MOSCOW - The Russian Ministry of Culture has withdrawn the satirical movie "Death of Stalin" from the theaters, state media reported Tuesday, two days before the film was shown in the country.
"The film directed by the Scottish director Armando Ianucci was banned from the show for ideological reasons because it contains banned material under Russian legislation," the paper said, without revealing what the disputed material was.
Russian officials and cultural figures criticized the film as shameful before the 75th anniversary of next week's end of the Stalingrad battle, a decisive victory for the Soviet Union in World War II.
The head of the Soviet state, Joseph Stalin, enjoys great pride in modern Russia as a victorious leader of the nation during World War II.
According to opinion polls released by Russia's largest poll, the Russian Center for Public Opinion Research, more than a fifth of Russians consider Stalin a 20th-century idol.
"The film directed by the Scottish director Armando Ianucci was banned from the show for ideological reasons because it contains banned material under Russian legislation," the paper said, without revealing what the disputed material was.
Russian officials and cultural figures criticized the film as shameful before the 75th anniversary of next week's end of the Stalingrad battle, a decisive victory for the Soviet Union in World War II.
The head of the Soviet state, Joseph Stalin, enjoys great pride in modern Russia as a victorious leader of the nation during World War II.
According to opinion polls released by Russia's largest poll, the Russian Center for Public Opinion Research, more than a fifth of Russians consider Stalin a 20th-century idol.
