The story of a radical American journalist embroiled in the Bolshevik revolution mesmerized critics and audiences alike and remains as relevant today as when it was originally released on December 25, 1981. Punctuated by interviews with real-life activists and witnesses to the revolution, REDS became an instant classic, transcending time with its eternal tale of human passion, conviction, and frailty. In addition to Beatty, the film boasts an outstanding cast including Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Edward Herrmann, Gene Hackman, Paul Sorvino, and Maureen Stapleton, whose performance won her an Academy Award® for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
The engrossing depiction of the love story between activists John Reed (Beatty) and Louise Bryant (Keaton) set against the outbreak of World War I and the rise of communism in Russia, REDS garnered 12 Academy Award® nominations and won three**, including Best Director for Beatty, who also took home every other major directorial award of the season. The Oscar®-nominated screenplay was written by Beatty and Trevor Griffiths.
For thoughts on Reds, please see my previous article here.
Video Quality
Reds gets a much-needed Blu-Ray upgrade with a stellar 1080p transfer sourced from a full restoration and remaster of the Original Camera Negative supervised by director Warren Beatty. This film was previously available on Blu-Ray for its 25th anniversary, but the 15 years gap has allowed this one to destroy the old, lacking disc. This presentation is a knockout that preserves the filmic look with proper film grain and texture throughout. The level of clarity and detail on this release is truly something to behold. There are very subtle details in the background that are visible here for the first time from minute details on outfits to some of the complexities of the environments. The black levels are extremely deep and allow for true detail to come through. There are a lot of bold colors in the film that pop off the screen with an immaculate vibrancy. Skin tones are natural and lend themselves to showcasing an amazing amount of detail. Paramount has done an excellent job of restoring this, as all print damage has been cleaned up without messing with the natural look of the film. Those who have been waiting for this one to be treated with the proper respect on Blu-Ray should feel this upgrade does the trick.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a restored Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack that sonically represents the film exactly as needed. The classic dialogue comes through clearly and never falls victim to any digital anomalies. Environmental sounds help evoke some activity with ambient noises, but it is not a standout in that regard. The surround channels are mostly used to gently support the main activity in the front. The low end support for this film is not put to the test but it provides a bit of texture at specific moments. The activity focuses heavily on the center channel with the thematically evocative score from Stephen Sondheim and Dave Grusin filling the room appropriately. Music is used skillfully throughout the presentation, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. This track accomplishes everything it needs to do really well.
Special Features
- Witness To Reds: An excellent 68-minute documentary that begins with Beatty playfully expressing his aversion to creating special features for a home entertainment release before delving deep into the behind-the-scenes of the production. These featurettes cover some of the obstacles that cropped up during production, thoughts and analysis from cast and crew members, on-set footage, insights into the reception of the film and much more than fans will love to explore.
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- The Rising:
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- Comrades:
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- Testimonials:
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- The March:
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- Revolution, Part 1
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- Revolution, Part 2
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- Propaganda
- Reds Trailer: The minute-long trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
Reds is a very ambitious feature from Warren Beatty that he ended up pulling off quite effectively. The themes with which he is playing still resonate to this day. The scale of the picture is impressive, but it is the knockout performances from the ensemble that helps keep the feature of steady footing. Paramount Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a 5-star A/V presentation and a nice selection of special features. This is one of the great films of the 1980s and it is thrilling to finally own it in such great quality. Highly Recommended
Reds: 40th Anniversary Edition is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.