Start the Revolution Without Me (1970)

Director:

Bud Yorkin

Writers:

Fred Freeman (written by) and
Lawrence J. Cohen (written by)

Release Date:

14 August 1970 (West Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | History

Plot:

Two mismatched sets of identical twins - one aristocrat, one peasant - mistakenly exchange identities on the eve of the French Revolution.

Plot Keywords:

Twins | French Revolution | Sensuality | Surrealism | Nudity

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Claude / Philippe
Donald Sutherland	...	Charles / Pierre
Hugh Griffith	...	King Louis
Jack MacGowran	...	Jacques
Billie Whitelaw	...	Queen Marie
Victor Spinetti	...	Duke d'Escargot
Ewa Aulin	...	Christina
Helen Fraser	...	Mimi
Rosalind Knight	...	Helene de Sisi
Harry Fowler	...	Marcel
Murray Melvin	...	Blind Man
Ken Parry	...	Dr. Boileau
Maxwell Shaw	...	Duke de Sisi
Jacques Maury	...	Lt. Sorel
Graham Stark	...	Andre Coupe
Barry Lowe	...	The Sergeant
George A. Cooper	...	Dr. Duval
Michael Rothwell	...	Paul Duval
Denise Coffey	...	Anne Duval
Orson Welles	...	The Narrator
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tina Brown	...	Extra in ballroom scene (uncredited)
Walker Edmiston	...	Voice (uncredited)

Directed by
Bud Yorkin

Writing credits
Fred Freeman		(written by) and
Lawrence J. Cohen		(written by)

Produced by
Norman Lear	....	executive producer
Edward Stephenson	....	associate producer
Bud Yorkin	....	producer

Original Music by
John Addison

Cinematography by
Jean Tournier		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Ferris Webster

Art Direction by
François de Lamothe		(as Francois de Lamothe)

Set Decoration by
Gabriel Béchir		(as Gabriel Bechir)

Costume Design by
Alan Barrett

Production Management
Roger Debelmas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Georges Grodzenczyk	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Julien Coutelier	....	sound (as Julien Coutellier)
Gerry Humphreys	....	sound re-recording mixer

Stunts
Claude Carliez	....	stunt supervisor

Editorial Department
John C. Horger	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
John Addison	....	music conductor

Other crew
Hunt Downs	....	unit publicist
Alice Ziller	....	continuity

Production Companies

• NorBud Productions
• Norbud Films
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Chamartín (1976) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV) (original airing)

Other Companies

• Unicorn Inc.  titles

Also Known As:

Louis, There's a Crowd Downstairs! (USA) (working title)
Two Times Two

Runtime:

90 min | Spain:98 min (alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | USA:Approved (No.22144) | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Vaux-le-Vicomte, Seine-et-Marne, France

Company:

NorBud Productions

Trivia:

Gene Wilder chose to do this film over Catch-22 (1970).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Twentieth century buses visible on a bridge in background of swordfight.

Quotes:

Helene de Sisis: [seeing Claude, whom she thinks is Philippe, dressed as a monk] What are you doing in a monk's habit?
Helene de Sisis: I didn't know about 'the monk and the choirboy!'
Helene de Sisis: I thought you wanted to do 'the woodchopper and the shepherd!'
Helene de Sisis: [wailing] HOW MANY COSTUMES DO YOU THINK I CAN PACK?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Dallas: Start the Revolution with Me (#4.14)" (1981)

Quiet Slapstick comedy

Start the Revolution Without me is a brilliant comedy that many people just don't have the patience or the attention span for. Many of the jokes are subtle and missed if one is not paying attention to every word. In the film's delivery room scene, a archetypical aristocrat and an overstated filthy peasant ask about the progress of their pregnant wives to which the attendant asks, "Which one's the Duke?" The film thrives on awkward moments and double-entendre. It relies on the viewer to complete much of the humor on their own, and thus is not for the masses which need to be hit on the head with their entertainment. The film does rely heavily on understated sexual themes and much of the humor would be lost on children. Start the Revolution Without Me is a work which fits into the prime of its two stars, Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland. Wilder, coming in the period of masterpieces such as The Producers and Willy Wonka. Sutherland, showing a range, playing characters in the film as different from M.A.S.H's Hawkeye Pierce as can be done. The film is funny if you sit down and watch it, start to finish. It takes time to catch many of its subtleties and double-jokes. It may well be a perfect rainy day comedy.