is devoted and shows humanity. "The film is worth watching just for Duvall's acting," Fred Kaplan writes in the Boston Globe, because the rest was just "absolutely stupid" and "trivial". After all, the film has nothing to say other than that Stalin was a monster. He further criticized that the "history is presented almost entirely as a palace intrigue" without going into the background and causes. While praising "Duvall's haunting performance as a Soviet dictator," he also regretted that "the screenplay lacked so much" that Duvall could have alluded to. The film "would only be more tolerable" if it lived up to its own claim of "presenting a compelling anatomy of evil," but even at that it "fails". David Zurawik wrote in the Baltimore Sun that "HBO had lost its Joseph Stalin somewhere between the script and the screen". The film was "lavishly staged" and had "visually a structure, richness and unpredictability that only exterior shots can offer. But looks aren't everything”. Especially when, in his opinion, only “essential kitchen psychology” was used to characterize Stalin, which depicted his inner life far too simply. He also laments that Duvall was hampered by his mask and could only move his eyes, making his game look absolutely leaden. In Entertainment Weekly, Michael Sauter opined that Duvall "exhibits a dominant presence as Comrade Stalin" but the human behind it remains hidden "under all the tons of makeup". He also wondered why the "second biggest monster of the century" was so boring. Awards and nominations Awards Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film – Robert Duvall Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film – Maximilian Schell Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film – Joan Plowright Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie Nominations Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie – Robert Duvall Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie – Maximilian Schell Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie – Joan Plowright