The Death of Stalin Page #14

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KAGANOVICH:

(justifying himself)

You'd be good at it.

Bulganin raises his hand.

MALENKOV:

Carried... U... una...

Then, grudgingly again, Khrushchev.

MALENKOV (CONT’D)

..carried unanimously.

KHRUSHCHEV:

Thank you. I shall remember this.

Beria looks to Malenkov.

MALENKOV:

(trying to be formal)

Comrade Beria.

Beria clears his throat, looks extravagantly at ease.

BERIA:

I propose a halt to deportations.

The release of some existing

detainees. And the suspension of

arrests officially sanctioned three

days ago...

Molotov, Khrushchev, Kaganovich and Bulganin are shocked.

MIKOYAN:

You dare wipe your shitting arse on

Stalin's lists!?

BULGANIN:

Let's all stay calm... although

what you just said is utterly

ridiculous.

BERIA:

(angry)

One of you look me in the eye and

tell me you’re not heartsick at the

relentless, pointless arrests.

Death after death after DEATH.

A charged beat as he looks around the room, defiant.

MALENKOV:

Gentlemen, I believe we must

embrace a new reality.

20 May 2016 Draft 10 72.

MALENKOV (CONT’D)

(”wanker” mime)

Yeah. “Embrace” it...

KAGANOVICH:

How are we going to explain all the

people you very comprehensively

arrested in the first place?

BERIA:

If there were errors, if people

misguided us then we punish those

who did the misguiding...

MIKOYAN:

Arrest anyone who carried out a

wrongful arrest? Lavrentiy, come

on. We ALL signed off on that

sh*t...

MALENKOV:

(thinks he can be

commanding)

Stalin destroyed the status quo and

built a new one. He was radical.

KHRUSHCHEV:

This is deliberately being rushed

through. We don’t have time to..

BERIA:

I thought you were in favour of a

more liberal approach, Comrade

Reformer.

Khrushchev remains silent, roiling with conflicting emotions.

MALENKOV:

We must step back...

BERIA:

All those in favour...

MALENKOV:

(interrupting)

...of pausing the arrests and

executions and so on?

Malenkov and Beria raise their arms. Mikoyan, reluctantly,

joins them. Bulganin, Khrushchev and Kaganovich look at

Molotov.

MOLOTOV:

I have always been loyal to Stalin.

Always. And these arrests were

authorised by Stalin.

20 May 2016 Draft 10 73.

The rest of the committee follow Molotov’s lengthy logic with

increasing frustration.

MOLOTOV (CONT’D)

But Stalin was always loyal to the

collective leadership. That is true

loyalty. But he had an iron

principle, undeviating, strong.

Shouldn’t we do the same, and stick

to what we believed in? No. It’s

stronger still to forge one’s own

beliefs into the beliefs of

collective leadership.

(a beat)

Which I have now done.

Molotov raises his hand. Kaganovich and Bulganin raise

theirs. Finally, Khrushchev raises his hand.

MALENKOV:

Carried...

BERIA:

Good, I'll oversee...

MALENKOV:

(interrupting)

Unanimously.

BERIA:

I'll oversee the releases. We have

unloosened the Union’s great

corset. Nikita, you've some

swatches and bouquets to look at. A

funeral doesn't organise itself.

We stay on Khrushchev as Molotov leans over. Malenkov

prattles on in the background.

MOLOTOV:

(To Khrushchev)

You’ve won! Do him proud.

MALENKOV:

(in background)

Beria, I want you to put

together a communique for the

press. I'll supervise the

transfer of the body.

Comrade Bulganin, tell the

army; Comrade Mikoyan, the

factories and the unions...

CUT TO:

119 EXT. GULAG - PRISON YARD - DAY 119

Twenty prisoners, including the Nervous Man, lined up to be

shot by 5 GUARDS and CHASOV.

20 May 2016 Draft 10 74.

PRISONER:

Long live Stalin!

CHASOV:

Comrade Stalin's dead. Comrade

Malenkov's in charge now.

PRISONER:

Long live Mal...

Chasov shoots him just as an NKVD officer, SHULGA runs up.

SHULGA:

Stop shooting!

Chasov turns, but fires off one more shot. It kills the

Nervous Man, who slumps dead in the background.

SHULGA (CONT’D)

(indicating list)

Amnesties effective immediately.

Orders of Comrade Beria. We’re

pulling out.

They hurry off to join their colleagues. The NKVD’s

mobilising, heading off. The prisoners are left, confused.

CUT TO:

120 INT. HOUSE OF THE TRADE UNIONS - HALL OF COLUMNS - DAY 120

Close-up of Stalin’s face in his coffin. Pull out and high to

reveal enormous hall with people bustling, making last-minute

preparations.

The UNDERTAKERS’ finishing touches: doing make-up, hair,

moustache, polishing buttons. Huge flags hang from the

ceiling. More are being rigged. Swathes of red, and flowers,

everywhere.

Beria and Malenkov stroll along the other side of the hall.

BERIA:

Interrogations are on hold. First

time we’ve had a chance to bleach

the cells. Also, I’ve signed off a

few amnesties. Petty thieves,

harmless idiots...

MEZHNIKOV (mid 50s, fussy), the designer responsible for the

funeral, stands beside a frustrated Khrushchev (in a red

armband with black borders) at the head of Stalin's coffin.

MEZHNIKOV:

Now, curtains. Ruched or not

ruched?

20 May 2016 Draft 10 75.

KHRUSHCHEV:

Ruched? What the f*** is ruched?

Mezhnikov demonstrates with the material under the coffin.

MEZHNIKOV:

Ruched. Not ruched. Ruched. Not

ruched.

KHRUSHCHEV:

Why should I care? While you were

hiding in your mama’s linen closet

I was at Stalingrad! I ate rats.

Raw rats. Didn't even cook them!

Behind him, a nervous group of STEELWORKERS. Awkward,

overawed. Khrushchev in his element with the Steelworkers.

KHRUSHCHEV (CONT’D)

Ah, the Steelworkers. Some REAL

men! Lads, come, come!

Malenkov moves over to assert his authority. Beria spots a

line of girls and moves over to them.

MALENKOV:

Iron and steel are the very

foundation of...

KHRUSHCHEV:

(to Steelworkers)

Iron? IRON?

Derisory laughter.

KHRUSHCHEV (CONT’D)

Capitalism was built on iron. STEEL

- is the 20th Century. The Soviet

Union is made of steel! And these!

Men! Made it!

Huge wave of suppressed applause, caught between joyous

approval of Khrushchev and the solemnity of the place.

Delov arrives with a group of sweet, very Russian-looking

girls, aged 7-9.

MALENKOV:

You found my girl?

DELOV:

We can't find her, Comrade Minis...

Comrade General Secretary. These

are suggested alternatives.

MALENKOV:

(to Khrushchev)

Find her!

20 May 2016 Draft 10 76.

KHRUSHCHEV:

I thought you bastards knew where

EVERYONE was! Find her, camel-cock!

Pervak is stood awkwardly behind him with Maria Yudina, the

pianist. Khrushchev turns and switches into chivalrous mode.

KHRUSHCHEV (CONT’D)

Maria Veniaminovna. Please. Forgive

my language, but he IS... one of

those. This...

He gestures towards Malenkov who holds out his hand but she's

seen Stalin in his coffin. It hits her.

MARIA:

Stalin!

KHRUSHCHEV:

Yes. Stalin.

Malenkov is left hanging. He joins in the solemn moment.

MALENKOV:

Sad times. Thank you for coming.

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