Zelig [Blu-ray]

Director: Woody Allen Woody Allen

Overview

Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon," is profiled in this mock-documentary. Director Woody Allen appears as Zelig in scenes that purport to be vintage newsreel clips of the 1920s and 1930s, but are actually clever recreations, "aged" and scratched-up Citizen Kane-style by special-effects maestros Joel Hynick, Stuart Robinson and R. Greenberg Associates. An appropriately pompous narrator details the life and times of Leonard Zelig, whose overwhelming desire for conformity is manifested in his ability to take on the facial and vocal characteristics of whomever he happens to be around at the moment. He shows up at batting practice with Babe Ruth, among William Randolph Hearst's guests as San Simeon, side by side with Pope Pius at the Vatican, and peering anxiously over the shoulder of Adolf Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Becoming a celebrity in his own right, Zelig inspires a song, a dance craze, and a Warner Bros. biopic. Mia Farrow plays Dr. Eudora Fletcher , a psychiatrist who tries to "reach" Zelig and ultimately falls in love with him (all of Farrow's scenes are in black-and-white and allegedly culled from archive footage; Ellen Garrison, whose resemblance to Farrow is uncanny, plays the older Dr. Fletcher in the interview sequences). In the manner of Reds, the influence of the fictional Leonard Zelig on popular culture is discussed by such real-life notables as Susan Sontag, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow and Dr. Bruno Bettenheim.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/27/2022
UPC:	0850035985977
Original Release:	1983
Rating:	PG
Source:	Sandpiper Pictures
Language:	English
Time:	1:19:00
Sales rank:	12,910

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Woody Allen	Leonard Zelig
Mia Farrow	Dr. Eudora Fletcher,Sister Meryl
Garrett M. Brown	Actor Zelig
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 Hussung	Other Doctor
Robert Iglesia	Man in Barber Chair
Eli Resnick	Man in Park
Edward McPhillips	Scotsman
Gale Hansen	Freshman No. 1
Peter McRobbie	Workers Rally Speaker
Sol Lomita	Martin Geist
Mary Louise Wilson	Sister Ruth,Sister Ruth
Alice Beardsley	Telephone Operator
Paula Trueman	Woman at Telephone
Charles Denney	Actor Doctor
Michael Kell	Actor Koslow
Sharon Ferrol	Miss Baker
Richard Litt	Charles Koslow
Dimitri Vassilopoulos	Martinez
John Rothman	Paul Deghuee
Francis Beggins	City Hall Speaker
Jean Trowbridge	Dr. Fletcher's Mother
Ken Chapin	On-Camera Interviewer
Gerald Klein	Hearst Guest
Vincent Jerosa	Hearst Guest
Deborah Rush	Lita Fox
Stanley Simmonds	Lita's Lawyer
Robert Berger	Zelig's Lawyer
Jeanine Jackson	Helen Gray
Erma Campbell	Zelig's Wife
Anton Marco	Wrist Victim
Louise Deitch	House Painting Victim
Bernice Dowis	Vilification Woman
John Doumanian	Greek Waiter
Ed Lane	Man on Telephone
Marianne Tatum	Actress Fletcher
Will Holt	Rally Chancellor
Cole Palen	Zelig's Stunt Double
Pam Barber	Fletcher's Stunt Double
Bernie Herold	Carter Dean
Marshall Coles Sr.	Calvin Turner
Ellen Garrison	Older Doctor Fletcher
Jack Cannon	Mike Geibell
Theodore R. Smits	Ted Bierbauer
Sherman Loud	Older Paul
Elizabeth Rothschild	Older Sister Meryl
Kuno Spunholz	Oswald
Susan Sontag	Herself
Irving Howe	Himself
Saul Bellow	Himself
Bricktop	Herself
Bruno Bettelheim	Himself
John Morton Blum	Himself
Ed Herlihy	Himself
Dwight Weist	Himself
Gordon Gould	Himself
Windy Craig	Himself,Herself
Jurgen Kuehn	Himself
Michael Jeter	Freshman No. 2
Prof. John Morion Blum	Himself
Kim Johnston Ulrich	Actor
Jordan Derwin	Actor
Patrick Horgan	Narrator
Dick Hyman	Composer

Technical Credits

Woody Allen

Woody Allen	Director,Screenwriter
Richard Greenberg	Special Effects
Robert Greenhut	Producer
Joel Hynek	Special Effects
Charles H. Joffe	Executive Producer
Stuart Robinson	Special Effects
Juliet Taylor	Casting
Jack Rollins	Executive Producer
James Sabat	Sound/Sound Designer
Frank Graziadei	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Predating Forrest Gump (1994) by more than a decade, this delightful mockumentary about a nebbish who inserts himself into some of the most important historical events of his time is a fun departure from filmmaker Woody Allen's usual ensemble comedy-drama format. At the same time, all of Allen's obsessions are present: a fondly nostalgic vision of New York City's past, jazz, psychotherapy, and a magical high-concept twist. Fans and reviewers tended to focus on the film's groundbreaking photographic effects at the time, as Allen's character is inserted seamlessly into still images and archival motion picture footage from the era. It's a superb job and difficult to tell scenes that have been digitally altered from ones that have been re-created (one must look closely at the Nazi rally to realize that's not Adolf Hitler at the podium). However, an Allen picture wouldn't be the same if it did nothing more than scratch an impressive surface, and the Woodman doesn't disappoint with a story that's really a potent fable about self-respect and individuality in the face of oppressive conformity. At less than 90 minutes, Zelig (1983) may be too slight to rate alongside such Allen classics as Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), but this likable, funny project is certainly at the top of the artist's B-list.

All Movie Guide - Karl Williams