No one seen The Death of Stalin?

[BertrandRussell]

Finally saw it last night and I thought it was very good. A very dark comedy! Superb cast, and I agree that Jason Isaacs stole the show!

Really enjoyed it. If they were all using their own accents, why was Jason Isaacs doing a Yorkshire accent? That's not his accent, is it?

Saw it and loved it, Jason Issacs was brilliantly funny. The humour is very very dark...

If they were all using their own accents, why was Jason Isaacs doing a Yorkshire accent? That's not his accent, is it?

It was to convey Marshall Zhukov as the sort of bluff no- nonsense Yorkshire man who just gets things done.

Aha, thanks Lass

Well, I'm the odd woman out as I hated it. I love the thick of it, but dislike having it overlaid over such a disturbing part of history. Well made, well acted but bad taste. Depends how black you want your comedy I guess.

Someone wrote at the beginning it was in very bad taste. Went with DH and that was his reaction - taking the mickey out of history but isn't that a good thing if it means current politicians might stop in their tracks and worry about their future representation.

And who is Jason Isaacs - I've never heard of him but migh5 have seen him in something,,

He was Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films.

We saw DoS yesterday. I thought it was fantastic. Simon Russell Beale is such a brilliant actor. I'm amazed they were able to get permission to film in Moscow. I heard Simon Sebag Montefiore on the radio the other day and he said that Putin was keen to rehabilitate Stalin, so when SSB first requested access to the archives in preparation for his biography of Stalin, he got it. Then Putin read the book and decided SSB had not got the tone right so access for further research for the next volume was denied.

I don't know if this is considered reanimating a zombie thread, but I thought it better to have all the posts about one movie in one thread. Apologies if I have made a grave error.

This movie opened last week in Canada. As a huge Iannucci and Isaacs fan, I had high expectations. I was not disappointed.

Simon Russell Beale was outstanding. I've heard that he is a respected stage actor but I think I have only seen him in a few things onscreen, Persuasion, being one, MI-5, another. He was so good, along with Buscemi, that I didn't mind (much) that Isaacs wasn't around for the first bit.

As for Jason Isaacs, in addition to Case Histories, already mentioned, above, I suggest you search for Brotherhood and The State Within. Bonus fun, The Patriot, (just slip away to make tea whenever Mel Gibson is on the screen).