Stalin, Cinema, and the Politics of Memory

The Bridge turns to one of the most popular and influential art forms—cinema—to trace how the myth of the leader was born on screen and how it can be interpreted today.

In July 2025, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF) officially declared that Nikita Khrushchev’s report on Stalin’s personality cult was "mistaken" and "harmful" to the country. According to the party members, the denunciation of the leader at the XX Congress caused damage to national consciousness and Soviet historical heritage. This statement became not just a gesture of ideological revision but also an attempt to rehabilitate Stalin as one of the key leaders of the Soviet era. In this context, it is especially important to understand what image of Stalin was presented, how Soviet culture saw and captured him.

Semyon Goldshtab as Stalin in the film Lenin in October (1937)

Since the late 1930s, Soviet cinema consistently constructed the image of Stalin as the national leader and the beloved leader of the people. One of the first films in which Stalin appeared in this role was Lenin in October (1937, directed by Mikhail Romm). The production was done in an urgent mode: the film had to be released by the 20th anniversary of the October Revolution. Stalin personally oversaw the project and approved actor Semyon Goldshtab (credited as Semyon Goldenberg) to play himself. However, the result was unsatisfactory: the image seemed too mundane and did not correspond to the grandeur of the role. Goldshtab played Stalin a few more times, but soon disappeared from cinema—unofficially removed from the list of acceptable visual representations of the leader.

From 1938 onward, the screen embodiment of Stalin became Mikhail Gelovani, who played him more than 15 times. It was he who fixed the canonical image of the "wise commander"—collected, few-spoken, all-seeing. In the post-war years, when the image of the leader had to emphasize not only his strategic genius but also "Russian patriotism," Stalin in key films like The Third Strike (1948) and The Battle of Stalingrad (1949) was played by Alexei Diky. His appearance and manner of speaking were better suited to the task of embedding Stalin in the canon of the national hero.

Armen Dzhigarkhanyan as Stalin in the TV series Star of the Era (2005)

Soviet cinema did not just glorify the leader—it created a myth, excluding any contradictions. Stalin on screen was without doubts, made no mistakes, and was not cruel—he acted out of "higher necessity." Cinema did not reflect reality but cut out only what supported the cult.

For researchers wanting to delve deeper into how the visual image of the leader was formed through cinema during the Stalin era, the materials of the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI) are particularly valuable. Here, numerous documents reveal the inner workings of Soviet film production and censorship.

For instance, in the Ministry of Cinematography of the USSR's archive (fond 2456), there is a script plan for a film commemorating Stalin’s 70th birthday, as well as correspondence with the Central Documentary Film Studio, illustrating how official images were created and approved.

Fond 2456, Op. 2, D. 125

Script plan for the film about the nationwide celebration of Comrade Stalin’s 70th birthday, narrator's text, and correspondence about the film with the Central Documentary Film Studio. I. Kopalin, B. Belyaev, Yu. Karavkin.

In the archive of Alexei Diky (Fond 2376), there are drafts and fragments of scripts for The Battle of Stalingrad, in which Diky played one of the most iconic roles of Stalin.

Fond 2376, Op. 1, D. 1

I. V. Stalin from the film The Battle of Stalingrad by V. M. Petrov, based on the script by N. E. Virta. Incomplete text.
Fond 2376, Op. 1, D. 14

I. V. Stalin from the film The Battle of Stalingrad by M. V. Petrov, based on the script by N. E. Virta. Variants.

Particular interest lies in the actor’s screen tests for the role of Stalin—these are specifically recorded in the collections of Alexander Zrazhevskiy (Fond 2006) and Lev Kuleshov (Fond 2679), while photographs of Mikhail Gelovani in the role of the leader can be found in the archive of the Vasilyev brothers (Fond 2733).

