Seeing Red (1983 film)

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Seeing Red
Directed byJim Klein
Julia Reichert
Produced byJim Klein
Julia Reichert [1]
Starring Bill Bailey
Dorothy Healey
Howard "Stretch" Johnson
CinematographyStephen Lighthill
Sandi Sissel
Martin Duckworth
Edited byJames Klein
Julia Reichert
Music byDavid K. Dunaway
Distributed by New Day Films
Release date
  • 1983 (1983)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Seeing Red is a 1983 American documentary film directed by Jim Klein and Julia Reichert.

Contents

Synopsis

The documentary film looks at the political activities and activism of Americans who were members or supporters of the American Communist Party. It is one of the first non-fiction films to examine the role of a third political party in the United States.

Reception

In a mixed review, Dan Georgakas wrote in Cineaste that "given the failure of the interviewees to seize the opportunity offered by the filmmakers, seeing Red is unable to penetrate new ideological terrain or reconcile the radical generations. Nevertheless, the film provides a vivid sense of the public life of rank and file Communists of the 1930s and 1940s." [2] In a negative review for The Nation , Joshua Freeman stated that "the effort is admirable but the results are disappointing. Neither the audience nor those interviewed are given their full due." [3]

Accolades

It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. [4] [5]

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References

  1. Documentary Winners: 1984 Oscars
  2. Georgakas, Dan (1984). "Seeing Red". Cineaste. Vol. 13, no. 2. pp. 27–28. ISSN   0009-7004. ProQuest   222701265 . Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  3. Freeman, Joshua B. (October 29, 1983). "Films". Nation. 237 (13): 411–413. ISSN   0027-8378.
  4. "The 56th Academy Awards (1984) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  5. "NY Times: Seeing Red". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . 2011. Archived from the original on February 11, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2008.