The Death of Stalin Page #8

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Stalin's son, in his Air Force uniform. A COACH is with him.

VASILY:

When we play Hungary, are we

allowed to use guns?

COACH:

Comrade General, they're the best I

could find since the plane crash.

VASILY:

Stop saying plane crash! There was

never a plane crash!

Vasily watches the players scuttle around on the ice, and

takes a swig from a hip flask.

VASILY (CONT’D)

Soviet planes do not crash, and

Stalin’s son does not f*** up.

COACH:

We still have Bobrov. He wasn't on

the plane.

VASILY:

What plane?

COACH:

(shouts)

Bobrov!

Briefly focussed, Bobrov sweeps past the other players, then

completely misses the goal. He looks to Vasily, terrified.

VASILY:

Jesus, he's petrified. He's leaving

a trail of yellow ice.

20 May 2016 Draft 10 39.

A sense of other players chipping the ice or miss-hitting.

VASILY (CONT’D)

You’re the coach. Coach them so

they’re as good as the dead team

was. Or I’ll have you killed. OK?

COACH:

Yes, yes.

Three NKVD OFFICERS, including TARASOV step in, watching

Vasily from afar. Vasily spots them.

VASILY:

Sh*t... Do they know??

(shouting at the players)

Play better now! PLAY BETTER!

A player crashes into the hoarding in front of Vasily.

TARASOV:

General? You are to come to your

father's dacha –

VASILY:

That plane should never have taken

off. You think because of who I am

I can predict ice storms?

The officers share a look.

TARASOV:

Has something happened to our

national hockey team?

VASILY:

No.

(indicates rink)

See? No. But ask yourself - might

something happen to YOU?

The officers look over at the players, and watch one of them

screw up a tackle and smash to the ground.

The NKVD men nod to each other, grab Vasily and pick him up.

VASILY (CONT’D)

What the f***..? My father will

have you saddled and ridden to

Siberia! You have no manners, you

rude f***ing c*nts.

70 EXT. STALIN'S DACHA - FRONT OF BUILDING - DAY 70

The black maria from the park pulls into the courtyard.

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Delov and the other NKVD get out and open the doors. The

scared shabby doctors emerge. One is very young.

Lidiya gets out the front of the van.

71 INT. STALIN'S DACHA - DINING ROOM - DAY 71

Beria is by Svetlana who's crying. Khrushchev offers a chair.

SVETLANA:

No, no.

Khrushchev goes to sit then thinks better of it.

KHRUSHCHEV:

He’s with good people, my dear.

They’re the best...

The shamble of doctors leave the bedroom with Malenkov, and

line up in front of the politburo, Svetlana and Matryona.

KHRUSHCHEV (CONT’D)

Beria got the doctors.

BERIA:

No, that was Malenkov.

MALENKOV:

Svetlana, would you like to sit

down?

SVETLANA:

Really. No.

KHRUSHCHEV:

(offering his chair)

Have mine.

SVETLANA:

(cross)

The men always want me to sit down.

NO.

Svetlana regrets her scratchy response, whispers to the men.

SVETLANA (CONT’D)

Thank you for your concern.

Lukomsky nervously reads from a paper. Lidiya is beside him.

LUKOMSKY:

After examining Comrade Stalin

we've come to the unanimous

conclusion that...

(struggling to continue)

...he's...

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BERIA:

(nods to Lidiya)

Please. Put him out of his misery.

Lidiya takes the paper off him.

LIDIYA:

Comrade Stalin has had a cerebral

hemorrhage. The right side of his

body is paralyzed.

BERIA:

Does he have any chance of

recovery?

LUKOMSKY:

It's, um... It's hard to say...

Beria goes right up to him, and speaks quietly, calmly.

BERIA:

Relax. I'm not going to kiss you.

Will he recover? Yes. Or no.

Lukomsky manages to mouth the quietest "No" ever.

BERIA (CONT’D)

(loud, to the others)

It's over!

Shocked silence. Beria gets his hat and prepares to leave.

Discretely, a few of Beria’s people (NKVD) can be seen

hovering at the edge of shot, and down corridors, waiting for

his signal.

KHRUSHCHEV:

Now it begins. I cry for Stalin, I

cry for all of us...

Beria’s people just as suddenly disappear. Beria turns to

Svetlana. She looks numb.

BERIA:

Courage, little bird. We’re here

for you.

Khrushchev realises he should maybe have said this first.

KHRUSHCHEV:

Yes. Most of all, we cry for you.

All Russia feels your sorrow.

(awkwardly)

Little... bird.

Beria starts to leave again. His ‘people’ appear again

discretely.

20 May 2016 Draft 10 42.

BERIA:

I must get back. Prepare the nation

for this...trauma.

SVETLANA:

Stay with me, please. I feel alone.

Beria looks torn: he needs to go to Moscow to take control.

MALENKOV:

I could go to Moscow. I'm... now

General Secretary if “he” is not...

compos mentis...

KHRUSHCHEV:

(f*** you, Beria)

I’ll stay with you, Svetlana. The

old man would’ve...

SVETLANA:

Oh, THANK you Comrade Khrushchev.

BERIA:

(f*** you, Khrushchev)

No, I can do things here. Here is

perfect.

(to Lidiya)

Timashuk. Come.

Beria’s people disappear again.

He and Lidiya leave. Kaganovich is crying into Stalin’s hand.

KHRUSHCHEV:

(quietly, to Kaganovich)

While Beria has his celebratory

thirty-second f***, I’m going to

find out who our friends...are you

even f***ing listening?

Kaganovich nods, still sobbing.

72 INT. STALIN'S DACHA - HALLWAY - DAY 72

Lidiya follows Beria down the corridor, past the Soldier and

Sergeant.

BERIA:

(to Lidiya)

Stay here. Shut your ears.

He goes inside Stalin's office.

73 INT. STALIN'S DACHA - OFFICE - DAY (CONTINUOUS) 73

Beria shuts the door behind him and punches the air with joy,

20 May 2016 Draft 10 43.

trying hard not to scream and shout. He picks up the phone.

BERIA:

(phone)

Moscow is to be sealed off. Send in

more NKVD. All army stations

replaced by NKVD. And initiate the

new lists.

(ends call, sotto to self)

Reset your watches, ladies and

gentlemen.

74 INT. LUBYANKA - OFFICE AND CORRIDOR - DAY 74

Kobulov hands a list to an NKVD OFFICER who salutes, takes it

along a corridor to a SOLDIER who salutes and marches to a

cell. The door’s unlocked.

A PRISONER is being interrogated. The soldier shoots him dead

and leaves. The NKVD INTERROGATOR is left stunned as we hear

O.S a succession of unlocking doors, yells and gunshots.

75 EXT. STALIN’S DACHA - PERIMETER GATE - DAY 75

FIVE SOLDIERS on guard. Smoking, relaxed. An ARMY CAPTAIN

watches as NKVD MEN get out of a truck. An NKVD OFFICER hands

the Captain some orders. Captain doesn’t like what he sees.

One NKVD man pulls out bottles of vodka. Soldiers look to

Captain, who reluctantly nods, snatch the bottles, and amble

into jeeps. The army leave. The NKVD are in charge.

76 INT. STALIN'S DACHA - OFFICE - DAY 76

Beria opens the door. Lidiya steps in and shuts the door. He

looks at her for a moment.

LIDIYA:

Over his desk? As usual?

She walks to the desk, bends over it. She's done this before.

BERIA:

Stalin is dying. And all you do is

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