The famous film of one of Manhattan’s most charismatic intellectuals, Woody Allen, is a satirical take on the great Russian novels of the 19th century.
In his signature sardonic manner, Woody Allen brilliantly undermines western clichés about Russian culture, while making a love confession to classic Russian literature in the process. Released in 1975, the Love and Death’s plot concentrates predominantly on the great novels by Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, with the main character played by the director himself. A young provincial nobleman named Boris Grushenko, who is trying to avoid war service against Napoleon, is leading endless conversations with his cousin Sonya (Diane Keaton) who he also passionately loves. Politics, philosophy and war intermingle in the infinite flow of irony and good humor, while many of the film’s dialogues have become popular quotes. The movie took the UNICRIT Award at the 1975 Berlin International Film Festival.
Love and Death. Dir. Woody Allen, 82 minutes, USA, 1975
