Amusing, a little wandering, comedic take on Russian epics

Rating: 7/10 (5 June 2008)

Love and Death seems to mark the end of the "clown" phase of Woody Allen's films. That's not to say that he wouldn't have more clownish gags in the future, but that this marked the end of his films that were heavily composed of them.
Fortunately, there are no long musical sections in this film devoted to silent clowning, but rather Love and Death ties it better into the ongoing action. The setting is Russia pre- and during Napoleonic invasion. Our hero (played by Woody Allen), Boris, is an intellectual son of a wealthy family who is desperately in love with his cousin (played by Diane Keaton). These two have developed an excellent comic chemistry so it's usually quite amusing to watch them babble in Allen-esquire dialog to each other and I found it especially amusing with the rather comic take on philosophical discussions between the two, poking fun at Russian epics as a whole.
The story itself wanders from place to place, strung together by the life (and death) of Boris. Consequently, the film is a little uneven and doesn't seem entirely coherent, but there are several amusing comic scenes sprinkled throughout. Unfortunately, the lack of coherence makes it hard to care too much about Boris and his fate.
In the end, this is still the better of Allen's early films, simply due to the fact that it comes together a lot better, but the storytelling is still a little meandering and the film escapes attempts to become a whole film rather than a series of segments. In the end, Love and Death ends up feeling more like a spoof (a la Mel Brooks) with a bit of intellectualism and neuroticism thrown into the mix. Still, for its amusing parts, it's enjoyable enough, but hardly a must watch. 7/10.