Reds
1981
***½
Director: Warren Beatty
Cast: Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Maureen Stapleton, Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosiński, George Plimpton, Max Wright, M. Emmet Walsh, Bessie Love
This long historical drama tells the fact-based story of American journalist John Reed, his involvement in the Russian Revolution, and his relationship with writer Louise Bryant. It's remarkable that, at the height of the Cold War, Warren Beatty secured financing for a 195-minute epic about an American communist. His ambitious film intertwines a complicated romance with early 20th-century politics. To my surprise, I found the romance to be more captivating than the machinations of the authoritarian Bolshevik state, and as a consequence, the story loses momentum towards the end. Nevertheless, Warren Beatty and Diane Keaton give impressive performances. Beatty's direction, Vittorio Storaro's cinematography, and Maureen Stapleton's supporting performance earned Academy Awards. Based on the life of John Reed and his book Ten Days That Shook the World.
