I think voting is the opium of the masses in this country. Every four years you deaden the pain.

Reds

(1981)

A fascinating, neglected, corridor of American history, but Warren Beatty the director is possibly too earnest, too attentive to the details, with the result that overall it lacks a certain spark. However, the film is brimming with star turns (Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Paul Sorvino) and it’s shot through with a palpable intelligence that makes you realise how relatively dumbed-down and attention-seeking most "epic" historical movies are.

The DVD’s making-of documentary runs to 70 minutes, highlighting Beatty's (who is the main talking head) filmmaking smarts but it’s also revealing for those who aren't interviewed (Gene Hackman and Diane Keaton, neither of whom appreciated Beatty's multiple takes ad nauseam approach). Hackman's only in about 3 scenes, but one of them reportedly went up to 99 takes; he said he'd do one more and that was it, after which he left the set). The most interesting part of the doc is probably the discussion of the "witnesses" who intersperse the film with anecdotes relating to John Reed.

****

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Now In Full Color, with a Happier Ending

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