loading...
Zelig
1983
Woody Allen's comic pseudo-documentary about a fictional 1920s media sensation named Leonard Zelig (Allen), a human chameleon who develops the ability to takes on the characteristics of anyone he happens to be with at the time. A gentle jab at America's obsession with fame and celebrity, as well as a parody of the documentary .. Read more
| Starring | Mia Farrow, Woody Allen, Michael Jeter, Mary Louise Wilson |
|---|---|
| Director | Woody Allen |
| Genres | Comedy |
loading...
Zelig
Woody Allen's comic pseudo-documentary about a fictional 1920s media sensation named Leonard Zelig (Allen), a human chameleon who develops the ability to takes on the characteristics of anyone he happens to be with at the time. A gentle jab at America's obsession with fame and celebrity, as well as a parody of the documentary form, ZELIG uses an updated version of the fake newsreel technique from CITIZEN KANE to depict its hero magically at the side of almost every major personality of the early 20th century, from Eugene O'Neill to Adolf Hitler. Enriched by "commentary" from a variety of contemporary intellectuals including Irving Howe, Susan Sontag, and Saul Bellow, the film traces Zelig's bizarre career as a tabloid hero and side-show freak who finds true compassion only in the arms of his psychiatrist, the renowned Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow).
| Starring | Mia Farrow, Woody Allen, Michael Jeter, Mary Louise Wilson |
|---|---|
| Director | Woody Allen |
| Studio | MGM ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 16 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Comedy |
| Language | English |
| Dubbed | French, German, Italian, Spanish |
| Hearing-impaired | English, German |
| Subtitles | Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 19 Aug 2002 Production year: 1983 |
| Format | DVD |
-
Critics' reviews (2)
View all -
Witty, compressed and a technical triumph, this little parable about conformity from Woody Allen is just about perfect. Allen stars as Leonard Zelig, the human chameleon who is always in the right place at the right time. Thus, via some pioneering special effects that were later used in Forrest Gump, he gets to meet the likes of Hitler and Babe Ruth, Eugene O'Neill and other cultural figures: Zelig's always in the group picture but seems somehow nebulous. Mia Farrow plays the psychiatrist who studies the bizarre marvel and eventually falls for him.
-
One of Allen's miniaturist exercises in style, Zelig is a one-joke movie about a man so self- effacing that he takes on... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful member's review
View all -
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Overlooked Allen Classic
A fake documentary about a fictional person who has a very unusual mental disorder that's exceptionally difficult to explain by typing. The film marks a good crossing point for Woody Allen's film making with a move from comedy to more serious efforts and whilst this film doesn't lose the comedy it shares central stage with Allen's usual philosophising as questions arise about morality, individuality and celebrity amongst other things. Underrated IMO.
-
Most recent members' review
View all -
1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Zelig
Not my type of film, more like a documentry. the subject didn't interest me.
-
News and features
View all
Whatever Happened to Woody Allen?
- 21 May 2008
He's made (at least!) a film a year since 1970, a record that's all the more remarkable when you realise that he's written and directed all of them, and starred in most. They include some of the best-loved and most quoted comedies in cinema history: Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters take some beating, and that's to ignore "the early, funny ones" (Sleeper, Love and Death, Bananas); the lovely miniatures from what I consider his finest period (the early 80s gave us Broadway Danny... Read more
-
More like this
View allShowing 1 to 4 of 20
Related user collection
Woody Allen Classic (10)
92.4% from 4 members
