One of Allen's funniest, and most underrated, creations

Rating: 10/10 (28 August 2016)

"Love and Death (1975)" is arguably one of, if not, the funniest Woody Allen film to ever be created. Allen plays Boris, the politically ambivalent, pacifist and neurotic soldier whom, against his will, must fight for the Russian Army. He's in love with Sonja (Keaton), his "cousin twice removed", whose never expressed any kind of mutual feelings towards him. But with their intricate, existential conversations, you'd think they're a match made in intellectual heaven.
This film offers us snippets of those who have inspired Allen's career. Ingmar Bergman the acclaimed Swedish director, has always been a huge influence of Allen's work, with both men showing this kind of fascination with death. The scenes with the Grim Reaper (dressed in white, not black) and Boris are a wonderful homage that calls to mind Bergman's "Det sjunde inseglet (1957)", though done in a satirical manner which is more Allen- esque. He also pays tribute to Charles Chaplin with the likes of a hilarious slapstick gag.
Some of the humour is straightforward while other jokes require that extra knowledge of classic literature and/or European cinema. But the humor is relentless and done with such care - every scene with Allen and Keaton together is absolute gold. And with the occasional 4th wall breaks, in classic Woody style, we are given that perfect dose of introspection that will make you question much of life's ambiguity once all the laughs have faded away. A near-perfect film by Allen.