Love and Death

An occasional series where I give the rundown on my favourite movies...

Love and Death (1975), Dir: Woody Allen

Allen's last "early, funny one", this 75 minute souffle slips by in no time at all yet leaves the viewer completely satisfied. Often acknowledged as the greatest Marx brothers never made, this melding of inspired sight gags, sex comedy, philosophical musing, historical spoof, European stereotypes and, of course, Jewish nebbish one-liners, is easily Woody's funniest effort.
The film benefits greatly from its authentic European stylings, with much of the supporting cast assaulting the audience with their rich Russian accents and adopting the kind of exaggerated theatrics to which Allen's script is tailor-made.
The movie is heavily plotted but never burdensome. It concerns a young Russian noble, Boris (Allen), and his unrequited love for his cousin, Sonya (the luminous Diane Keaton, outclassing Allen in the comedy stakes). Their on-again, off-again relationship is tracked the length and breadth of Franco-Russian relations at the turn of the 17th century as Napoleon's forces threaten an idyllic family life. Culminating in a riotous infiltration of the Emperor's palace, the movie is a laugh riot on both a gut-busting and a mind-bending level.
Allen would 'grow up' after this last guffaw, charming the Academy with the definitive relationship movie that is Annie Hall the next year. Whilst he certainly matured as a writer, he was never as good a filmmaker in the true sense of the word after this and Sleeper. The screen teems with often inspired images, particularly in the key battle scene between the French and the Russians. What a long way he has fallen in the last decade; the best thing for him to do would be to retire to his mansion and re-watch his magnificent life's work. I certainly recommend you do the same.