Reds
Short description
Reds is an American historical drama about John Reed, a journalist and political activist whose reporting and revolutionary convictions carried him from the United States to Russia during the upheavals of the First World War and the October Revolution of 1917. The film follows his involvement with the socialist movement and his hope of spreading its ideas among American workers, set against his turbulent relationship with the writer Louise Bryant, who leaves her marriage to be with him and later joins him abroad.
Warren Beatty wrote, produced, directed and stars as Reed, with Diane Keaton as Bryant. The supporting cast includes Edward Herrmann, Jerzy Kosiński, Jack Nicholson and Paul Sorvino; 85 cast members and 161 crew members are credited, reflecting the film's large scale. It was Beatty's second film as director, following Heaven Can Wait, and predates Dick Tracy, Bulworth and Rules Don't Apply. Trevor Griffiths shares the screenplay credit.
Released in December 1981 and running 195 minutes, the film had a budget of 35 million dollars and took about 40 million dollars worldwide, a modest return against its cost. On IMDb it holds 7.3 from around 27,000 votes and on TMDB 6.9 from roughly 384 votes, indicating solid but not universal audience approval. A critics' rating of 8.1 from 50 reviews places it noticeably above the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Gene Hackman appeared in this film in a cameo role as Pete Van Werry. Filming the scene in which he talks to Warren Beatty's character required 100 takes. Hackman categorically refused to do a 101st take.
- In the mid-1980s, the ABC television network intended to show a shortened version of this film lasting 194 minutes. However, the film's director, Warren Beatty, flatly refused to allow the film to be shown in that form.
- Beatty wanted to offer his friend Nicholson the role of Eugene O'Neill, but he wasn't sure if he would agree, as he understood the role was small. During a conversation with Nicholson, he described the character as a man capable of winning a woman away from John Reed (played by Beatty himself). Nicholson said that he was the only one capable of doing so and agreed to the role. Shortly before that, Nicholson had finished filming 'The Shining,' and the producers of 'Reds' considered him too full and unkempt for the new role. But before the new filming began, Nicholson managed to transform significantly and lose weight.
- The scene from the film depicting the October Revolution was filmed in Helsinki, at the Suomenlinna sea fortress and Senate Square.
- Warren Beatty began filming interviews with "witnesses" as early as the 1970s.
- During filming, Beatty lectured Russian actors in the extras cast about capitalist methods of utilizing labor. This move ranked fourth on Total Film magazine's 2004 list of the dumbest decisions in cinema history, as the extras went on strike demanding higher wages.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
