At first blush, this is a film about the unusual life of an idealistic peace activist from small town Colorado with some skills in the entertainment field that made him employable but not famous in the West, but which made him a household name and instantly-recognizable face behind the Iron Curtain at the height of the Cold War.
There is also a hint of a story of a man and his own outsize ego, which was both the drive behind his ambitions and ultimately his downfall, in terms of his suicide not far from his home in East Berlin. But dig a bit deeper, beyond that which is offered in this documentary, and you'll find the real story.
Some of this film's interesting scenes offer contrasting views of his death, with Victor Grossman stating that he never doubted that Dean Reed committed suicide, and Reed's firstborn, his cousin, and his musical collaborator claiming that it was a Stasi/KGB/CIA plot - as if Reed was a threat to the United States, the GDR, and/or the Soviet Union that he warranted a planned spy agency killing.
Due possibly/probably to Ramona Reed's involvement in this project, this film paints Reed as the ultimate nice guy - who can forget the scene in which he says with his trademark smile that could melt butter that he aimed to "remain honest" - ? In reality - as has been well-documented in books and accounts in the (primarily German) press - he was extremely easily hurt when attention shifted away from him, a serial philanderer who never objected to and instead supported efforts around Central and Eastern Europe to paint him as a prominent Hollywood musician/actor. Pushy in the studio, on the set, and at home, Reed never thought twice about leaving his wife and child for whatever cause caught his attention at that particular moment. A diagnosis has not been mentioned, but it appears that he had quite a few of the traits of a narcissist. This is a possible explanation for his suicide (Narcistic Personality Disorder is associated with a greater risk of suicide death).
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Reed's death came on the heels of his interview with Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes," which he had hoped would serve as a re-introduction to the American public - and instead was met with wrath in the form of sacks of air mail letters from the United States that made it clear to Reed that he would not be welcomed back home. (And explains why he committed suicide shortly before his daughter's high school graduation, which he had planned traveling to Los Angeles for.)
This film also neglects to mention that Reed's own father committed suicide, a glaring omission in light of other factors.
Lastly, various sources in Germany have publicly stated in recent years that the fact that Reed's death was a suicide became public only after the fall of the Berlin Wall was because they did not want to hurt his widow, Renate Blume - one of the GDR's most prominent actresses of the period. Also a logical explanation. And a curious omission from the film, which gives the impression that this film wanted to portray this a story as a shadowy intrigue, which is frankly the lazy way to tell it.
One can understand the anguish of Reed's family, who truly cherish the memory of their father/cousin. And it is not uncommon for survivors of such conflicted, controversial individuals to want to think the best of them, in spite of their well-earned notorious reputations. At the same time, they do not at all grasp why many Americans considered Reed a traitor of sorts (as borne out by various recent interviews that Ramona Reed has given). It's 2022 and it's kind of amazing that the Reeds don't recognize what about his behavior and many, many outrageous remarks, incongruous comparisons, and questionable associations throughout the years was indefensible - and that it is so obvious, for so many reasons, that he sadly committed suicide.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is not about someone's right to free speech. By all means, say whatever you want in public; however, it is also the right of others to have - or lose - respect for you, based on that. And this gets to the heart of every single debate about Reed. It was never about his rights, it was about his choices - and his inability to stand by them to the end. And, it seems that his family does not wish to accept that, all these years later.
To really understand this character, it's helpful to read the books out there ("Comrade Rockstar" is but one) and see the documentaries ("American Rebel," 1985) first. "Red Elvis" does provide insights into his Stasi file, includes interviews with some people such as Neil Jacobs, and gives insights into the ebb and flow of his career in the GDR - none of which have been covered previously (at least, not in this way). Put them all together and you may have some comprehension of what made Reed tick -- but only some as it takes a pretty special person to defend the actions of East Germany, the USSR, and all of the countries of the region when they engaged in the human rights atrocities that Reed seemingly turned a blind eye to. It is an interesting story, if not a very strange one.
Also, was there no other possible title for this film other than "Red Elvis," which was already used as the title of a German documentary (2006)? Strange choice (on top of it, Reed stylistically and in some ways ideologically more resembles John Denver than Elvis Presley).
