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Comedy

Love and Death

- The Comedy Sensation of the Year!

In czarist Russia, a neurotic soldier and his distant cousin formulate a plot to assassinate Napoleon.

Release Date : 1975-06-10

Language :EnglishItalian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : United ArtistsJack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Woody Allen

Character Name : Boris Grushenko

Original Name : Woody Allen

Gender : Male

Diane Keaton

Character Name : Sonja

Original Name : Diane Keaton

Gender : Female

Harold Gould

Character Name : Anton Inbedkov

Original Name : Harold Gould

Gender : Male

Olga Georges-Picot

Character Name : Countess Alexandrovna

Original Name : Olga Georges-Picot

Gender : Female

Zvee Scooler

Character Name : Father

Original Name : Zvee Scooler

Gender : Male

Despo Diamantidou

Character Name : Mother

Original Name : Δέσπω Διαμαντίδου

Gender : Female

Sol Frieder

Character Name : Voskovec

Original Name : Sol Frieder

Gender : Male

Jessica Harper

Character Name : Natasha

Original Name : Jessica Harper

Gender : Female

Lloyd Battista

Character Name : Don Francisco

Original Name : Lloyd Battista

Gender : Male

Alfred Lutter

Character Name : Young Boris

Original Name : Alfred Lutter

Gender : Male

Georges Adet

Character Name : Old Nehamkin

Original Name : Georges Adet

Gender : Male

Frank Adu

Character Name : Drill Sergeant

Original Name : Frank Adu

Gender : Male

Edmond Ardisson

Character Name : Priest

Original Name : Edmond Ardisson

Gender : Male

Féodor Atkine

Character Name : Mikhail

Original Name : Féodor Atkine

Gender : Male

Albert Augier

Character Name : Waiter

Original Name : Albert Augier

Gender : Male

Yves Barsacq

Character Name : Rimsky

Original Name : Yves Barsacq

Gender : Male

Jack Bérard

Character Name : General Lecoq

Original Name : Jack Bérard

Gender : Male

Eva Betrand

Character Name : Woman Hygiene Class

Original Name : Eva Betrand

Gender : Male

George Birt

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : George Birt

Gender : Male

Yves Brainville

Character Name : Andre

Original Name : Yves Brainville

Gender : Male

Gérard Buhr

Character Name : Servant

Original Name : Gérard Buhr

Gender : Male

Brian Coburn

Character Name : Dimitri

Original Name : Brian Coburn

Gender : Male

Henri Coutet

Character Name : Minskov

Original Name : Henri Coutet

Gender : Male

Patricia Crown

Character Name : Cheerleader

Original Name : Patricia Crown

Gender : Male

Henri Czarniak

Character Name : Ivan

Original Name : Henri Czarniak

Gender : Male

Sandor Elès

Character Name : Soldier 2

Original Name : Sandor Elès

Gender : Male

Luce Fabiole

Character Name : Grandmother

Original Name : Luce Fabiole

Gender : Female

Florian

Character Name : Uncle Nikolai

Original Name : Florian

Gender : Male

Jacqueline Fogt

Character Name : Ludmilla

Original Name : Jacqueline Fogt

Gender : Female

Harry Hankin

Character Name : Uncle Sasha

Original Name : Harry Hankin

Gender : Male

Tony Jay

Character Name : Vladimir Maximovitch

Original Name : Tony Jay

Gender : Male

Tutte Lemkow

Character Name : Pierre

Original Name : Tutte Lemkow

Gender : Male

Jack Lenoir

Character Name : Krapotkin

Original Name : Jack Lenoir

Gender : Male

Leib Lensky

Character Name : Father Andre

Original Name : Leib Lensky

Gender : Male

Anne Lonnberg

Character Name : Olga

Original Name : Anne Lonnberg

Gender : Female

Roger Lumont

Character Name : 1st Baker

Original Name : Roger Lumont

Gender : Male

Edward Marcus

Character Name : Raskov

Original Name : Edward Marcus

Gender : Male

Jacques Maury

Character Name : Second

Original Name : Jacques Maury

Gender : Male

Narcissa McKinley

Character Name : Cheerleader

Original Name : Narcissa McKinley

Gender : Male

Aubrey Morris

Character Name : Soldier 4

