Customer Reviews

Zelig

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This film is perhaps the ultimate in parody-documentary. Some people might find the pace a bit slow, and the humor a bit dry, precisely because it is presented exactly as it would be if it were an actual serious documentary about a real historical personage. It requires a bit more thought and attention on the part of the vewer than does a "conventional" comedy for that reason. At one point the narrator, in his best, serious, Public Television Documentary National Geographic Special voice, describes Zelig's parents and their violent domestic squabbles: "...Even though they lived over a bowling alley, it was the bowling alley that complained about the noise." This sort of thing could go right past you if you weren't really listening.

The reason this film works is that all of the supporting details are meticulous and perfect. All of the 1920's songs about Zelig (such as "The Chameleon Dance" and "You May Be Six People, But I Love You") are written and performed so perfectly in period style that I, watching it the first few times, could hardly believe that they were not actual, real (but obscure) 1920's songs that they found somewhere which happened to fit the movie theme, rather than being modern parodies of vintage recordings. (Speaking as a musician, I can vouch for the fact that that bright, Irish popular tenor sound which was all the rage back then is a rarity these days!)

And all of the film clips are just as carefully executed. I seem to remember, back when this film was just out, an article describing how Allen's production staff took just-shot black and white footage into the parking lot and threw it on the ground and walked all over it, and carefully crinkled the film, so that it would look worn and decades-old. Another tour-de-force was inserting Allen himself, playing the title character, into REAL period footage. The most famous example is a film of Hitler ranting away to a crowd on his Nazi platform, and seated behind him among all of the party officials is... Zelig. This was an amazing technical achievement at the time, long before digital cinematography had become commonplace, and it was brilliantly done.

And then of course, there are all of the present-day intellectual luminary talking heads being interviewed for their two cents, again, just like a true documentary. One that comes to mind of course is the (now late) Susan Sontag. I am sure that all of those "experts" had lots of fun filming this.

The subject of the documentary, Zelig, has an unusual mental/physical affliction due to insecurity. He literally, and physically, becomes just like whoever he is with, in order to blend in and be accepted. This offers the opportunity for plenty of sight gags as Zelig turns into different cultures, occupations, and races -- sometimes more than one at once! He is alternately exploited as a circus freak for profit, and attempted to be cured by his caring psychiatrist. He is alternately proclaimed a hero, a villain, a traitor, and a hero again by a fickle public. Zelig's exchanges with his psychiatrist are some of the funniest dialogue in the film. When she finally manages to get Zelig under hypnosis so that she can find out what the true, non-chameleon person inside really thinks, he launches into a (dreamy, trance-voiced) tirade about her awful cooking. I still joke with my wife to this day about her "terrible pancakes." [grin]

Those who are Woody Allen fans in general will of course probably enjoy this; people who like subtle wit and parody generally will probably enjoy this; people who habitually overdose on PBS and The History Channel but still have enough sense of humor left to laugh at themselves will probably enjoy this. If you prefer jokes with punchlines, or "Gilligan, drop those coconuts!" then Zelig is probably one to avoid.

And might I add in parting: If you have not yet read Moby Dick, don't wait until it is too late!

I had seen bits and pieces of Woody Allen's "Zelig" before but I had never seen the whole movie until last night. To be honest, my initial reaction was to wonder if I would be able to maintain interest throughout the whole movie. As it turned out, that was no problem.

"Zelig" tells the story of an individual who developed an unexplainable ability to appear like the people of his surroundings. It is presented in a documentary format and that format is amazingly well done. I'm of the opinion that there was plenty of actual newsreel footage from the 1920's and '30's and there was also plenty of new film made to appear that it was from that era. I was never that certain as to which was which because the cinematography was that well done. The retrospective interviews with present day theorists and aged contemporaries butressed the documentary nature of the film (as did the continuous narration).

As the title character (played by Woody Allen) assumes more and more identities, we come to understand that his efforts to be like others leaves him with no identity of his own. I understood Allen's message to be an expression of his frustration with the negative public reaction to his post-"Annie Hall" movies. He wasn't making the kinds of pictures everyone else was and his uniqueness was being dismissed. I saw him making a statement that banality lacks meaning by satirizing someone who went out of his way to avoid being himself. Maybe Allen had a higher purpose in making "Zelig" but I was comfortable with the message I got out of it.

