L'assassinio di Trotsky

Remember that opening line from The Stranglers' great song from the late-70s, 'No More Heroes'? Well this film provides us with a precise answer to that question, rather than the song's own rather flippant retort ("He got an ice-pick that made his ears burn"). 'The Assassination of Trotsky' is a fascinating story and one that deserves telling. At first Richard Burton seems a bit one-dimensional but as the film develops his performance evolves to reveal the revolutionary's personal charisma, his considerable intelligence, and his devotion to Marxism and his beloved wife. Alain Delon is simply riveting as the emotionally retarded Jacson - ultimately revealing him to be a pathetic individual, and Romy Schneider is brilliantly passionate in her role as Jacson's lover and Trotsky's devoted secretary. Although flawed in parts (with a script that was clearly chopped by the studios), this is an intense, realistic examination of Trotsky's last few months, with a quite stunning murder, where Losey puts the viewer in Jacson's shoes to devastating effect. A genuinely chilling moment in very fine, though admittedly patchy, film.

One person who has "commented" on this film, consider Losey a 'hack'. Well, I beg to differ. If Joseph Losey had only made such wonderful films as "The

Servant", Accident", "King & Country", to name but three, his place as a great director, would be assured. However, I do agree that this film, "The

Assassination Of Trotsky", is not one of Losey's better efforts. In fact, on second viewing, it's a total fiasco. It has no redeeming features whatsoever. I know that Hollywood tends to 'distort' history when it suits them, but "The Assassination of Trotsky" is not a product of the Hollywood Factory. In fact, if Hollywood had made a film about Trotsky, it couldn't, surely, be as bad as this one. Richard Burton plays Trotsky. He does have a passing resemblance to Trotsky, but it

ends there. Trotsky, who played a major part in the Bolshevik October

Revolution of 1917, was also an intellectual and led the lefist opposition to Stalin (how history would have been different if that despot had been deposed!). He was expelled from the party and sent into exile, ending up in a villa near Mexico City. There he founded the Fourth International - devoted to what Trotsky described as 'pure communism'. Which is perhaps why, on Stalin's orders, that Trotsky was assassinated. None of this given the importance it deserves.

Without alluding to the crucial role Trotsky played in the founding of

communism, anybody who sees this film (poor blighters), will see this film as just so much histrionics. As Trotsky, Burton has all the believability of Groucho Marx in the role of Napoleon: thinking about it, maybe Groucho would have made a

better fist in the role of Trotsky. As for Alain Delon, as the assassin, he's all nervous twitches, and beetled eyebrows. Joseph Losey's mind must have been

on autopilot when he lensed this celluloid travesty

Stalin hated Trotsky for many reasons, one among them is that Lenin in his famous testament strongly criticized Stalin as a tough and badly educated leader while recognized Trotsky as the most intelligent politician among the Bolcheviks. In that way Trostky was a kind of impediment for Stalin to seize the whole power in Soviet Union. The party trusted Stalin and the first thing he did was to start a snare campaign against Trotsky among the high bosses of the party as Zinoviev, Kamenev and Bukharin, who finally supported Stalin in this deed. As a result Trostky was declared a traitor and expelled from USSR, living first at the border of USSR, then in Turkey and finally in Mexico. He continued writing and had an increased number of people following him, a fact enough for Stalin to order his assassination. To this end Stalin and his KGB tools used Mexican communists led by the famous muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros. They attempted to kill Trostki once unsuccessfully, then decided to change for another way, i.e. to introduce the agent Jacques Mornard, who in fact was not from Belgium as he claimed to be, but Spanish citizen Ramón Mercader del Río, son of mother born in Cuba. Mornard or Mercader finally killed Trostky, but not his ideas. In fact Stalin made a big mistake because trostkism increased and gained a lot of popularity in several countries after the death of Trostky. The present film is just an effort to show something of this fatal happening, but it is not the best in my opinion. There is no introduction to Trostki, how he was expelled from USSR, why this happened, how he arrived in Mexico. Not knowing the history, it will be very difficult to guess that Stalin was behind this assassination. The relationship of Trostki with some communists, as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is neither shown at all. The role of Trostky is played well by Richard Burton although he looked fatter than the real Trostky, but Alain Delon as Mornard or Mercader did not play this role convincingly. Mercader was a Stalinist fanatic, and this characteristic is not seen in the role played by Delon. He looked as schizophrenic rather than a man with political convictions.

So-so and unhistorical attempt attempt to dramatize the last days of the Russian Revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky in Mexico , when his ideas accordingly shrink in importance . For one moment , they hold history in their hands . With one terrible blow , they make it .

Thrilling and interesting film dealing with Trotsky's last couple of months in exile in Mexico. Revolving around a web of intrigue , concerning a twisted conspiracy of terror resulting in an act of madness carried out by Stalinist agents got to him . There are some brilliant scenes as the bullfighting scenes or the mise in scene of the murder , being competently shot . Main and secondary cast are frankly good . Richard Burton gives a nice acting , portraying him as a dry and pedantic figure, as he was the famous leader who commanded Red Army during the Civil War against the White troops , and eventually , he's done in with an ice pick . Support cast is pretty well, such as : Valentina Cortese as Trotsky's kind wife , Romy Schneider who is wasted seeming like an unfinished role , Enrico Maria Salerno as Salazar , Jean Desailly , Duilio Del Prete , Michael Forest , Hunt Powers , among others .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography by Pasqualino De Santis , however , a perfect remastering being really necessary . The picture was profesionally and deliberately directed by Joseph Losey , though it has some flaws, gaps and shortcomings . Here Losey doesn't give too much historical remarks , we're so starved of hard information that one can only wish for more . The American Losey was a good director on his own , making nice films as in USA as Great Britain where he exiled pursued by the HUAC -House Un-American Activities Committee- , as he made the following important movies : The boy with Green Hair , The Lawless , The Prowler , M , The Big Night , Time without pity , The Criminal, The Damned , Modesty Blaise , Secret Ceremony , Figures in a Landscape , The Go-betwen , Accident , A Doll's House , King and Country, Boom , Galileo, The Romantic Englshwoman , Mr Klein, and The Servant at his best .

I saw this film when it came out, in 1972, and it made such an impression on me that I have a clear recollection of it now. I just visited the Trotsky Museum in Mexico City, the house where he was assassinated. He was in fact killed with an ax--there are photos in the museum of the actual murder weapon that is exactly like the one depicted in the film. So the commentator who makes such a big point about it being an ice pick is uninformed. This commentator may also be unaware that Joseph Losey was one of the great British filmmakers of his generation, so it's perfectly natural that he make films in English.

What is good about the film? Richard Burton's ability to convey the charisma of Trotsky, the combination of visionary and pragmatic politician who had the misfortune to be outmaneuvered by two equally powerful men with far fewer scruples, Lenin and Stalin. Alain Delon's portrayal of the ice-cold assassin, motivated not by ideology nor even by money, nor in fact any discernible force other than his own profound emptiness. One of Delon's best roles ever.

The cinematography is extremely powerful. As I say, 30 years later, the images are clear in my mind.

Time to rehabilitate this film, folks. There's a lot of trash out there with higher ratings than this 4.6, so if you've seen it, add your vote. If you haven't, try to see it, and vote what you think it's merit is.