God is an underachiever

Rating: 7/10 (27 October 2008)

Only Woody Allen could deem God an underachiever - at best - but he does in his 1975 "War and Peace" takeoff, "Love and Death," also starring Diane Keaton. Allen's relationship with God, faith and morality has been explored in both his comedies and his dramas, and this story of two peasants in Tsarist Russia who set out to kill Napoleon is no exception. The film begins with a narration by Boris (Allen) as he awaits execution (it was supposed to be a 5 a.m. but a good lawyer got him an hour's reprieve), and he explains how he wound up in prison.
There are some hilarious moments in this movie, filmed in Hungary, but the comedy comes off as uneven and even at an hour and a half, it seems long. In an interview, Allen said that he imitated Bob Hope spewing one-liners. One of the most interesting parts of the film is to hear him do exactly that and how different the Hope-type patter sounds when channeled by Allen. (Don Adams' "Get Smart" voice was an imitation of William Powell; Paul Lynde was imitating Alice Ghostley, yet this probably never occurs to anyone.) Boris' discussions about murder and morality with his wife, the promiscuous Sonja, are very funny. He and Keaton make a great team.
Allen comes down on the side of no God or if there is one, as stated previously, he's an underachiever. In fact, there is even a lying angel. Drama or comedy, Allen's films are usually thought-provoking, even hidden behind his non-Hope deadpan line readings and nebbishy face. His work is always worth seeing, and the cleverness and art of "Love and Death" will not be lost on the viewer.