Zelig, the Woody Allen film that time almost forgot, is one of his 10 best. The story is well explained by other reviewers. Nevertheless, the DVD (without any extras except a fascinating trailer) is superior. The grainy film stock and sound are excellent. The movie is a timely today as it was in 1983. A fascinating film from a variety of perspectives. It was a painstaking labor of love that really addresses the need for love, assimilation, and life in the 1920s or 30s. A superior film, well worth the 15 bucks.

Well, maybe I can...there's no gratuitous sex or violence, no gen-x messages about the failure of the modern American family, no explosions, car crashes, guns, or bad language.

Just intelligence, and a lot of wit.

This picture really reminds me a lot of the newsreel sequence in "Citizen Kane," and it's done just as well. The characters are also incredibly sympathetic...I fall in love with Mia Farrow every time I see this. The chemistry between Allen and Farrow, at least in this movie, rivals that between Hepburn and Tracy as far as I'm concerned.

One disappointing thing about the DVD is the lack of special features...I'd have loved a commentary by Allen, at least. But then again, it only cost [dollar amount].

I'm absolutely shocked that only 10 other people have reviewed this movie, seeing as how it is possibly the greatest film Woody Allen, a comic genius, ever made.

This film is amazingly funny and original: as a man who changes his personality (and his looks) when he is in presence of strangers, Woody Allen has created a story that is toll like a documentary from the golden age of the '20s, and this caracter goes to know to Scott Fitzgerald and Fanny Bruce, among others celebrities, long before (and funnier) than Forrest Gump did in his overrated film. Definitely one of Allen's best.

1983's "Zelig" was written and directed by Woody Allen. This is of course years after 1977's Annie Hall and so Woody Allen's comic talent was already established. Woody Allen's witty, intellectual humor is most prominent in this film which he directs as if it were a documentary. It's entirely in black and white, except for the contemporary scenes of interviewed characters, there is footage from the 20's, 30's and 40's, including footage of Adolph Hitler making a speech at a Nazi rally. Woody Allen plays Leonard Zelig, a shy, unassuming little man with an identity disorder. He cannot truly be himself because he becomes transformed into his surroundings. When he is around Jewish rabbis, he becomes Jewish, when he is around African-Americans, he becomes black, when he is around overweight people, he becomes fat, etc. This miracle of biology earned him the title of the Chameleon or "The Changing Man". Mia Farrow, who coincidentally was romantically linked with Woody Allen at this time in the 80's, plays the role of Zelig's love interest Dr. Eudora Fletcher. Eudora Fletcher takes a genuine interest in Zelig and examines him psychologically through hypnosis. The scenes of their sessions are extremely funny but then again so is much of this movie. Woody Allen is the first Forrest Gump, being as funny and awkward, at least 10 years before Tom Hanks did it in the 90's. Zelig is so loved that he is hob-nobbing with all the greats of the time- Charlie Chaplin, William Randalph Hearst, Fanny Brice, F. Scott Fitzegerald and Zelda, etc. The music for this movie is appropriately cartoonish and Charleston/Jazz Age style. There is one dance segment called The Chameleon and another with the voice of Betty Boop singing "Chameleon Days". Witty dialogue, lots of humor and visual jokes, it's a movie that is sure to delight you.

"ZELIG" is one of the reasons I subscribe to cable TV.

In the desert sand and boggy quagmire of standard TV, it takes sifting through more than a few channels to find a few happy morsels with which to spend a free hour or two. Occasionally you find a hidden nugget like this that makes it all worth while.

I had never before seen "ZELIG" when I chanced upon it this week. I fact I cannot remember even being aware of the movie. However, I enjoy the subtle understated irony of Woody Allen's humor and found this movie to be one of his best.
As covered in other reviews, the story line concerns the treatment and rehabilitation of a weak neurotic man (Woody Allen, of cause) who converts to the values and traits of whomever he is with. The process of unconditional love (provided here by his psychiatrist played by Mia Farrow) overcoming one's insecurities and weaknesses is cleverly done in mock documentary style cutting from old B&W newsreels to contemporary interviews.

This is a wonderful film that will keep you watching and make you smile while appreciating that there is something deeper here. Allen displays a light touch to get his message across without becoming heavy handed or taking himself too seriously. I was especially impressed by the quality of the splices which realistically placed the characters into old newsreel footage and gave historical perspective and meaning to the story. Though 'pre-Gump' this was accomplished better here, especially since the greater part of the movie was done in newsreel style.

I recommend this little nugget highly.

