Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Harold Gould, James Tolkan, Georges Adet
Love and Death was the last of Allen's pure comedies before he pivoted and geared his work closer to dramas and dramedies. Like Sleeper and Bananas, Love and Death is a verbal and physical free-for-all lampooning Russian literature and novels like War and Peace. If you're a Russian literary novice, like me, there is plenty of humor here which is very funny and also pushes the comic envelope. This is the only movie to date I can recall which uses the word "jejune" in any capacity.
Allen plays Boris, a Russian villager circa early 1800's in love with his cousin Sonja (Keaton), who has zero romantic interest in him. When Napoleon invades Russia, Boris reluctantly joins the army and manages by a stroke of luck to help this unit win a battle by hiding in a cannon. Sonja, meanwhile, is in love with Boris' brother who dies in battle. In her grief, she marries a rich, older man who made his fortune in herring. Once he passes, Sonja marries Boris and concocts a scheme to assassinate Napoleon.
Boris is tormented by his love for Sonja and his beliefs on religion, life, death, and war. Allen scores with numerous one-liners and even some sight gags, much like he did in Bananas and Sleeper. He keeps the tone light and the pace fast. Love and Death's running is a mere 85 minutes, which these days is slightly over half a movie. Following this triumph, Allen decided to be more introspective and autobiographical with Annie Hall, which was still hilarious but in a different way. The rest is history.
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