Reds             

By Tom Keogh

Warren Beatty's lengthy 1981 drama about American Communist John Reed and his relationships with both the Russian Revolution and a writer named Louise Bryant (Diane Keaton) is a compelling piece of little-known history told in a uniquely personal way. Beatty plays Reed as he did the title gangster in Bugsy and Senator in Bulworth, as a visionary likely to die before anyone fully recognizes the progressiveness of the vision, including those who are supposed to be on the same page. Jack Nicholson has an interesting part as fellow intellectual Eugene O'Neill, and the late author Jerzy Kosinski -- himself a refugee from then-Soviet-controlled Poland -- makes a strong impression as Reed's problematic Russian liaison.

Academy Awards

Reds won Academy Awards for Supporting Actress (Maureen Stapleton), Directing (Warren Beatty), and Cinematography (Vittorio Storaro), It was also nominated for Best Picture (Warren Beatty - Producer), Actor (Warren Beatty), Actress (Diane Keaton), Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson), Writing (Best Screenplay written directly for the screen; Warren Beatty, Trevor Griffiths), Art Direction/Set Decoration (Richard Sylbert - Art Direction, Michael Seirton - Set Decoration), Costume Design (Shirley Russell), Film Editing (Dede Allen, Craig McKay), and Sound (Dick Vorisek, Tom Fleischman, and Simon Kaye).

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