Les cloches rouges 2ème partie: J'ai vu naître un nouveau monde

Sergei Bondarchuk's (War and Peace) film of Ten Days that Shook the World, about the October Revolution in 1917, depicts, from the point of the view of two foreign journalists in Petrograd, the events which would shape Russia for the 20th century. The film has a dryness to it which may bore viewers (it certainly bored me a little on first viewing) but give it your patience - this is a very well crafted and impartial look at the revolution, and it has more power than the lackeys to audience taste at Hollywood would ever fit into a motion picture. It's not available on VHS or DVD, so scour the rental world for a copy - it's where I got mine.

I stumbled upon "Red Bells Part II: Ten Days That Shook the World" by chance, and to my surprise, found myself entranced by what can only be described as a cinematic relic of a bygone era. Having never heard of it, I expected little more than a dusty history lesson, but what I encountered was a production of unexpectedly high caliber. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular, with its meticulous street scenes teeming with extras and an ocean of red flags - a visual symphony that breathes life into events we usually associate with grainy black-and-white photos.

My curiosity was piqued primarily because I had read John Reed's account of those fateful days, so I went in bracing myself for a plot that might trudge along like a documentary. Thankfully, the film clings to Reed's chronicle like a lifeline, eschewing melodrama in favor of a more subdued retelling. The actors portraying Louise Bryant and John Reed do so with commendable restraint, even if they are draped in costumes that would make a czar envious. It's worth noting, however, that this film bears little resemblance to the far superior Reds, which managed to marry historical breadth with personal depth - two elements notably absent here.

Of course, no Soviet-backed production would be complete without some carefully curated omissions. While the film does show Reed's inevitable demise, it tiptoes around his growing disillusionment with the Bolshevik regime, a truth too inconvenient for this piece of deluxe propaganda. Yet, despite its shortcomings, I can't help but recommend the film - if only for its outstanding production values and as a visual passport to the ten days that supposedly shook the world. For those interested in Russian history, it offers a vivid, if somewhat sanitized, glimpse of the revolution in all its red-tinted glory.