Start The Revolution Without Me

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Movie Info

Two French peasants are mistaken for a pair of aristocratic nobles in this historical situation comedy. Happy to be taken for nobles, the pair soon struggles to escape the guillotine in the wake of the French Revolution's blood purge of the upper class and royalty.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

Classics, Comedy, Special Interest
Directed By:

Bud Yorkin
Written By:

Fred Freeman, Lawrence J. Cohen, Larry Cohen
In Theaters:

Feb 14, 1970 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 1, 2003
Runtime:

91 minutes
Studio:

eRealBiz

Cast

Gene Wilder
as Claude/Philippe

Donald Sutherland
as Charles, Pierre

Hugh Griffith
as Louis XVI

Billie Whitelaw
as Marie Antoinette

Jack MacGowran
as Jacques Cabriolet

Victor Spinetti
as Duke D'Escargot

Orson Welles
as Narrator

Helen Fraser
as Mimi Montage

Ewa Aulin
as Christina

Harry Fowler
as Marcel

Rosalind Knight
as Helen DeSisi

Murray Melvin
as Blind Man

Ken Parry
as Dr. Boileau

Jacques Maury
as Lt. Sorel

Maxwell Shaw
as Duke DeSisi

Graham Stark
as Andre Coupe

Barry Lowe
as Sergeant

George A. Cooper
as Dr. Duval

Michael Rothwell
as Paul Duval

Denise Coffey
as Anne Duval

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Critic Reviews for Start The Revolution Without Me

All Critics (6) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (1)

The film flopped at the box office, but years later scored as a cult hit on video when Wilder's popularity grew.

Oct 5, 2016 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Seems like a Mel Brooks farce, but it's a Yorkin! Pretty zany.

Oct 16, 2004 | Rating: 4/5

Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
When at its best, it's easy to understand its cult status.

Nov 7, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

View All Critic Reviews (6)

Audience Reviews for Start The Revolution Without Me

Sep 02, 2014

Television staples Norman Lear and Bud Yorkin (of All In The Family fame) produced/directed this tip of the hat to both swashbucklers of old and to the wild zeitgeist that was the late '60's/early '70's. Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland play both the deadly but slightly inbred, upperclass Corsican Brothers, and their exact lookalikes, two goodhearted but dumb and cowardly peasants. The French Revolution is only moments away and the streets are swarming with malcontents, the king's court swarming with intrigue: whatever can happen next? A filmic shadow of those turbulent times (the 1970's, not 1789) now but still zany fun, think Saturday Night Live or early Woody Allen or Mel Brooks.

Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
Feb 10, 2012

Looks like Mel Brooks' material, anyway Start The Revolution Without Me is terrific and unforgettble!. Fresh.

Lucas M Super Reviewer
Sep 05, 2010

This movie may have a silly plot, but it's actually really hilarious, Sutherland and Wilder are great in this movie, and if you're a fan of either of them you'll like this movie. The story is zany, and a lot of fun. I really liked this movie.

Aj V Super Reviewer
Apr 21, 2008

Gene Wilder is a Genius! Not a great movie but the scenes where Wilder is acting like a crazy asshole make this film entertaing.Sutherland is good,but he is just a sidekick to Wilder.

cody f Super Reviewer