Sleeper (1973)

A nerdish store owner is revived out of cryostasis into a future world to fight an oppressive government.

Director:

Woody Allen

Writers:

Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman

Stars:

Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, John Beck

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Miles Monroe
Diane Keaton	...	Luna Schlosser
John Beck	...	Erno Windt
Mary Gregory	...	Dr. Melik
Don Keefer	...	Dr. Tryon
John McLiam	...	Dr. Agon
Bartlett Robinson	...	Dr. Orva
Chris Forbes	...	Rainer Krebs
Mews Small	...	Dr. Nero (as Marya Small)
Peter Hobbs	...	Dr. Dean
Susan Miller	...	Ellen Pogrebin
Lou Picetti	...	Master of Ceremonies
Jessica Rains	...	Woman in the Mirror
Brian Avery	...	Herald Cohen
Spencer Milligan	...	Jeb Hrmthmg

Storyline

Miles, a nebbishy clarinet player who also runs a health food store in NYC's Greenwich Village, is cryogenically frozen, and brought back - 200 years in the future, by anti-government radicals in order to assist them in their attempt to overthrow the oppressive government. When he goes off on his own, he begins to explore this brave new world, which has Orgasmatron booths to replace sex and confessional robots.

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Plot Keywords:

man wears eyeglasses | clumsiness | free love | mistaken identity | scientist | 

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Taglines:

Woody Allen takes a nostalgic look at the future

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Genres:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Woody Allen plays Miss Montana in one of the brainwashing sequences.

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Goofs

When Miles is stuck in a tree, he is wearing blue jeans, but both before and after that, his pants are black.

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Quotes

Miles Monroe: That's a big chicken.

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Connections

References A Day at the Races (1937)

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Soundtracks

Till We Meet Again
(1918) (uncredited)
Music by Richard A. Whiting
Lyrics by Ray Egan
Performed by Woody Allen

User Reviews

One of his best comedies

Sleeper was a very interesting project for Allen. He had spent time doing stand up, and up until this, his movies had been written around the jokes. With the exception of Play it Again, Sam, they were a series of sketches loosely tied into a weak plot. Sleeper was the beginning of the end of this. While the plot is somewhat "sit-com-ish", it was still there, and viewers always kept it in mind. It was also loose enough that Allen could incorporate scenes paying homage to the early silent film stars (the scene with the flying suits is my personal favorite). Miles Monroe was also a rip off from Bob Hope's cowardly hero personalities, but Allen gave it his own twist, and, in my opinion, made it much better. All in all, Allen achieved the perfect blend of slapstick and substance for those in need of a simple comedy. It lacks the depth of some of his better films, but if you want to laugh, this is for you.

Oh, and if you find it somewhat intellectually devoid, try Love and Death. It was his next film, and he added less slapstick and more highbrow comedy, as well as a little more real drama and substance.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

17 December 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sleeper

Filming Locations:

Boulder, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$18,344,729

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,344,729

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, Rollins-Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1