Love and Death

1975 comedy

Rating: 16/20

Plot: A Russian coward has a series of adventures. He accidentally becomes a war hero, engages in a duel, marries his cousin, and schemes to assassinate a major political figure.

Very funny film, but probably only if you have an appreciation for the following: Woody Allen comedy, especially the headier ideas you're likely to find in his books in the chapters you're more likely to skim through; 19th Century Russian literature; moody Bergman films; the Marx Brothers. Yeah, I know what you're thinking--the Marx Brothers and Ingmar Bergman seem like a natural marriage. If you've never seen this, I think you'd be surprised at how well it works. The satirical target gives Allen a chance to work in a lot of faux-philosophical stuff about, well, love and death, but also life and war and God (an underachiever) and sex. A lot of the fun in this very funny movie is it manages to be so smart and so stupid simultaneously and still somehow work. This is one of Woody Allen's movies where I think the cleverness matches up with the humor, one that you can enjoy as much as you appreciate. It's one of my favorites.