Stalin (1992 film)

Stalin
Promotional poster
Genre	Biographical drama Political drama Political thriller
Written by	Paul Monash
Directed by	Ivan Passer
Starring	Robert Duvall Julia Ormond Joan Plowright Jeroen Krabbé
Theme music composer	Stanisław Syrewicz
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Mark Carliner
Production locations	Moscow Budapest
Cinematography	Vilmos Zsigmond
Editor	Peter Davies
Running time	172 minutes
Production company	HBO Pictures
Budget	10 million[1][2]
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	November 21, 1992 (1992-11-21)
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Stalin is a 1992 American political drama television film starring Robert Duvall as Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Produced by HBO and directed by Ivan Passer, it tells the story of Stalin's rise to power until his death and spans the period from 1917 to 1953. Owing to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika, producer Mark Carliner was able to receive permission to film in the Kremlin, becoming the first feature film to do so.

Filming was done in Budapest and the Soviet Union with extraordinary access to Soviet historic sites in the weeks before its dissolution. Although the film was almost entirely shot on location and producer Mark Carliner insisted that the film "reflect the truth", several scholars and historians commented that the film focused less on history and more on Stalin's character. This was seen as a flaw by many film critics, while still praising Robert Duvall's performance as Stalin. Julia Ormond's portrayal of Nadezhda Alliluyeva and Vilmos Zsigmond's camera work were also singled out for praise.

The film received several accolades, including four Primetime Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Made for Television Movie) and three Golden Globe Awards.