Fond 2006, Op. 1, D. 84

Actor’s screen tests of Zrazhevskiy A. I. for the role of I. V. Stalin, General Kovpak, and an unidentified role in the film Alexander Popov, as well as a portrait of I. V. Stalin.
Fond 2679, Op. 1, D. 207

Photographs of actor’s screen tests of I. L. Andronikov for the role of I. V. Stalin for Lev Kuleshov's film Sibiryaki.
Fond 2733, Op. 1, D. 235

Photographs of Mikhail Gelovani in the role of Stalin from the film Defense of Tsaritsyn by G. N. and S. D. Vasilyev.
Fond 2733, Op. 1, D. 434

S. D. Vasilyev. On working with the film Chapaev and The Great Man (about I. V. Stalin). Speeches before commanders of the Red Army and at the House of Cinema. Transcripts.

The picture is further complemented by analytical and methodological materials: texts by Grigory Boltyansky (Fond 2057) and Yakov Chernyak (Fond 2208) on the "Lenin-Stalin" line in cinema — including A. Ya. Kapler's report "Images of Lenin and Stalin in Historical-Revolutionary Film", and other works by Soviet art historians.

Fond 2057, Op. 1, D. 127

"Images of Lenin and Stalin in Feature Films", "V. I. Lenin. 25th Anniversary of His Death 1924-1939", "V. I. Lenin and Cinema" (plans, schemes, texts).
Fond 2208, Op. 2, D. 651

Kapler A. Ya. "Historical-Revolutionary Film and the Images of Lenin and Stalin in Cinema". Report. Abstracts.
Fond 3290, Op. 3, D. 47

I. S. Zilberstein. "Stalin and the Defense of Petrograd in 1918". Literary script of the film.

Additional materials that allow for the study of visual and directorial interpretations of Stalin in cinema are stored at the Central State Archive of Literature and Art in Saint Petersburg (CGALI SPb). In Fond R-271 (Op. 1, D. 3), there is a montage sheet for the song-film "Cossack Thought about Stalin", reflecting the musical-patriotic representation of the leader's image. In Fond R-934 (Op. 1, D. 46), there is an issue of the journal "Art of Cinema" from 1949 with a frame from The Battle of Stalingrad, in which Stalin is played by Alexei Diky, with editor's notes — evidence of the perception and censorship control over the on-screen image.

Of particular interest are materials related to actor interpretations: in Fond R-857, there is a photograph of actor Boris Gorbatov in the role of Stalin with his autograph (D. 57), as well as the directorial development of Mikhail Ershov, which includes a hand-drawn portrait of Stalin (D. 37). Photomaterials from a monologue performance with parody images of Soviet leaders, including Stalin, performed by actor V. M. Tatosov can also be found in Fond R-873 (D. 13).

Fond R-271, Op. 1, D. 3

"Cossack Thought about Stalin" — Montage sheet for the song-film.
Fond R-873, Op. 1, D. 13

Photographs of V. M. Tatosov in roles (parodies of state figures: Stalin I. V., Brezhnev L. I., and others in the monologue "Article 11, Part"), performed at [Theatre of Variety], individual.
Fond R-857, Op. 1, D. 57

Photograph of actor Boris Fedorovich Gorbatov in the role of I. V. Stalin. Page 1 verso — a dedication from B. F. Gorbatov to M. I. Ershov (09.12.1975).
Fond R-934, Op. 1, D. 46

Magazine "Art of Cinema" (No. 6, 1949) with an image from the film The Battle of Stalingrad by V. M. Petrov (actor A. Diky in the role of Stalin I. V.). Printed copy with editorial notes.
Fond R-857, Op. 1, D. 37

M. I. Ershov’s directorial development for the film. Page 76 — portrait of Stalin (drawing with a ballpoint pen). Printed copy with corrections and notes on the instability of the page.

Today, Russian cinema does not actively seek to openly revive the cult of Stalin, but his image remains present in the cultural sphere — as a shadow of strong power, order, and victory. He rarely appears in films, but the ideas associated with him are becoming increasingly noticeable. Modern Russian ideology frequently turns to the past to highlight the grandeur of the state and the necessity of strict leadership. Stalin is not shown directly, but the principles of Stalinist cinema — clarity, heroization, and the elimination of doubts — are becoming relevant once more. Thus, Stalin returns not as a hero on screen but as a style of narrating power.

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