Too much romance, not enough Revolution
I admire what Beatty was doing with this project and it's courageous he managed to get it off the ground. For many Americans in 1981, this was the first time many of us had heard the inspiring "Internationale". However the way this was sold to the public as a romance is a major distraction. We see in Louise a woman gradually being radicalized, but we rarely hear any real socialist ideas coming out of her mouth. The historic backdrop of the Russian Revolution is being exploited as an exotic setting for a rather dull romance. I wanted to see more of Dolph Sweet as a union leader or Paul Sorvino, or Jerzy Kosinski .i would have rather the film be about John Reed's friendship with Emma Goldman rather than his relationship with Louise Bryant. The Russian Revolution represents a major historic leap for the international working even.though it was bastardized by the Stalinist bureaucracy. I wish the film could have told the story specifically about the Revolution and left out the boring romance.
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