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Plot: Leonard Zelig, the human chameleon, is profiled in this mock-documentary.

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Recent Reviews


  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    September 4, 2008
    This has very little of the humor I'm so drawn to in Woody Allen films, but manages to weave an interesting story. It's the earliest mockumentary I've ever seen (were there others before this? It was definitely before Spinal Tap). Its ability to mesh current and vintage footage was also fascinating... Forrest Gump did the same thing, but eleven years later. Although the story and ending point itself was less interesting than some of Allen's other flicks, it's still enjoyable, and is worth watching for the movie history reasons as well. Very innovative.
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 1, 2008
    Zelig (1983) es uno de los más grandes experimentos fílmicos que Woody Allen ha realizado en su carrera. Si bien no fue el primero en llevar a cabo el ejercicio del falso documental, sí fue el primero en llevarlo a alturas estilísticas insospechadas. Orson Welles lo hizo en su introducción de Citizen Kane (1940), y los monty pythons Eric Idle y Michael Palin lo hicieron también con su falso documental para televisión The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978), parodiando la carrera musical de The Beatles.

    Lo grandioso de Zelig, es que Allen logra convencernos de que todo lo que estamos viendo en su documental es real. La película le tomó 3 años terminarla, y para su realización tuvo que ver cientos de horas de material de archivo y sintetizarlas en 1 hora y 20 minutos, para narrarnos la asombrosa historia de cómo un hombre común y corriente se convirtió en celebridad de la noche a la mañana, durante los turbulentos años 1920.

    Al final logramos empatizar con Zelig y su problema psicológico, es decir, la crisis de identidad. Un tipo que, a pesar de codearse con toda la crema y nata de la sociedad, del mundo cultural y político de su tiempo, de estar presente en muchos puntos geográficos, no logra encontrarse a sí mismo. Es infeliz, inseguro e incluso acaba como militante del partido nazi. Gracias a una joven y tímida psiquiatra (Mia Farrow), puede ser que Zelig encuentre una cura a sus males.
    Más en http://pantallanueve.blogspot.com
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    April 17, 2008
    This delightful mockumentary is powerful in a world where everything is copied. The cultures no longer exist and the people, even feeling like individuals, are almost the same, considering the global context. Definitely one of the best Woody Allen`s efforts, anticipated what "Forrest Gump" did years after inserting the main character in historical facts that actually happened.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 11, 2008
    ZELIG (1983)
    directed by Woody Allen
    starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Patrick Horgan

    Leonard Zelig was a man who wanted to be accepted, his mind was so strong it would turn his body into whoever he was around. It needed to be a man though, and if it was a woman he would simply become what she was, all of that, to please. But he wasnt even aware of it. Around Chinese people his body would morph into an Asian look-alike. He would turns black around an African-American and would get fat around, well, fat people. This is a documentary about him, and how a doctor tries to cure him in the 1920's.

    Okay, wait, of course this isnt for real, its a mockumentary and even if it does look real it all becomes obvious when we see the guy for the first time. Its Woody Allen. He plays his usual neurotic character and even bring him further, kinda like he was parodying himself cause he had been playing that same character for years.

    Zelig mixes cleverly achrive footage with fictional one, adding Allen into those old fiolms, kinda like they did with Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump except it was done eleven years prior to the Robert Zemeckis film.

    Woody Allen wont stop surprising me with his technical abilities, cause when I think of Allen, I think of witty humor and his fun dialogues, not him as a good director necessarly, I mean in a complicated technical way.

    Clever, funny, unexpected, subtle, simple, well-edited, Zelig is a very fun film to watch.

