Zelig (1983)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

15 July 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

"Documentary" about a man who can look and act like whoever he's around, and meets various famous people.

Plot Keywords:

1920s | Chameleon | Moby Dick | Song | Disappearance

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Leonard Zelig
Mia Farrow	...	Dr. Eudora Nesbitt Fletcher
Patrick Horgan	...	The Narrator (voice)
John Buckwalter	...	Dr. Sindell
Marvin Chatinover	...	Glandular Diagnosis Doctor
Stanley Swerdlow	...	Mexican Food Doctor
Paul Nevens	...	Dr. Birsky
Howard Erskine	...	Hypodermic Doctor
George Hamlin	...	Experimental Drugs Doctor
Ralph Bell	...	Other Doctor
Richard Whiting	...	Other Doctor
Will Hussong	...	Other Doctor
Robert Iglesia	...	Man in Barber Chair
Eli Resnick	...	Man in Park
Edward McPhillips	...	Scotsman

Also Known As:

Identity Crisis and Its Relationship to Personality Disorder (USA) (working title)
The Cat's Pyjamas (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 | Iceland:L | Netherlands:AL | Brazil:Livre | USA:Approved (PCA #27066) | Argentina:13 | Finland:S | France:U | Norway:12 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Alpine, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In 2007, Italian psychologists discovered a rare form of brain damage which affects its victims much like Zelig's condition (without, of course, the accompanying physical transformations). Researcher Giovannina Conchiglia and associates have proposed the name "Zelig-like Syndrome" for the disorder, because of the parallels to the film.

Quotes:

[Zelig thinks he's a psychiatrist.]
Leonard Zelig: I worked with Freud in Vienna. We broke over the concept of penis envy. Freud felt that it should be limited to women.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in El abrazo partido (2004)

Soundtrack:

Doin' the Chameleon

Human Freak of Nature/Curiosity Gets Woody Allen Treatment

Just before giving us the campy "Purple Rose of Cairo", Woody Allen created "Zelig", another very unique film. The title character is a man who, like a Chameleon, changes his physical appearance to blend in with whomever he is sharing present company. When getting acquainted with an obese man, Zelig suddenly develops a pot-belly; among Asians, Zelig changes appearance to resemble the people near him; no matter how different the person in Zelig's company, he changes to adapt.

Mia Farrow plays a psychiatrist (an unusual occupation for a woman in the 1920s & 30s) determined to figure this case out. The predictable romantic involvement ensuing adds to the confusion. The film is enveloped in countless news real excerpts and newspaper headlines. The elaborate "joke" may have been even more effective if kept to a shorter format. A 30 minute short is not always improved by an 80 minute feature film.

The Woody Allen character is depicted as not only a curiosity or a freak of nature, but as someone incapable of functioning independently. A human chameleon may be a curiosity, but it does not render an intelligent person as helpless and in need of guarded confinement. Although offering many chuckles and even big laughs, the idea of caging someone who is different, treating him like an "E.T." or "Elephant Man" can make viewers uncomfortable. Our society has not fully evolved to accept such differences. I'm not certain if this film is an argument for or against acceptance of human curiosities. Although the special effects, mainly authentic "aged film footage" and period music are outstanding, the story line is somewhat disturbing.