Original Name : Aubrey Morris

Gender : Male

Denise Péron

Character Name : Spanish Countess

Original Name : Denise Péron

Gender : Female

Beth Porter

Character Name : Anna

Original Name : Beth Porter

Gender : Female

Alan Rossett

Character Name : Guard

Original Name : Alan Rossett

Gender : Male

Shimen Ruskin

Character Name : Borslov

Original Name : Shimen Ruskin

Gender : Male

Percival Russel

Character Name : Berdykov

Original Name : Percival Russel

Gender : Male

Chris Sanders

Character Name : Joseph

Original Name : Chris Sanders

Gender : Male

C.A.R. Smith

Character Name : Father Nikolai

Original Name : C.A.R. Smith

Gender : Male

Fred Smith

Character Name : Soldier

Original Name : Fred Smith

Gender : Male

Clément Thierry

Character Name : Jacques

Original Name : Clément Thierry

Gender : Male

Alan Tilvern

Character Name : Sergeant

Original Name : Alan Tilvern

Gender : Male

James Tolkan

Character Name : Napoleon

Original Name : James Tolkan

Gender : Male

Hélène Vallier

Character Name : Madame Wolfe

Original Name : Hélène Vallier

Gender : Male

Howard Vernon

Character Name : General Leveque

Original Name : Howard Vernon

Gender : Male

Glenn Williams

Character Name : Soldier 1

Original Name : Glenn Williams

Gender : Male

Jacob Witkin

Character Name : Sushkin

Original Name : Jacob Witkin

Gender : Male

Bernard Taylor

Character Name : Soldier 3

Original Name : Bernard Taylor

Gender : Male

Rebecca Potok

Character Name : Woman (uncredited)

Original Name : Rebecca Potok

Gender : Female

Norman Rose

Character Name : Death (voice) (uncredited)

Original Name : Norman Rose

Gender : Male

Andrée Tainsy

Character Name : Woman (uncredited)

Original Name : Andrée Tainsy

Gender : Female

Reviews

C

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-05-30

All this really needed was someone like Emil Jannings to add a bit of imperialist, silent-film, gravitas to proceedings as a pair of slightly self-obsessed intellectual ne’er-do-wells get caught up in the Franco-Russian war. Unfortunately for the Czar, with Napoleon clamouring at his borders, he must rely on the likes of the neurotic and yellow-bellied “Boris” (has to be Woody Allen, doesn’t it?) to enlist in his army. He is about as much use as that wrong calibre stuff they had in the Crimea, but he determines that his best plan for a swift exit back to his equally up-herself cousin “Sonja” (Diane Keaton) is to assassinate the Frenchman and end the war in one stroke. Meantime, his manipulative cousin is safely at home playing a cat and mouse game with his brother “Ivan” (Henri Czarniak) who isn’t remotely interested in returning her amorous intentions. Regardless, she isn’t going to let his disinterest save her from an unwanted marriage with “Boris”. His hapless army skills just happen to coincide with historical fact and so when the French arrive in a largely abandoned Moscow, the pair have a chance to reunite and whilst dodging the bullets they are metaphorically shooting at each other, unite to achieve their murderous goal. Fans of Tolstoy and/or Dostoevsky will see plenty of similarities, parodies even, of their more earnest tales of revolution, grand philosophising and unrequited love and for much of the time these references are only very thinly veiled, if at all! It is also an out-and-out comedy with more than an few shades of the bawdiness of a “Carry On” movie peppered with a few double-entendres and the humour comes thick and fast amongst all the fake blood and fabulous examples of the costumiers art. Of course, like most daft comedies there is a twist and this one comes from left field and entirely tops off this enjoyable romp through history - or literature’s interpretation thereof, and is one of my favourite Woody Allen scripts as it levels just about everything from religiosity to pomposity before it. Good fun.