There is also a hint of a story of a man and his own outsize ego, which was both the drive behind his ambitions and ultimately his downfall, in terms of his suicide not far from his home in East Berlin. But dig a bit deeper, beyond that which is offered in this documentary, and you'll find the real story.
Some of this film's interesting scenes offer contrasting views of his death, with Victor Grossman stating that he never doubted that Dean Reed committed suicide, and Reed's firstborn, his cousin, and his musical collaborator claiming that it was a Stasi/KGB/CIA plot - as if Reed was a threat to the United States, the GDR, and/or the Soviet Union that he warranted a planned spy agency killing.
Due possibly/probably to Ramona Reed's involvement in this project, this film paints Reed as the ultimate nice guy - who can forget the scene in which he says with his trademark smile that could melt butter that he aimed to "remain honest" - ? In reality - as has been well-documented in books and accounts in the (primarily German) press - he was extremely easily hurt when attention shifted away from him, a serial philanderer who never objected to and instead supported efforts around Central and Eastern Europe to paint him as a prominent Hollywood musician/actor. Pushy in the studio, on the set, and at home, Reed never thought twice about leaving his wife and child for whatever cause caught his attention at that particular moment. A diagnosis has not been mentioned, but it appears that he had quite a few of the traits of a narcissist. This is a possible explanation for his suicide (Narcistic Personality Disorder is associated with a greater risk of suicide death).
Not to put too fine a point on it, but Reed's death came on the heels of his interview with Mike Wallace on "60 Minutes," which he had hoped would serve as a re-introduction to the American public - and instead was met with wrath in the form of sacks of air mail letters from the United States that made it clear to Reed that he would not be welcomed back home. (And explains why he committed suicide shortly before his daughter's high school graduation, which he had planned traveling to Los Angeles for.)
This film also neglects to mention that Reed's own father committed suicide, a glaring omission in light of other factors.
Lastly, various sources in Germany have publicly stated in recent years that the fact that Reed's death was a suicide became public only after the fall of the Berlin Wall was because they did not want to hurt his widow, Renate Blume - one of the GDR's most prominent actresses of the period. Also a logical explanation. And a curious omission from the film, which gives the impression that this film wanted to portray this a story as a shadowy intrigue, which is frankly the lazy way to tell it.
One can understand the anguish of Reed's family, who truly cherish the memory of their father/cousin. And it is not uncommon for survivors of such conflicted, controversial individuals to want to think the best of them, in spite of their well-earned notorious reputations. At the same time, they do not at all grasp why many Americans considered Reed a traitor of sorts (as borne out by various recent interviews that Ramona Reed has given). It's 2022 and it's kind of amazing that the Reeds don't recognize what about his behavior and many, many outrageous remarks, incongruous comparisons, and questionable associations throughout the years was indefensible - and that it is so obvious, for so many reasons, that he sadly committed suicide.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is not about someone's right to free speech. By all means, say whatever you want in public; however, it is also the right of others to have - or lose - respect for you, based on that. And this gets to the heart of every single debate about Reed. It was never about his rights, it was about his choices - and his inability to stand by them to the end. And, it seems that his family does not wish to accept that, all these years later.
To really understand this character, it's helpful to read the books out there ("Comrade Rockstar" is but one) and see the documentaries ("American Rebel," 1985) first. "Red Elvis" does provide insights into his Stasi file, includes interviews with some people such as Neil Jacobs, and gives insights into the ebb and flow of his career in the GDR - none of which have been covered previously (at least, not in this way). Put them all together and you may have some comprehension of what made Reed tick -- but only some as it takes a pretty special person to defend the actions of East Germany, the USSR, and all of the countries of the region when they engaged in the human rights atrocities that Reed seemingly turned a blind eye to. It is an interesting story, if not a very strange one.
Also, was there no other possible title for this film other than "Red Elvis," which was already used as the title of a German documentary (2006)? Strange choice (on top of it, Reed stylistically and in some ways ideologically more resembles John Denver than Elvis Presley).
