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 | Sexual Attraction | Comedy Of Errors | Forced To Strip

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Claude / Philippe
Donald Sutherland	...	Charles / Pierre
Hugh Griffith	...	King Louis XVI
Jack MacGowran	...	Jacques
Billie Whitelaw	...	Queen Marie Antoinette
Victor Spinetti	...	Duke d'Escargot
Ewa Aulin	...	Princess Christina
Helen Fraser	...	Mimi Montage
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

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1970) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1974) (USA) (TV)
• Chamartín (1976) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2011) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)

Other Companies

• Unicorn Inc.  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min | Spain:98 min (alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Iceland:L | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

NorBud Productions

Trivia:

Gene Wilder was already adept with a sword from his days on his college fencing team.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

[there are two sets of brothers, a brother from one set has unknowingly spoken to a brother from another set when their actual brothers arrive]
Philippe:How did you get here so fast?
Pierre:I took a secret passageway.
Charles:How did you get here so fast?
Claude:I took a secret passage.

Movie Connections:

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

very well-crafted farce in the Mel Brooks style

A very well-deserved reputation as a cult classic, based on brilliant performances and excellent writing. I've seen it perhaps a dozen times and keep finding subtle jokes I had missed, such as the Corsican Brothers' names, "da Sissy" (a play on the feminine affectations of the noblemen and particularly Sutherland's sort-of-in-the-closet character. Those who don't remember the original M*A*S*H movie tend to think of Sutherland in his scary or evil roles and ignore his great gift for comedy. One of the great lines of this movie is Sutherland's response to Wilder's, "Someday I shall be King!" -- "... and I shall be Queen!"

The character names are inspired: Escargot, Coupe, da Sissy ... and a lot of the humor is in this vein, but quick. Even the lower-billed players (particularly the King, Queen Marie and Escargot) are perfectly cast and brilliant. If you like Mel Brooks or the Airplane! or Leslie Nielsen comedies, you WILL love this masterpiece.