The Long and Short of It: 'Reds'
Illustration by Jenn Marie Harmeson
In "The Long and Short of It" series, Sam Watermeier writes concise reviews of long epics he's been putting off watching for years. These are the movies that came in bulky two-tape boxes back when VHS was all the rage. This bi-weekly series isn't about watching Sam torture himself; it's about watching him experience long-beloved films for the first time.
"Reds" is this column's first film with a running time that feels excessive. It's a quietly devastating, intimate love story swallowed up in a stilted political epic.
In addition to co-writing, producing and directing, Warren Beatty stars as Jack Reed, a radical journalist who's swept up in the Russian Revolution and inspired to spread the spirit of communism across America. Along the way, he falls in love with Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton), a fellow writer feeding on the fringes of the leftist movement in the early part of the 20th century.
The lovers ensconce themselves in the community of activists and artists hanging out in the grungy bars of Greenwich Village. As they preach about political freedom, their relationship grows more liberal as well. Jack and Louise try not to put a label on their love that would prevent them from pursuing other people. Louise quickly finds herself wrapped up in an affair with playwright Eugene O'Neill (a scene-stealing Jack Nicholson) while Beatty's character develops a courtship with communism.
Despite constantly saying they don't want to be possessive of each other, their affairs eat them up with jealousy. Freedom comes at a steep price, the film suggests.
The theme of broken loyalty seeps into the political sphere of the film as well. We see splits and screaming matches between the Socialist and new American Communist parties. As Roger Ebert wrote in his review: "The movie never succeeds in convincing us that the feuds between the American Socialist parties were much more than personality conflicts and ego-bruisings." Sadly, the same could be said about American politics today. Our current leaders wear their insecurities on their sleeves and exorcise their demons on the world stage.
"Reds" is more effective when it explores that insecurity behind closed doors, in private moments between characters. In one of the film's most powerful scenes, Jack confronts Louise about her lack of confidence. She tries to blame him, saying his celebrity casts a shadow over her. But he fires back. "Maybe if you took yourself a little more seriously, other people would, too," he says with an edge of anger. It's a poignant portrait of tough love.
The current political climate is as cold as the Kremlin walls. The Trump administration keeps feelings bitter between liberals and conservatives. When liberals cry out against the oppression caused by conservative ideology, many right-wingers retreat to their safe spaces and refuse to be confronted or called out on flaws that can be fixed. They reject tough love. Now is the perfect time for people on both sides of the political spectrum to watch this film — even if it is a little too long.