Wheat

Rating: 9/10 (6 July 2015)

You can almost imagine the room as Woody Allen sits down with the outline that his follow-up to 'Sleeper' is going to be a satire of 19th-century Russian literature with nods to Bergman and Eisenstein, featuring direct quotes from little-known Russian philosophers and the music of Prokofiev.
"But... you're still going to wear the funny glasses and be making jokes about New York restaurants, right?" "Well, yes, naturally..." Love and Death is certainly not as obviously funny as Sleeper was. There are still many slapstick moments but they are less drawn out and the film as a whole seems to rattle by at great pace. The chances are you're going to watch it and, like me, think 'well, that was... unusual', then spend some time researching it to discover exactly what it was that you just watched. And then you'll watch it again. And then again. The more of the background references you start to fill in, the more Love and Death rewards you. Some is parody, some more like tribute. Scenes are recreated from Battleship Potemkin and Persona, music is lifted from Alexander Nevsky and the grim reaper makes an appearance after The Seventh Seal (but before Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey put the finishing touch on that joke). Pieces of classic Russian novels come into play directly (The Brothers Karamazov, War & Peace). The jokes run deeper still. Sergei Prokofiev is credited with music under S. Prokofiev to match Russian credit sequences. Woody and his father exchange dialogue which has been constructed entirely from Dostoyevsky titles. The level of immersion is incredible and complete... you could almost describe the film as a serious comedy. Allen even reprises himself; just as Diane Keaton sings the rebel song from 'Bananas' during 'Sleeper', we have throwbacks to the 'Bananas' dream sequence both in Woody being hoisted on a cross for a quick one-liner and in the dream of the coffins.
Much of the comic interplay between Allen and Keaton carries through from 'Sleeper'; the scene of the pair posing at the door as Don Francisco and his sister recalls the operating theatre, but here they are taking on more weighty characters which allow the very genuine acting talents of both to emerge. Many of the set-pieces require precise timing, delivery and expression, and it is always delivered. Allen is a ball of nervous energy, but more focused than before. Keaton is freed from the idiot chains and plays the whole comic spectrum - her earnest deadpan delivery of parodies of the dense Russian prose are especially memorable. Supporting actors produce comedy gold too, whether it's James Tolkan's concerns about the British development of beef Wellington, Father Nikolai's sketches of Russian Jews, the soldier with the 'lock' of his wife's hair ("Careful, don't drop it"). In its rich tapestry of characters it almost becomes that which it parodies.
Much of Love and Death was filmed in Budapest, other parts in Paris. Woody Allen is synonymous with New York, and this filming trip would be his last away from the Big Apple for more than 20 years. While in Budapest (which was occupied by the Red Army), he refused to drink the water and brought all of his own food and water, which enabled him to keep his feet when everyone else was stricken with dysentery. The weather continually worked against the shooting schedule, one of the actors had both legs broken in an accident, some negatives were destroyed and scenes had to be re-filmed. Many of the actors didn't speak English, which was necessary for much of the early humour; we have a whole family who are very eastern European in appearance and manner, and we have Woody as his anachronistic self.
The danger in talking about this film for any length of time is that you will end up just listing off great scenes and jokes. Sleeper, as great as it is, was a slapstick comedy that occasionally had to be filled out to fill a feature-length slot. Here, we feel like everything has been condensed in order to squeeze down to a feature length, and that every joke, every sight gag, every parody is like the best selection from a larger selection; a greatest hits parade. Go, enjoy, and enjoy again - you won't be sorry you did.