(Credit: DVDtown.com)
Directed by
Warren Beatty
Cast:
Warren Beatty …. John Reed
Diane Keaton …. Louise Bryant
Edward Herrmann …. Max Eastman
Jerzy Kosinski …. Grigory Zinoviev
Jack Nicholson …. Eugene O’Neill
Paul Sorvino …. Louis Fraina
Maureen Stapleton …. Emma Goldman
Nicolas Coster …. Paul Trullinger
Warren Beatty isn’t necessarily a man you associate with a lot of passion. His best roles, Clyde Barrow, Pudgy McCabe, and Bugsy Siegel, all benefited from the acto’s cool, laid back performances. All the characters were driven men, but not necessarily what you would call passionate. Yet, to watch the man’s directorial projects is to watch a man who can be full of passion. Bullwort’s political satire was scathing in its simplicity and power. Dick Tracy may not be the best film, but it also shows a meticulous attention to detail that brought the Comic Strip to life. Now of all of Beatty’s film, as either actor or director, probably no role could match the passion he shows in Reds. As the director, co-writer, producer, and star, Reds is a testament to Beatty’s love for both storytelling and political activism.
Reds illustrates to us the life of Jack Reed (Beatty), a reporter and revolutionary from the first quarter of the 20th Century. Reed’s greatest accomplishment was his masterpiece, Ten Days the Shook the World, chronicling the rise of the Bolshevik Revolution, but his life was full of adventure as the man spent time with Poncho Villa and had to face death while be smuggled into Russia during the turbulent early days of the Soviet Union. Reed’s life was one where he thought he could personally change the world, and tried to do so with every moment of his life.
Where Beatty is able to bring conflict into this picture is within Reed’s personal life, for as much as he wanted social change, he wanted to love Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) as well. In the picture, Bryant is a woman looking for a purpose, and trying to find it with Jack, but is too often pushed aside when his zeal for social change leaves him no time for her. Yet she always came back to him, even when other suitors would have given her anything she wanted, such as writer Eugene O’Neill (Jack Nicholson). The first half of this picture shows this turbulent relationship on a very personal level, taking place in close quarters as Louise must deal with Reed’s constant absence from their due to activism, and she must find solice in the arms of others.
It is when the two reluctantly go to Russia that their lives change. They each report on the Bolshevik Revolution, with Reed becoming a very important figure in American Socialism because of his book. Then on the brink of happiness, life steals Jack away from Louise again, only this time she refuses to be denied.
The second half of the film is a harrowing story of love, as Reed goes to Russia, only to be captured while trying to escape back to America. Bryant is relentless in her pursuit, stowing away on boats, and trekking through dangerous snowy territories to get to her love. This is epic movie making on a David Lean scale, as Beatty pulls out all the stops to build up an amazing emotional release that has never been present in his films before. This isn’t a storybook romance, but one that has to endure in the face of great struggle. By making their relationship problems small and personal in the beginning, we can empathize with these two people, and we continue to do so even after their journeys become larger-than-life.
There isn’t a single bad performance in this film, with Keaton and Beatty turning out some of the best work of their careers. Keaton makes Louise easy to identify with, as she wants to have some independence, and yet still yearns to be with the man she loves. The actress does work here that is on par with her performances in The Godfather and Annie Hall, as Louise is very much a paradox; a free spirit that devotes much of her life to this one man.
Beatty brings a quiet power to Jack Reed, a man trying so hard to bring change to the world and yet having problems with change in his own house. By the time he realizes his mistakes it’s almost too late. His politics and personal life are so intertwined that he doesn’t realize it when he’s not giving enough attention to both. Reed is infused with so much desperation as he tries so hard to balance what he feels is his duty to both his politics and to Louise.
The stars are surrounded by an amazing supporting cast as well, from Maureen Stapleton who walked away with the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Revolutionary Emma Goldman to the most reserved performance from Jack Nicholson ever put on screen. Beatty is able to balance a huge cast and give them enough screen time and good lines that not a single one seems any less than fleshed out. Reds takes its time in making everyone a memorable character and not just a revolving door of cameos.
Perhaps even more powerful is a series of testimonials that run throughout the picture. Men and women that lived through the era, with some that even knew the principle characters, give their side of what was happening during that time. With the testimonials, Beatty was able to blur the line between reality and art, intensifying the film’s power. Not believing the performances are one thing, but who would doubt men and women that were witnesses to this era?
It is incredible that in the midst of the Reagan-era 1980’s that major studio like Paramount would put out a Leftist film such as Reds. You would think that the Cold War would not be the time to release a major film about Communist sympathizers, and yet Paramount allowed Warren Beatty this full control and delivered a film that would be nominated for 12 Academy Awards and would win three, including Best Director for Beatty. But Reds is better than just awards and nominations; it is a work of art that gives you a window into a time that has been largely closed off. By nimbly mixing politics and romance, Beatty not only gives you a film that makes you think, but a film to love as well.
Score: 10
The Video
The print on this disc is really beautiful, and has been gorgeously restored. With an epic like this, visuals are so important and Paramount does a terrific service to all involved. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1
The Audio
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is also very good. With many scenes featuring multiple speaking parts going on at the same time, as well as just as many quiet moments, the film’s sound always seems balanced and clear. Bravo again to Paramount.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Featurettes, Trailer
The Rising – This Featurette talks about the film’s origins and how Beatty had worked on the treatment for the film for years. Beatty had to also put together a series of commercial successes, the most important being Heaven Can Wait. Beatty himself even seems surprised that Paramount would roll the dice on this film.
Komrades – The Featurette has Beatty speaking about the different actors in the piece. I love a portion where Beatty talks about how he likes to make the actors feel like they’re in control, even when they’re not. Jack Nicholson speaks about his part and why he was cast in the part, as Beatty had told him that he wanted an actor that the audience believed could actually steal his love away from him.
Testimonials – Beatty and others speak about how important the testimonials were to this picture. They just added so much life to Reds, making it that much more of a memorable experience.
The March – This deals with the hardships that faced the production, as the production was a tumultuous one.
Revolution Parts 1 and 2 – These Featurettes deal with the production itself. There’s a wonderful little anecdote where Beatty talks about how he wanted to make the film within the Soviet Union, but a slip of the tongue during a meeting nixed the whole process. They ended up shooting in Madrid and Finland, which still ended up very convincing locations for the film.
Propaganda – This last Featurette deals with post production on the film as well as how well it did at the Academy Awards. The Director and Composer Stephen Sondheim talk about how the score was as minimalist as possible because Beatty doesn’t like it when a film’s music tells you what to think or feel. Beatty also speaks about how he neglected to thank some people during his Best Director speech because he thought he would win Best Picture at that point, but unfortunately for him, Chariots of Fire walked away with the big trophy.
Trailer
Score: 8
The Inside Pulse
In this age of “Double Dipping”, it’s nice to see a studio putting out a nice DVD for a great film on the first go around. Reds is a tremendous feat for all around and an amazing story of love and survival. The disc that Paramount has put together is also worthy of this achievement with a lot of great extras and little tidbits.
