Russia bans satirical film about Josef Stalin's death
Josef Stalin
MOSCOW -- Russia's Culture Ministry banned a satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin's death from movie theaters Tuesday following criticism from communists and others that the British-French production made a mockery of Russia's history. The Culture Ministry declared it was rescinding the permit that would have allowed Scottish writer-director Armando Iannucci's "The Death of  Stalin " to be shown in Russian theaters.
The ministry's move reflects an admiration many in Russia still have for  Stalin  despite the dictator's brutal purges that killed millions  as well as the government's nervousness about the country's history.
Many Russians have been dismayed in recent years by government-sponsored school textbooks that painted  Stalin  in a largely positive light. Old Soviet national anthem lyrics praising  Stalin  were restored during a Moscow subway station's reconstruction.
Last fall  the Russian Military-Historical Society  an organization founded by Putin and led by his culture minister  unveiled a bust of  Stalin  as part of an "alley of rulers" in a park outside its Moscow offices.
Kremlin critics have denounced such actions as attempts to whitewash  Stalin 's image and part of Putin's rollback on democracy.
MOSCOW -- Russia's Culture Ministry banned a satirical film about Soviet leader Josef Stalin's death from movie theaters Tuesday following criticism from communists and others that the British-French production made a mockery of Russia's history. The Culture Ministry declared it was rescinding the permit that would have allowed Scottish writer-director Armando Iannucci's "The Death of  [TGT]  " to be shown in Russian theaters.
The ministry's move reflects an admiration many in Russia still have for   [TGT] despite the dictator's brutal purges that killed millions  as well as the government's nervousness about the country's history.
Many Russians have been dismayed in recent years by government-sponsored school textbooks that painted  Stalin  in a largely positive light. Old Soviet national anthem lyrics praising   [TGT] were restored during a Moscow subway station's reconstruction.
Last fall  the Russian Military-Historical Society  an organization founded by Putin and led by his culture minister  unveiled a bust of  Stalin  as part of an "alley of rulers" in a park outside its Moscow offices.
Kremlin critics have denounced such actions as attempts to whitewash  Stalin 's image and part of Putin's rollback on democracy.