SEEING RED: STORIES OF AMERICAN COMMUNISTS
dirs. Julia Reichert and Jim Klein, 1983
101 mins. United States.
In English.
FRIDAY, MAY 6 – 7:30 PM
FRIDAY, MAY 13 – MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY, MAY 15 – 5 PM
THURSDAY, MAY 26 – 10 PM
SEEING RED tells the forgotten history of the U.S. Communist Party and the ordinary Americans whose lives were forever changed by their membership in it. Reichert and Klein compiled footage from over 400 interviews with former rank-and-file CPUSA members (many of whom had not spoken publicly about their involvement since the McCarthy hearings) to create a human portrait of 50 years of communist organizing. Idealistic youths who joined a vibrant organization in the 30s and 40s grew into adults confronted with surveillance and persecution in the 50s, not to mention the sobering revelation of Joseph Stalin’s crimes. Their thoughtful voices (including Pete Seeger’s!) articulately convey the all-encompassing fire that’s lit in a person through committing to movement work, without shying away from discussing their issues with the Party itself. SEEING RED is an invaluable film for leftist organizers and activists today.
With thanks to Julia Reichert.
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Emerge is a caucus of NYC-DSA that has come together under the banner of communism. For us, communism is the goal as well as the process of full self-emancipation from capitalism and its attendant effects. Political education is a key part of our caucus life, and we believe that cinema is an important tool for leftist education, which can deepen our politics.
