Reds (1981) Film vs. History

REDS – The Film	Reality
Around Thanksgiving 1915, Beatty speaks at the Portland Liberal Club and meets Keaton. After a newspaper interview, she spends the night with him, and asks him to judge her writing.  Off- handedly, Beatty suggests Keaton come to NYC and live with him. Later, he's surprised when she shows up.	Bryant and Reed belonged to the same elite social circle & knew each other before November 1915.  When Beatty returned to visit his mother, the two began a very public love affair.  They agreed that Bryant should follow Reed to NYC after she told her husband.
Keaton is intimidated by Beatty’s brainy NYC friends and upset at Beatty’s long absences	There’s no evidence of this. Bryant was an exhibitionist with a big ego. and an established track record of left-wing activism. She had no trouble getting published in New York.
In Summer 1916, when Beatty leaves on a long newspaper job, a lonely Keaton begins an affair with Jack Nicholson.  Beatty comes home unexpectedly, and sees Keaton and Nicholson kissing. He’s crushed.  Later, Keaton makes it clear to O’Neill that she’s staying with Beatty.	Wrong. Bryant and O’Neill had an affair but both Bryant and Reed believed in “Free Love.”  Upon learning of the affair, Reed wasn’t upset, instead he invited O’Neill to have his meals them.  Bryant and O’Neill continued their affair whenever Reed was absent.
When Keaton tries to explain and apologize about the affair, Beatty cuts her off and asks Keaton to marry him, She happily agrees.	Wrong. .  Both Reed and Bryant thought marriage “Bourgeoisie nonsense” In November 1916, they were secretly married because Reed wanted Bryant to inherit his belongings -  in case he died
In October 1916, Nicholson surprises Keaton, and expresses his undying love. Keaton tells him she’s married, and a dejected Nicholson leaves	This never happened. In November-December 1916 Reed had a Kidney operation, and Bryant continued to see O’Neill during Reed’s hospitalization
In May 1917, Beatty finds a Nicholson love letter and hides his anger with a mask of indifference. Beatty and Keaton fight, and Beatty lets slip he’s has affairs of his own. Keaton is deeply upset, and leaves him.	Wrong. Reed was openly promiscuous before and during their marriage - visiting prostitutes, and conducting 4-5 more serious “things”. Bryant finally had enough and left Reed in May 1917 and rejoined O’Neill. But she changed her mind and went back to Reed.
To get away from Beatty, Keaton leaves for France to cover the war.	In June 1917, both agreed she should go to France.  Reed paid for her passage.
In the summer of 1917, Beatty has a kidney operation and Keaton writes him letters boasting of her newspaper work in France.  When Beatty finds out Bryant’s been fired, he goes to France to see her.	Wrong. Bored in France, and barred from the combat zone, Bryant returned to NYC in August 1917. She was never fired. As stated before, Reed’s kidney operation was in November 1916.
Beatty finds Bryant with the French army, and asks her to go to Russia with him.  She declines, but he gives her the train/boat tickets anyway.  Later, she meets Beatty on a Russian train and they cover the Russian Revolution together.	Wrong. When Bryant returned to New York, she agreed to go to Russia with Reed. Arriving in Russia in September 1917, the two covered the Russian Revolution for the Socialist newspaper “The Masses”.
Returning together to USA in Spring 1918, Beatty has his papers confiscated. Later, Bryant is questioned by right-wing Senators about Russia.  Keaton destroys them with her snarky replies. The kill shot?  The Communists let women vote, and the USA doesn’t.	Reed returned alone in April 1918, two months AFTER Bryant. The snarky dialogue is made up.  In 1918, women in both states where Bryant lived - New York and Oregon -  had the right to vote.  Women the USSR had the right to vote –but only for communists.
Beatty involves himself in communist party politics Keaton tells him it’s a waste of time.	While Bryant had no desire to be under party discipline, she supported Reed’s political activism and the Communists.
In October 1919, Beatty decides to go to Moscow for formal recognition of *his* Communist party.  Keaton refuses to go with him. Reed secretly boards a freighter bound for Russia.	True, except Bryant wanted Reed to leave the USA to avoid prosecution for his Communist activities. She wished he didn’t have to go, but was understanding.
Keaton visits Nicholson and the two fight. Nicholson calls Keaton/Reed "phonies" and Keaton leaves in a huff. Meanwhile, in Moscow, Beatty argues with Russian Bureaucrats.	Wrong. During Reed’s absence, Bryant had a long affair with the painter Andrew Dasburg – seeing him every weekend. She’d broken up with O’Neill in May 1917.
During the winter/early spring of 1920, Beatty misses his wife and leaves the USSR. Captured by the Finns, he’s thrown in jail. A kindly prison doctor sends his cable for help and provides Keaton’s response.  Released, he returns to Moscow, where he awaits a cable or letter from Keaton	Reed had left the USSR with $16,000 in diamonds/cash to finance USA Communist activities. There was no “kindly doctor”. The Finns confiscated his Cash/Diamonds, and fake passports, but allowed him to send 3-4 letters to Bryant (and more letters to others). After two months in prison he was released on June 3,, 1920. Without a USA passport, he returned to Moscow
Learning that Beatty is in prison, Keaton undertakes a perilous journey to the USSR.  Working on a tramp steamer, trudging through snowy wastelands, and walking through trackless forests, she arrives in Moscow. By chance, she runs into Stapleton who tells him that Beatty is in Baku.  Bryant rooms with Stapleton in her Moscow apartment.	Wrong. Bryant received a June 8th 1920 cable from Reed asking her to come to Moscow. Leaving NYC in late July, Bryant arrived in Sweden on August 11 and Moscow on August 27th.  Except for a brief walk in Norway, she made the entire journey by boat and train. Reed knew she was coming, and arranged for her to stay at an elite Moscow hotel
Beatty is unhappy and forced to go to Baku. On the way back, the train is attacked by the White army. People are injured/killed during the fighting. When the Train returns to Moscow, Keaton and Beatty have a tearful reunion.  We next see Beatty ill in the hospital and the movie ends with his death.	There was no White army attack on the train. When Reed returned to Moscow on Sept 15, 1920, Bryant and Reed spent a week visiting Lenin & Trotsky and taking in the Bolshoi Ballet. Reed then came down with Typhus and died in the Hospital three weeks later.