Synopsis
In czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.
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Cast
- Woody AllenBoris Grushenko
- Diane KeatonSonja
- Harold GouldAnton Inbedkov
- Olga Georges-PicotCountess Alexandrovna
- Zvee ScoolerFather
- Despo DiamantidouMother
- Sol FriederVoskovec
- Jessica HarperNatasha
- Lloyd BattistaDon Francisco
- Alfred LutterYoung Boris
Recommendations
- 100
Empire
This magnificent, often anarchic pastiche of Russian literature’s portentous habits with a side order in Bergmanesque death wallowing actually finds Allen at his silliest. Which also means it is extraordinarily clever silliness, with designs deliberately stolen from Chaplin, Keaton and the Marx Brothers. It is film that explores comedy’s infinite variety via the medium of the existential philosophy of those big Russian sagas slumped in history like sulking teenagers. - 90
The New York Times
Besides being one of Woody's most consistently witty films, Love and Death marks a couple of other advances for Mr. Allen as a film maker and for Miss Keaton as a wickedly funny comedienne. - 90
Time Out London
Another episode in Allen's Jewish-neurotic romance with Diane Keaton, this time with Napoleon's invasion of Russia interfering. This allows a string of terrific visual gags using battles, Death the Grim Reaper, swords, grand opera, village idiots, snow, Napoleon and Olga Georges-Picot. As less than half-a-dozen lines are bum, Love and Death is an almost total treat. - 88
Chicago Sun-Times
There are shadings of comic meaning that could have gotten lost if all we had were the words, and there are whole scenes that play off facial expressions. It's a good movie to watch just for that reason, because it's been done with such care, love and lunacy. - 80
TV Guide Magazine
Woody Allen's hilarious satire of classic Russian literature, might properly be described as Tolstoy meets the Marx Bros., as he and Diane Keaton get caught up in an uproariously funny plot to assassinate Napoleon in 1812. - 80
Variety
Love and Death is another mile-a-minute visual-verbal whirl by the two comedy talents, this time through Czarist Russia in the days of the Napoleonic Wars.