  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 8, 2008
    I have a love-hate relationship with Woody Allen. I can't stand the guy personality-wise, his ultra-neurotic schtick is beyond stale at this point, but I can't help but grudgingly admire his talent and admit that I enjoy the hell out his movies, especially when he's either not in it at all or in it only peripherally. This falls into the latter category, where we're only subjected to mere snippets of Allen being genuinely funny, but mostly see him in stills and silent film reels. It's a great love letter to the 1920's, as well as just a clever, amusing mockumentary about conformity and Allen's own obsession with being liked. And years before "Forrest Gump" fascinated audiences with its seamless blending of Tom Hanks and historical figures, "Zelig" does the same, blending Allen in with luminaries of the day like Fanny Brice and even Hitler, looking amazingly seamless, and I'm assuming, without the help of computers. A pleasant little movie that brought a smile and a chuckle throughout. Damn you, Allen.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    February 13, 2008
    One of the first Woody Allen films I ever saw. Haven't seen it in a very long time, but I still remember being very impressed with the filmmaking and story.
  • 3.5 Stars
    MCT:
    December 27, 2007
    The laughs are a little more subtle in this one, a little less Mel Brooks, a little more dry humour. The technique of inserting Woody into old black and white footage is amazing, especially since it predates that scene in Forest Gump by a decade. Overall it's a whimsical narrative with some really great one liners and some creative playing around with visual techniques, kind of reminds you of Melies or the Lumiere Brothers's magical film editing.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    December 20, 2007
    Of all the funny and not so funny (when he pretends to be Bergman) I think this is te definition of his inteligent dark critical humor. In a mockumentary format about the human camaleon, a B&W jewel.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    October 6, 2007
    hilarious. definatly a silly mockumentary. short and crisp. if ur not paying attention, u probably wont laugh at all.. can mia farrow get uglier?? eh it was stil uber fabu.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    September 19, 2007
    Funny and moving mockumentary about the human chameleon Leonard Zelig, who becomes so adept at fitting in that he loses all sense of self. Combines slapstick and silly sight gags with poignant irony. A fantastic film.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    August 16, 2007
    A mockumentary that is staggeringly brilliant and hysterical. Technically a marvel. Forrest Gump owes a thing or two to this mini-masterpiece.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    July 3, 2007
    A Woody Allen combination of comedic and technical mastery. A wonderful exploration of mockumentary.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 12, 2007
    Kind of a funny idea for a movie... a guy who acts like a chameleon... he can acquire talents. The big deal was how they aged the film to make it look like it was a bunch of old stock footage that they had included in their documentary. It probably could've been a bit shorter.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    June 7, 2007
    That old lady who won't give the journalist the answers he wants--she cracks me up. Thought-provoking movie overall too.
  • 3.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 21, 2007
    Another solid comedy by Woody Allen, this mockumentary about a man so bland he instantly takes on the characteristics of whoever he is with has some brilliant lines and is quite a witty social commentary.
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 17, 2007
    Documental falso sobre un personaje falso, Leonard Zelig. Woody es lo máximo y lo demuestra una vez más con esta movie de 1983, principio de su mejor etapa según los especialistas. Una de sus mejores diez, pero aun faltaban otras tan o más grandes.
  • Not Interested
    MCT:
    May 15, 2007
    It's good. It's one of his most masterful creations (editing, etc.). I won't watch it again because I don't watch Woody Allen anymore
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    May 8, 2007
    Still looking for Zelig...where is he? Do you know? LOL. A brilliant parody of the Documentary genre. Super good!
  • 5.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 13, 2007
    One of the most intelligent and interesting movie of Woody Allen.. strong sarcastic content mixed with Allen's funny emotion --> hurt soceity the most.. i believe that.. sarcastic comedy is more powerful to look down on and convince social fools.. "Zelig" surely could make us realize about ourselve and our surroundings!
  • 4.0 Stars
    MCT:
    March 10, 2007
    Very funny, even more when you're not expecting anything and you don't know anything about this movie.
  • 4.5 Stars
    MCT:
    January 12, 2007
    woody allen trie d to be totally different here. its a lot like a normal woody allen movie. a lot of hisi later ones were all hte sam ethough.

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