Woody Pays Tribute

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2007)

It's his homage to the Russian novel. It's his homage to Bergman. It's his homage to the Soviet cinema of Eisenstein. But above all, this is Woody Allen's homage to his idol, Bob Hope (believe it or not). Except for the philosophical debates, imagine Bob Hope speaking the lines of the cowardly Boris and you'll see how everything fits. ("What is this, Slap Boris Day?")
When I first saw this movie in the theaters, the old Transamerica-style United Artists logo came alive on the screen to the opening flourish of Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kije Suite." It's a little stylistic grace I've come to miss as a succession of logos have replaced the original in the versions on television, cable and video. But it's still a movie I'll watch any time it comes around. And because of it I still love Prokofiev!