted to see it turn up, thanks

[@sld1776]

"Medic!" before the punch still gets me.

[@stuffmcstuff399]

I do love a good British Comedy. They just do it so much better than most others.

[@ThyLilium]

This movie is a gem and one of my favorite ones.

[@VonRichtburg]

It's Zhukov time!

[@lindala2602]

Among the best intros to a person in cinematic history

[@Andrew-jb2ib]

The accents are deliberate and cleverly done. Stalin has a cockney accent because Stalin was a lower class / working class man. Svetlana and her brother are Nepo babies born into privilege, hence the outrageously posh accents. Zhukov has a hardy northern accent to also show his class and his "man of the people" persona.

[@SSD_Penumbra]

Nah, Isaacs chose the broad Yorkshire accent because he considered it "the most blunt", and Zhukov was blunt as hell, both in terms of speaking and actions.

[@sunnex474]

8:31 did you just call Beria “Wario”? Bless this channel

[@55tranquility]

Love this film, its one of my favourites - the overall historical accuracy is really good without it becoming a documentary. Using dark comedy to show the horrors of the Stalin regime but also the fact that the central committee did behave like a mafia family carrying out horrific decisions while protecting themselves was an inspired move. Dark humour was part of the communist experience itself, the Soviet Union being the only regime to have produced its own brand of jokes - about the regime. Jokes became essential and acted as low level resistance, the only way citizens could let off steam. Communism was a humour-producing machine. Its economic theories, bureaucracy, over employment, rules and regulations and system of repression created inherently funny and farcical situations. 'What is colder in a Siberian winter than cold water?" "Hot water!"

[@charlieeckert4321]

Kolema prison was hell, more than any other on earth. The average temperature was -40° Fahrenheit.

[@xylok_dnb2444]

the History Buffs channel did a review of this against actual events -- definitely worth a watch to see just how accurate this movie really is. truth is stranger than fiction :D

[@majuli8420]

Beria was probably one of the most monstrous people who ever lived. Even Stalin was afraid of leaving his own daughter alone with him.

[@phila3884]

I have re-watched this movie at least 40 times (yes, I know. Evening ritual and I don't *always* make it all the way to the end) it's that good.

[@dudermcdudeface3674]

It's amazing that they pulled off a movie like this. And casting Buscemi as Krushchev is basically perfect.

[@covrtdesign5279]

It is insane how good this movie was!!!

[@WrathOfGrapesN7]

I don't know who decided to give Zhukov a Yorkshire accent, but they deserve a raise.

[@roryhoium6018]

@@WrathOfGrapesN7 Jason Issacs.

[@kommissarchaos9086]

When it comes to Lavrentiy Beria he was absolutely one of the worst human beings to have ever existed. In fact I believe it was during the 1990s when they were doing renovations of his mansion, they found several female skeletons all of whom were believed to be his victims

[@HULLGRAFFITI]

This movie actually got me super interested in this time and place and when you read deeper it's not only fairly accurate but ppl like Beria were way beyond absolute monsters ....There's not many ppl who could have pulled something like this off but Armando iannucci is the cowriter of Alan Partridge, Veep , In the loop and a god tier satarist

[@wozzablog]

I'm off to represent the entire Red Army at the buffet. You girls enjoy yourselves.

[@felipemontero1087]

Most of what is shown in the movie actually happened, to the fault of. They only took a few liberties regarding the timeline, as most events happened a few months appart. A few of the liberties I remember are: - The redo of the concert actually happened but in 1944. And it was even more ridiculous than the movie portrays - Zhukov had double the amount of medals in real life that the ones shown in the movie. The director thought no one would take the character seriously with the actual amount of medals. - Beria’s execution was even more dramatic. They basically called him into an office surrounded by soldiers of the Red Army, make him sit on a chair, and read the list of charges against him out loud, even when he was crying and muttering. Then, the soldiers picked him up, while he screamed, pissed and shitted himself, into a basement where he was shut

[@jjsdad4952]

Yeah, beyond this now being one of my all time fav flicks, I was especially excited for this reaction cause I knew George was up on his history. Sadly, a rare breed nowadays. Fantastic reaction you two!!

[@trazyntheinfinite9895]

Uh huh....

[@reconsoldier135]

Love this quirky little movie also props to George for knowing who Lavrentiy Beria was

[@kingleech16]

Really one of the worst people of the modern era. The fact that lots of folks have forgotten him is kinda sad, though on the other hand at least he has fewer fanboys than Stalin.

[@johngreig7281]

Fantastic reaction, I've never watched another movie as much as this one, I think 5 times in one year and I very seldom watch movies more than a couple of times and usually many years apart, there is so much going on, they absolutely nail the terror and ridiculousness of living under complete tyranny, the acting is top notch, brilliant cast !

