Love and Death (1975) ( Guerre et amour ) ( Love & Death )

Love and Death (1975) (DVD) (*)

~~$20.99~~ $14.97

Original Title: Guerre et amour
Alternate Title: Love & Death
Screened, competed or awarded at:
Berlin International Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( Mono )
French ( Mono )

Product Origin/Format:
France ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
78 min

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen (1.85:1)

Special Features:
Interactive Menu
Scene Access

Movie filmed in 1975 and produced in:
France ( France, Benelux )
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Woody Allen

Written By:
Woody Allen

Actors:
Woody Allen ..... Boris Grushenko
Diane Keaton ..... Sonja
Georges Adet ..... Old Nehamkin
Frank Adu ..... Drill sergeant
Edmond Ardisson ..... Priest (as Edward Ardisson)
Féodor Atkine ..... Mikhail Grushenko (as Feodor Atkine)
Albert Augier ..... Waiter
Yves Barsacq ..... Rimsky (as Yves Barsaco)
Lloyd Battista ..... Don Francisco
Jack Berard ..... Gen. Lecoq
Eva Betrand ..... Woman hygiene class
George Birt ..... Doctor
Yves Brainville ..... Andre
Gérard Buhr ..... Servant (as Gerard Buhr)
Brian Coburn ..... Dimitri

Synopsis:

Woody Allen reinvents himself again with the epic historical satire, Love and Death. A wonderfully funny and eclectic distillation of the Russian literary soul, the film represents a bridge between Allen's early slapstick farces and his darker autobiographical comedies. One of his most visual, philosophical and elaborately conceived films, Love and Death demonstrates again that Allen is an authentic comic genius. Cowardly scholar Boris Grushenko (Allen) has the hots for the beautiful Sonja (Diane Keaton), but cold feet for the Napoleonic Wars. Devastated by news of Sonja's plans to wed a foul-smelling herring merchant, Boris enlist in the army - only to return home a penniless hero! Finally agreeing to marry him, Sonja settles down with poor Boris to a rich life of philosophy, celibacy and meals of snow. But when the French troops invade Russia and Sonja hatches a zany scheme to assassinate Napoleon, Boris learns - in a hilarious but fatal coup attempt - that God is an underachiever, there are no girls in the afterlife and the Angel of Death just can't be trusted!

Woody Allen's Love and Death is purportedly a satire of all things Russian, from Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky novels to Sergei Eisenstein films, but it plays more like a spin on Bob Hope's Monsieur Beaucaire. Allen plays Boris, a 19th century Russian who falls in love with his distant (and married) cousin Sonja (Diane Keaton). Pressed into service with the Russian army during the war against Napoleon, Boris accidentally becomes a hero, then goes on to win a duel against a cuckolded husband (Harold Gould). He returns to Sonja, hoping to settle down on the Steppes somewhere, but Sonja has become fired up with patriotic fervor, insisting that Boris join a plot to kill Napoleon. Intellectual in-jokes abound in Love and Death, and other gags are basic Allen one-liners; for instance, after being congratulated for his lovemaking skills, Boris replies nonchalantly, "I practice a lot when I'm alone." The pseudo-Russian ambience of Love and Death is comically enhanced by the Sergey Prokofiev compositions on the musical track.

When Napoleon threatens to invade the Russian Empire, the coward Boris Grushenko is forced to enlist to save his country. He actually captures a group of enemy officers, but the French Army is too strong and soon Napoleon reaches Moscow. Boris thinks that this should put an end to the war, but his young wife wants to murder Napoleon...

This product was added to our catalog on Friday 11 June, 2021.