The Assassination of Trotsky (1972)

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 "TheServant", Accident", "King & Country", to name but three, his place as a great director, would be assured. However, I do agree that this film, "TheAssassination 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 itends there. Trotsky, who played a major part in the Bolshevik OctoberRevolution 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 ofcommunism, 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 abetter 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 beenon autopilot when he lensed this celluloid travesty

The subject matter was the only saving factor for this movie, but the quality was hardly befitting of such a story and man. Historiographically the movie stayed true to facts or that is, the facts accepted by Nicholas Mosley, the screenwriter. Mosley had published a book of the same title the same year as the production of this movie. They claim in the opening scene to portray the facts as closely as possible and those that are ambiguous they leave open, but the assassination of Trotsky is surrounded by mystery and speculation. I've come to understand that the only piece of hard evidence agreed upon by all, is that Trotsky died at the end.Disappointingly the movie tends to leave out or vaguely use interesting details related to the incident, which makes the movie somewhat confusing to those who have no previous knowledge of the event. And that would be my advice, that one should look into the topic independently after seeing this movie in order to better grasp such a historically significant event. In terms of acting and plot I don't believe the movie pays it justice.

For the major part Assassination of Trotsky moves with a very slow pace and makes the movie even boring from time to time. Some scenes are over dramatized and creates an uneven tempo. Richard Burton:s character Leon Trotsky is minimized an old man walking around his villa speaking monologues, not enough to save the movie. Alain Delon acts Frank Jacson, the assassin, with bad judgment. The character is overplayed and not convincing. You even have trouble hearing what the man says when English not is his native tung! The story is very interesting and with burton in the lead one suspect that Assassination of Trotsky is a good film. Sadly this is not the case and the movie cannot be recommended. This is not a bad film but it suffers to much from an uneven tempo, bad direction and bad acting. It adds up to 3/10

This is probably not the best picture ever made, even though we have the joy of seeing Richard Burton and hearing him almost twice, thanks to the recordings he makes during this cynical interlude in 20th century history. For the voice of Burton alone, any film should be worth watching. But there is more, much more. Speaking in strange tongues there are also Alain Delon, much more convincing here than in his standard-macho appearances in French Film, and ... Romy Schneider.This wonderful woman and superb actress shows here once more what a gem she really is. Was, unfortunately. What a fantastic performance once again. Why is this not a superb film than ? It is not the difficulty of tongue; all the people on screen are exiles, they have to manage somehow with the words they find and the accents they have. Nor is it the fact that three, no four actors play lovely. Over all the film is just not knitted tight enough, which is a pity, because now it is already worth all of our attention.