[@fauxrowsdower7610]

DEATH OF STALIN REACTION NO SHIT!!!!!!!!!! MUST BE MY BIRTHDAY

[@GarrettJayChristian]

The Radio Moscow debacle is based on a real event; it just happened several years earlier. Many of the major beats are accurate on their own. They've just been chronologically compressed to fit in the scope of the film. And this was banned in Russia. 😂

[@miriamweller812]

Obviously, it's a western propaganda movie trying to sow chaos by the usual rewriting of history. Smart people don't fall for that of course and see it as what it is, at best a funny movie about how stupid western propaganda is. But stupid people take it seriously and don't know how much BS that is that got nothing to do with history, especailly not all the bad parts, starting with Stalin being a creation of western fascism constantly trying to genocid all Slavs to rob Russia's immense amount of resources (and never stopped to try).

[@ssrmy1782]

"the court of the red tsar" -- by Simon Sebag Montefiore gives a detailed description of the hermetic world of the politburo during the final years of Stalin. Increasingly lengthy and raucous dinners/parties that nobody really wanted to go to, other than Stalin. They became increasingly bizarre, and the human dynamics of the period immediately after his death were truly fascinating.

[@Mewithabeard]

Simone's smile and George's laugh are just the best things, so yeah this was a good watch guys 😁😁😁

[@alolkoydesigns]

It is common for people to recover temporarily from strokes. Nixon and the wife of president John Adams had the same experience.

[@belverticale]

Glad you enjoyed this...I've never seen a historical drama done like this but they absolutely knock the concept out of the park.

[@keyserxx]

Some other Armando Iannucci stuff is equally awesome: Veep, Alan Partridge, The Day Today and The Thick of It :)

[@CarlosCasanova9]

one of the funniest movies ever so happy you reacted to it

[@JustLiesNOR]

Oh dear god yes. One of my all time favorite movies!

[@wesleyrodgers886]

Michael Palin. Ripping yarns. 😊😊😊😊

[@zbennalley]

18:32 I don't care how many times I watch this scene. I will laugh like Geroge every time I do.

[@kennethfharkin]

You ABSOLUTELY need to watch the History Buffs Video on this film. It is phenomenal.

[@David-l6c3w]

Never caught that before where the one soldier purposely turns off the light after hauling folks out of their home to their deaths. Darkly hilarious. 3:19

[@thebag1981]

Love this film, a perfect encapsulation of a system where doing the wrong thing will get you killed but no one can agree on the right thing because of that.

[@karlgrimm3027]

“History Buffs” did a video on this for those interested in the history behind the movie.

[@mayaneff3728]

I was going to recommend this as a companion piece. It is excellent

[@Str52849]

Thank you so much for the wonderful reaction as always!

[@TSIRKLAND]

There was a question if Stalin was Michael Palin in makeup. No, Michael Palin is the guy at 20:51 with Steve Buscemi.

[@randomforyoutube3215]

The guy who looks like Michael Palin turns out to be Michael Palin.

[@danielkeszthelyi5260]

Finally someone reacts to it.

[@Adamlark]

Fun fact Stalin's daughter died in 2011 and she lived in Wisconsin.

[@ComradeLuxemburg]

60 million lol. 800k-2m in reality, plenty bad without exaggerating.

[@sc1338]

He was thinking about Mao 😂

[@randomforyoutube3215]

Normally the exaggerated number comes from people adding in famines and stuff, often to try and say the USSR was as bad/worse than Hitler. The British Empire had similar famines in India and Ireland and they don't get counted as "deaths from capitalism". The USSR under Stalin sucked and the film is a good parody of some of the absurdity of that era but Stalin didn't have 60 million people killed from lists. People "purged" were normally military or government/party officials. There were some massacres, like in Poland. And some terrible famines, like in Ukraine. But Stalin wasn't writing up lists of 60million people ffs lol

[@sld1776]

George was thinking any the great famine in China.

[@felipemontero1087]

If you count the Great Purge, the Holodomor, the general faming pre WWII, the subsequent Gulags, executions and mini purges, it amounts to 20 million

[@markpekrul4393]

My neighbor a few years back was from Russia - he had grown up in the USSR under Krushchev and Brezhnev and the rest - he was the one who told me I needed to see it; he LOVED it.

[@helenl4698]

Thank you so much for reacting to this movie. It is one of my favourites.

[@user-qr8ht5bx2w]

I love your reactions❤ Please upload True Detective Reactions, I've been asking that for weeks ❤

[@Pugsomatical]

Finally! God I love this movie and was disappointed when I checked a couple weeks ago for the first time and found out it didn’t have many reactions. Thanks!

[@benschultz1784]

This movie does bungle with the timeline a bit (the Radio Moscow thing happened in 1944, the plane crash was in 1949, etc.) and does go a bit too far in depictions of Soviet brutality (no executions were taking place by 1953 and the MVD didn't fire on mourners in Moscow), but it is very accurate in the depictions of the Soviet leadership in 1953. The accents play into each person portrayed. Stalin was from Georgia (Sakhatvelo) and spoke Russian with a thick accent, hence the Cockney. Khrushchev was from the lower class of Moscow, fitting Buscemi's Brooklyn accent. Jason Isaacs puts on a Yorkshire accent to embody Zhukov's Siberian boorishness.

[@stobe187]

Superb work by Iannucci and the ensemble cast to send up such a grim topic/period. Fantastic film. Seeing as you liked this a lot I highly recommend watching In The Loop, which skewers UK and US politicians in a less grim manner but the line deliveries, insults and comedy are just as sharp.