Warren Beatty
Reds

The last century, even at its dawn, had already highlighted that at least the first half would be decidedly difficult, first the union struggles, the strikes, then the Great War, the depression, and finally its direct consequence, the Second World War. In this whirlwind of events, there were many protagonists, some forgotten and others perhaps a bit too remembered and quoted inappropriately.

John "Jack" Silas Reed belongs to the first group. An atypical American, atypical because he was first an inconvenient journalist and then a communist, a true "red" during the period of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, who tried to spread his ideals to American labor movements to make them rise against capitalist owners. A figure snubbed mainly out of necessity, but in '81 Warren Beatty decided to bring his story back to light, and against the opinion of many, he put American communism on film, a theme never fully explored by American cinema, with some hints in Pollack's "The Way We Were" but too little. "Reds" is a very interesting film precisely because it tries to shed light on now-forgotten facts; the Americans had a communist party, and the most extreme leftist ideas also spread in the States. Reed and his companion Louise Bryant were exponents of an ideological movement that was emerging and immediately sought the support and recognition of "Mother Russia."

Warren Beatty directs and stars as "Reed," with a very intense Diane Keaton as Louise Bryant, and their relationship is at the heart of the story of "Reds." A complex and deeply troubled bond by the ideas that dominate the historical period and that threaten to overwhelm them, a suggestive and total love story. One of Beatty's most successful ideas was to have the historical narrative told by witnesses of the era, thus introducing the various events in a much more natural way, and the film acquires the traits of a romanticized documentary, making it very fluid and engaging. Additionally, the soundtrack is reduced to a single very delicate theme, so none of the narrated events have a sound commentary that induces the viewer to experience feelings predetermined by the director. The film thus has the merit of not being heavy in its over three-hour duration, and furthermore, the cast is enriched by Jack Nicholson (Eugene O'Neill), Maureen Stapleton (Emma Goldman), Paul Sorvino, and many others, with the splendid cinematography by Vittorio Storaro.

"Reds" won four Oscars, including Best Director and Best Cinematography. It was recently republished in an edition divided into two discs with an interesting documentary on its making, a recommended film.