As we stated in our 10 Best Films Of 2017 and the review itself, The Death Of Stalin is one of the best comedies of the past ten, maybe twenty years - and it's a crying shame that more people didn't get to see it when it was in cinemas here in Ireland.
Unfortunately, it looks like Russians won't get to see it either as The Guardian is reporting that the film has been pulled from cinemas over concerns about its content and story. As reported last year, Russian authorities were considering banning the film as the Communist Party of Russia - the second-largest political party in the state - called the film "a form of psychological pressure," and said that it was "made by outsiders who know nothing of our history."
After an advanced screening of the film, a petition signed by 21 people was sent to Russia's cultural minister Vladimir Medinsky claiming that the film was "lampooning the history," and called for the film to be checked to see if it broke laws. Now, however, the film's certificate has been pulled amid growing controversy over the film.
Speaking to The Guardian, the film's director Armando Iannucci said that "the Russians we’ve shown the film to so far, including Russian press, have said how much they enjoyed and appreciated the film."
"They say two things: it’s funny, but it’s true. I’m still confident we can get it in cinemas." As it stands, there's no release date set for the film in Russia.
The film is due for release in the US on March 9th. Here's our five-star review, which funnily enough, has been quoted on the US trailer.
Via Guardian