This movie is so incredibly, freakingly funny, and yet most often so subtly so, that one must watch it over and over again to make sure you've picked up on everything. I've only seen it twice in seven years...I am compelled to rent it again. It must be sampled and savored--not wolfed down like a common cheeseburger, but chanced upon and delighted by again like discovering creme brulee on the menu of an unlikely favorite restaurant...you have no idea of what I'm trying to say (sigh). A true comedy classic featuring Woody as a man with the ultimate in multiple personality disorders dancing his haphazard way through old film cuttings, being pursued by his analyst, Mia. Think Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, then tone it way down. If you're one of those people who finds himself laughing in the theatre alone because the locals surrounding you don't get it, then this is definitely a film for you! No Stooges, no Carrot Top, no Andrew Dice Clay. Zelig is Woody at his finest, entertaining the discerning human mind.

Very much the precourser to Forrest Gump in terms of special effects and certain themes, Zelig is a feast for the eyes, ears, and mind. My one criticism, and I am not sure how to expand on it, is that the timing isnt quite right. At 79 mins, it is either too long or too short. Certain things seem to be given to much or too little detail. Nonetheless, the jokes are great and the ideas are dramatic and presented both realistically and absurdly. Mia Farrow is excellent. One of Woody's ten best in my opinion, and one that should be sought out by everyone smart enough to appreciate its creator's genius.

I absolutely LOVE that this is called `the thinking persons `Forrest Gump'' because we all know how I feel about that mediocre film, and the fact that this film, while carrying with it similar characteristics, manages to blow that Tom Hanks atrocity out of the water is just so richly rewarding for me. `Zelig' is smart, engaging, unique and unforgettable.

1983 is a weird year for me. There is a lot going on that I really wanted to just love but wound up feeling completely under-whelmed by (I really thought that `Scarface' was supposed to be some great big heap of awesome but it wound up being a well acted heap of sloppy, and `The Year of Living Dangerously' seemed to squander all its potential in a predictable love story) and yet, my personal Best Picture ballot is an odd mix of films I never expected to remotely enjoy. We have a foreign language family drama from Ingmar Bergman (ok, so I really expected to slobber all over `Fanny and Alexander' and I did), an engaging and provoking collection of home movies (`Sans Soleil' is just utterly astonishing), the conclusion to George Lucas's science fiction epic (say what you will, but `Return of the Jedi' is just as perfect as the previous two efforts were), a comedy by Martin Scorsese (`The King of Comedy' changed the way I looked at Martin Scorsese as a director) and this BRILLIANT faux-documentary by Woody Allen.

Narrated by Patrick Horgan (in true documented fashion), `Zelig' tells the story of Leonard Zelig, a man with a strange social disease that causes him to change his physical and emotional makeup in order to adapt to his surroundings. He changes his speak patterns, his life story and his physical appearance in order to blend into his surroundings. Dr. Eudora Nesbitt Fletcher becomes obsessed with uncovering the reasons behind Zelig's condition. Through recorded sessions we learn about an uncomfortable situation where Zelig is asked if he has read a popular novel only to lie to escape embarrassment, thus initiating his conformity.

For me, this film speaks strongly on two subjects; our instinctive desire to fit in and our instinctive desire to shun what we don't understand. Zelig desires to be liked so much that he uncontrollably conforms to his surroundings. As a result he becomes shunned as an even greater outcast by those who uncover his strange ability.

Without ever coming across preachy or saccharine (not in the SLIGHTEST), `Zelig' tells us that it is okay to be different, it is better to be ourselves and it is okay to accept something we personally don't understand.

Woody Allen and Mia Farrow are great here, perfectly adapting themselves into the films genre. I don't know if you can really classify this as acting, since they really appear in a series of photographs (some of which are altered flawlessly) and a few scattered clips, but there is an effortless quality to their work here. What is even more commendable is Woody Allen's direction. The look and feel of this film is so genuine and authentic that you would swear you were watching a real documentary.

It is astonishing, truly.

I am not a huge fan of the documentary (although I am always fascinated by the BBC documentaries because they are so bizarre), and I know that this is not a `documentary' in the literal sense (since it is purely fiction) but this film flows like a documentary, of the most engrossing kind. It's worth noting that this is NOT a mockumentary or a parody in any way shape or form. This is a very serious film despite its comical qualities and should be regarded as such. I applaud Woody Allen, because I really don't think any other director could have pulled this off quite like he did.