Zelig (1983)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

15 July 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Chameleon | 1920s | Directed By Star | Hypnotism | Jew

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:

Woody Allen originally wanted Greta Garbo to be one of the people interviewed.

Quotes:

Leonard Zelig: But I've never flown before in my life, and it shows exactly what you can do, if you're a total psychotic!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in El abrazo partido (2004)

Soundtrack:

I'm Sitting on Top of the World

Woody Allen Does the Chameleon

"Zelig" is a very clever movie, the kind you just know Woody Allen is capable of. In this "mockumentary," Woody plays Leonard Zelig, an insecure man who goes to the ultimate length to fit in. Mia Farrow offers the love interest as Dr. Eudora Fletcher. In "Zelig," we get to see Woody spliced into old footage, including the Nazi rally. This came before the effect became used more often, in movies like "Forrest Gump." I see this as a transition in Woody's movies. It comes somewhere between his early funnier movies, like "Bananas" and "Take the Money and Run," and his later, more introspective ones, like "Hannah and Her Sisters" and "Husbands and Wives." It makes a statement about individuality, and produces laughs in the process.