A radical American journalist becomes involved with the Communist revolution in Russia and hopes to bring its spirit and idealism to the United States.
“Reds” stars Warren Beatty as John “Jack” Reed and Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant, portraying two like-minded progressives with an enduring on-again, off-again relationship. Their real-life story takes place in the midst of unprecedented social and economic upheaval around the world during the early 20th century.
Early on, Jack Reed’s political inclinations are made clear. When asked at a luncheon filled with bluebloods about the motivations for entering the war in Europe – after having witnessed the events of World War I first-hand – Reed’s one-word response is profits. His observation that cold political and financial calculation plays a far greater role than any semblance of democratic yearning has proved eerily prescient.
Louise is sympathetic to Jack’s ideology as is apparent during their first meeting in her flat. It’s interesting to watch Louise interview Jack, addressing all the right subjects intellectually, but coming off as naïve and detached.
As they grow closer, Jack and Louise immerse themselves in Greenwich Village society, surrounded by New York, but not like New York – outside the mainstream of American life as it is. Director Beatty puts on display the early 1900 cityscapes of the dynamic city, giving the story a very authentic feeling. John Reed’s liberal inclinations go on full display from the beginning. Though he looks like a rich kid enamored with idealized political systems, his conviction seems to go further.
Economic historians regularly note that the turn of the century saw the impacts of greatly accelerated industrialization. The world became more networked, and the important political economists of the time began to fully appreciate the implications of capitalism on the lives of everyday people. Indeed, the enormity of economic inequality had never been surpassed in all of humanity’s existence – until the beginning of the 21st century, where we now live in a second Gilded Age.
Perhaps most interesting is the theme permeating the film about how lofty ideals eventually conflict with reality. Louise proudly boasts her independence from conventions such as marriage and freely engages in a relationship with playwright Eugene O’Neill (Jack Nicolson) while John is away. However, once John returns and proposes marriage, Louise readily accepts – all previous protestations aside. Similarly, John’s unwavering belief in the virtues of socialism slowly erodes in the aftermath of the October revolution when the reality proves messier than its promise. “Reds” does an admirable job of putting on display the shortcomings of all manner of political systems, whether they be capitalist, communist, socialist, or more recently capitalist-communist and social democratic. It’s worth noting that the United States hardly emerged from the ideological battle unaffected, as social security, Medicare, public roads, farm subsidies, and public education obviously represent politically popular elements of socialism that even capitalists regularly support.
Some of the film’s most powerful moments come in the form of the two journalists coming face-to-face with the reality of a worker’s revolution in progress. As many an ex-pat can tell you, theory is one thing, life on the ground in a post-conflict zone is something else altogether. The aftermath of war never looks as glamorous as the riveting stories of heroism might suggest.
Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges has remarked that spending time outside of the United States can help one see the societal changes occurring more clearly. When Jack and Louise return to New York in 1918 and his book notes are confiscated on the authority of the attorney general, the nature of the changes becomes apparent. The fear that worker control would lead to greater union strength did not sit well with capitalist interests, thus launching the Red Scare, a sentiment that still pervades much policy thinking in the U.S.
As a journalist, Jack violates many conventions, such as editorializing his news stories. When invited to speak to Russian workers contemplating a strike, he’s no longer reporting the news, but making some of it himself. His urging of the proletariat to strike in order to show the way for American workers yearning for a role model – supposedly speaking on behalf of the blue-collar man halfway across the world – comes off as presumptuous at best. Louise sees through Reed’s boyish enthusiasm, still enough of a reporter to realize that John has clearly crossed the line of objectivity. Regardless, she loves Jack, despite his flawed and tragic character.
Back in the U.S., Jack tries to influence a divided Socialist Party after its takeover by more conservative elements. The newly-formed liberal faction votes to send Jack to Moscow for formal recognition thus setting the stage for a long and unexpected separation between Jack and Louise.
The historical backdrop of Russia’s revolution in the midst of the war and the country’s eventual withdrawal leaves the Allied powers uneasy at best. Governments of the West see the Russian worker takeover of the machinery of the state as a distinct threat. When trying to leave Russia through Finland, authorities at the border detain and imprison Jack. At the same time, the Allied armies surround Russia in order to put a stranglehold on the Bolsheviks.
“Reds” constitutes history told through the eyes of two passionate people. It’s a reminder that for all epic politics, war is still ultimately about people and its effect on their lives. The movie does a fine job reminding audiences of that very fact, as John and Louise navigate the turbulent events of the times. When the revolution needs Jack, Bolshevik party leaders insist that he continue his work in Russia, despite assurances given to Louise that he would be back by Christmas. It is in this second half of the film that Louise demonstrates her true devotion to Jack, bringing to closure a powerful narrative.
At over three hours, the motion picture can seem to drag on, but with so many characters and such a large canvas to paint, the lengthy runtime is warranted. It’s the sort of story that today would take the form of a limited series. “Reds” serves up an informative perspective of events that bring to life an underappreciated slice of world history, often at odds with the material found in textbooks sanctioned by state boards of education. This thought-provoking material should whet one’s appetite for more.
Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths wrote the first-rate screenplay. Produced and directed by Warren Beatty, and winner of the Best Director Academy Award, the project was clearly a labor of love. Excellent production design puts on full display the grit and glamor of America and Russia in equal measure. An elaborate storyline that represents Beatty’s unwavering vision regarding competing political systems serves up food for thought that is still relevant a hundred years later. Beatty never shies from the myriad contradictions of war and political change essentially to understanding the times.
Boasting an outstanding supporting cast – always one of Beatty’s strong suits due to his formidable Hollywood connections – the narrative expertly carves out a slice of history far too many American’s have at best only a passing acquaintance. The character of Emma Goldman, an idealist, anarchist, political activist, and writer, is brought vividly to life by Maureen Stapleton, who won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her portrayal.
In many ways, the wars of the first half of the twentieth century were the political response to society attempting to adjust to industrialization, where the debate about how to share the enormous gains in productivity raged for decades. By the end of World War II, child labor laws, the 40-hour workweek, the minimum wage, and other reforms formed the basis for less income inequality than perhaps at any other time in history. Echoes of the excesses that led to the great wars percolate just under the surface in our current gilded age, with obscene demonstrations of wealth inequality by billionaires taking joyrides into space, essentially thumbing their noses at the fifty percent or more of U.S. households living paycheck to paycheck.
“Reds” puts on elegant display the plight of working people. Although the film may not be altogether uplifting, perhaps that’s part of the lesson imparted here – that real life doesn’t always have happy endings. A near-perfect docudrama, “Reds” presents a thinking person’s depiction of the messy clash between the competing political systems that remains a work in process.
Available on a two-disc Blu-ray™ set from Paramount Home Entertainment
