Did any filmmaker embody the “one for the studio, one for me” ethos better than Warren Beatty? Three years after the actor made his directorial debut with blockbuster comedy Heaven Can Wait, he made this three-hour dramatized depiction of the left wing in America and Europe’s early years in which the true believers are the heroes. Beatty wrote the script, directed, and starred as real-life journalist and activist John Reed with Diane Keaton playing fellow journalist Louise Bryant as they travel from Portland to Petrograd. Epic, stirring, politically nuanced, and driven by the tortured romance between Bryant and Reed, it’s a testament to commitment to a cause in the face of corruption and oppression. It may have been a commercial flop, but it won three Oscars, including best director for Beatty. More importantly, its power and message remain untouched, and its relevance may only have increased. – Richard Whittaker
