Reds Through Rosy Glasses

Reds, like all soap opera, is a test of one’s good will. Does one see the glass half-full, and credit earnestness and energy? Or see the glass half empty, and allow oneself to feel annoyance at scenes in which the emotional content is hyped and cutesy and cannot be believed?

The test may be most severe for those who regard themselves as radicals, for Reds is imbued with good intentions and high hopes failed. In Reds, capitalism is nothing but monopoly and imperialism, and there are no kind words for it. Through all the ups and downs, the dreams and disillusionments of John Reed and Louise Bryant, there is an unquestioned belief that World War I was an invention of Western finance, and that the warr...