Reds, the big screen 1981 opus, was written produced and directed by Warren Beatty, who also starred and probably catered the film. When I say they don't make 'em like this anymore, I'm not just whistling the Internationale. This is a three hour plus romance that takes in the New York left, the anti-war movement of 1916, WWI, and the Bolshevik revolution in Russia.Writers, the film's got writers. George Plimpton and Jerzy Kozinsky act like actors and Jack Nicholson acts like Eugene O'Neill.
The film's also got lefties from back in the day. Wrinkled and gray, they still have that spark the government considered dangerous merely because they believed things that made capitalism's sphincter clench. Among the old Socialists interviewed are Henry Miller, Will Durant, Hamilton Fish, Arthur Mayer, and Oleg Karensky.
I hadn't seen this movie since it first came out and I'd forgotten so much it was like I'd never seen it before. This is big Hollywood. As big as the subject. Hell, as big as Warren's ego and that's big. In fact this movie is probably bigger than Hollywood will ever do again. I recently saw the new Bond film and that thing looked like a fucking car commercial compared to this. Because this, my friends, is movie-making. Even on TV the Russian winter made me shiver.
You could do a lot worse things than spend 3 hours and 20 minutes with Reds. Check it out.
Tomorrow, a movie about slugs.
4 comments:
You've traumatized me for life. I'm afraid to smile for fear of blind puppies.
I'm about to read a book on Shostakovich and his issues/non-issues with Stalin. I'm curious if Reds touched (even with the music) on him (Shostakovich).
Charlie,
I don't think so. Not knowing the music, I might not recognize it, but the film was focused pretty tightly on the pre-Stalin days right after the revolution. Lenin, Trotsky, et al.
And go ahead and smile. We'll get seeing eye kids to lead those blind puppies around.
I'll have to see this. I was 10 in 1981, so I missed it.
I haven't gone to see the new Bond movie. In a way, I think changing the actors for Bond is the only thing that's kept the franchise alive. Everyone wants to rush off to see how the new guy will do and compare and contrast.
Otherwise, it's more of the same. A lot of the best Bond movies were made eons ago...although I liked Brosnan. But I just can't muster the interest to go see the new one.
I'd forgotten about this one...but yes, it really does epitomize the kind of real-world epic (as opposed to special effects heavy sci-fi "epic") Hollywood used to be able to do well.
These days some committee of craven faceless suits would probably shit-can REDS for fear Rush Limpdick and Mann Coulter would say nasty things about it.
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