Plots(1)
March 9th, 1953, 5 million people attend Stalin's funeral. A godly event for one of History's biggest criminal.
A revolutionary lacking in both charisma and stature, Stalin came to power almost by chance, and his 30-year reign saw him become the most Machiavellian and bloodthirsty of dictators. The man who insisted on being called "The Father of the People" massacred his own countrymen, and was responsible for the death of some 20 million people.
Soon forgetting his former ideological stance, he mercilessly crushed anyone who opposed him, in both word and deed. His camps for reform through hard labor – known as "gulags" – turned 18 million Russians into slaves. He not only murdered his opponents but his best friends too, and even sometimes members of his own family. His cruelty knew know bounds.
Through colorized archive material rich in previously unseen footage, and many accounts from the period including some from Stalin himself, this documentary tells the story of a man who turned a dream into a nightmare.
(official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (1)
The value of this documentary lies in the attractive archival shots from the 1920s and 1930s, which are certainly not easily accessible. However, in terms of content, it only regurgitates long-known facts that are readily available, and due to the limited runtime, they are also greatly reduced. Overall impression: 65%.
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Photo © Česká televize
