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Zelig (1983)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Woody Allen (written by)
Release Date:
15 July 1983 (USA)
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Plot:
"Documentary" about a man who can look and act like whoever he's around, and meets various famous people. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars.
Another 5 wins
&
9 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Hints About 2010 Oscars Emerge: No More Five-Person Presenting
(From Cinematical. 17 November 2009, 1:02 PM, PST)
Gordon Willis, Ron Howard, Dana Delany: Governors Awards 2009
(From Alt Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 5:16 PM, PST)
(From Cinematical. 17 November 2009, 1:02 PM, PST)
Gordon Willis, Ron Howard, Dana Delany: Governors Awards 2009
(From Alt Film Guide. 15 November 2009, 5:16 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Human Freak of Nature/Curiosity Gets Woody Allen Treatment
more (68 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Identity Crisis and Its Relationship to Personality Disorder (USA) (working title)
The Cat's Pyjamas (USA) (working title)
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The Cat's Pyjamas (USA) (working title)
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Parents Guide:
Runtime:
79 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
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.
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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.
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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.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in El abrazo partido (2004)
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Soundtrack:
Doin' the Chameleon
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FAQ
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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.