Contact: Tyler Powell
STARKVILLE, Miss. â Mississippi ´ķĪķAPPâs Department of History has secured the rights to release the comedy film âThe Death of Stalinâ for a public viewing on campus next week.
On Thursday [April 26] at 6:30 p.m. in the Old Main Academic Center auditorium, the Institute for the Humanities is partnering with the history department to present a free screening of the movie, which was released to limited theaters nationwide in March.
MSUâs showing of âThe Death of Stalinâ offers an opportunity for students, faculty, staff and the community to enjoy âone of the leading comedy movies of the year,â said Julia Osman, director of MSUâs Institute for the Humanities. âBecause of the limited theatrical release, there arenât any other theaters in the local viewing area showing this film.ĖũWe hope folks can take advantage of seeing this critically acclaimed history/comedy,â Osman said.
The film will be introduced by Stephen Brain, associate professor and leader of the history departmentâs Empire, Power, Identity and Conflict (EPIC) node. Brain also is the departmentâs Russian and Soviet Union historian.
Based on the death of infamous Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin, the film provides a comedic spin on the frantic plotting, terror and fragile alliances defining the immediate aftermath of the tyrantâs death. Directed by Armando Iannucci, the âThe Death of Stalinâ stars Steve Buscemi.
Winner of the 2017 British Independent Film Award, âThe Death of Stalinâ received critical acclaim from The New York Times co-chief film critic Manohla Dargis. âThe laughs come in jolts and waves in âThe Death of Stalin,â delivered in a brilliantly arranged mix of savage one-liners, lacerating dialogue and perfectly timed slapstick that wouldnât be out of place in a Three Stooges bit,â Dargis wrote.
Organizers are advising that the R-rated film includes language, violence and some sexual references.
The Department of History and the Institute for the Humanities both are part of MSUâs College of Arts and Sciences, which includes more than 5,200 students, 300 full-time faculty members, nine doctoral programs and 25 academic majors offered in 14 departments.ĖũComplete details about the college is online at . The Department of History and the Institute for the Humanities may be found, respectively, at ´Į°ųĖũ.
MSU is Mississippiâs leading university, available online at .Ėũ