State Funeral

Nicholas Jamison

FILM 486

Prof. Kristin Hole

16 March 2020

State Funeral

Sergei Loznitsa’s State Funeral takes the form of a ‘city symphony’ of people in the aftermath of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s death.  With no original footage, the film is comprised entirely of archival footage and audio recordings of the massive and ritualistic exercise that was Stalin’s funeral.  Loznitsa deftly molds the footage into a three act structure, with the first act being the announcement of Stalin’s death in all the various Soviet Socialist Republics, the second act being the extended open-casket funeral as Stalin reposed-in-state, and the final act illustrating the conclusion of the ceremonies and formation of a new soviet government.  The first act is a journey through the vast Soviet Union, as people in Minsk, the Altai Republic, and everywhere in between gather in crowds as the radio transmits news of the death.  Cutting between shots of loudspeakers, crowds and individuals, Loznitsa captures the universal shock and despair of Soviet citizens.  The soundscape of the film forefronts baroque yet sterile speeches and eulogies, while a more literal and realistic quasi-diegetic soundscape lurks beneath.  Being comprised of archival footage, the film frequently cuts between color and black and white footage.  As news of Stalin’s death spreads, Loznitsa temporarily moves away from the crowds and focuses on the arrival of emissaries from communist nations intent on paying their respects.  The second act of the film moves into Moscow, where soldiers stand guard as hundreds of thousands of mourners slowly shuffle into the hall where Stalin lies.  This second act is highly repetitive in its use of footage, demonstrating the immensity of the funeral.  As the footage essentially repeats itself, the very minor difference in reactions amongst the individuals captured becomes forefronted as the Soviet Union and the film itself essentially stalls in one moment in time.  Grandiose yet jingoistic and almost cartoonish speeches by various Soviet bureaucrats play over the endless funeral procession as Loznitsa shows footage of Khrushchev, Beria, Malenkov, and Molotov standing solemnly nearby.  The third and final act of State Funeral became thematically muddier then the prior two, and employs several fade-to-blacks that are not seen in the first or second acts.  The third act moves between footage of factory workers standing at attention, to the speeches made by Malenkov, Beria, and others as Stalin is interred, and b-roll footage of memorials in Moscow accompanied by optimistic music.  The editing in the final act feels labored and forced, and the multiple fades to black introduce a new filmic language that struggles to demonstrate meaning relative to the structure of the first and second act.  Interestingly, the film does not provide context for Stalin’s death and shows only the funeral activities — the only political statement in the film is provided via an inter-title disclaimer just before the credits that decries Stalin’s massive pogroms and nationalist tendencies.  Saving this disclaimer until the end of the film and not presenting it at the opening allowed State Funeral to maintain contemplative distance from the subject at hand, whilst simultaneously exploring the subject in great depth.

State Funeral

Dir. Sergei Loznitsa

Lithuania, Netherlands (footage from USSR)

2019