Review of Reds (1981) by Chris Z — 04 Oct 2009

Warren Beatty's remarkably fine biopic of Socialist journalist John Reed lost the Best Picture Oscar to CHARIOTS OF FIRE, but 30 years down the road, that may have been a mistake. Beatty won a richly deserved Oscar for directing this massive enterprise; it's no mean feat to make a 195-minute-long film flow smoothly by, but he does it beautifully; a breezy, almost lighthearted first half (climaxing with the Russian Revolution) is followed by the tragedy of how Communism was replaced by totalitarianism.

Beatty is excellent as the bright, optimistic Reed, first seen as a jet-setting activist with barely a second to think; later, as the focus shifts more fully on him, his doubts and frustrations become clearer, all finely conveyed by Beatty.

Diane Keaton, on whom most of the first half rests, is equally good as Reed's wife, Louise Bryant; to compare her work here with her work in INTERIORS is like night and day. Maureen Stapleton, who was good in INTERIORS, is simply wonderful here, as the iconoclastic anarchist Emma Goldman; she stands a voice of reason among the hustle and bustle of the younger activists, and she won a well-deserved Oscar.

Jack Nicholson is expectedly good as the sullen Eugene O'Neill, as is Edward Herrman, and Jerzy Kosinski as the slimy Zinoviev. The production is impeccable, with Beatty's perfectionism paying huge dividends; he also co-wrote the witty screenplay, and was the producer to boot.

Vittorio Storaro's Oscar-winning photography, Richard Sylbert's sweeping sets, Stephen Sondheim's music (plus a selection of old-time tunes), and the uniformly fine performances all add up to a rewarding experience, even for those who aren't Socialists (i.

E., myself). The interviews with the "witnesses", real people who lived through the events of the story, are the icing on the cake.