Zelig Blu-ray – Color

I have never seen quite anything like it. When Woody Allen's 1983 film "Zelig" was released it was dubbed a "mockumentary". "Zelig" stars Woody Allen as a curious little man called Leonard Zelig who seems to turn up with surprising or unaccountable frequency in a variety of settings. Zelig possesses the uncanny ability to look and act like whoever happens to be around him. One minute he is seen looking like a white major league baseball player and the next time you spot him he might resemble a black jazz musicion. Zelig was a media sensation during The Roaring '20s and was dubbed "the human chameleon". When Leonard Zelig first appears on the scene a young psychologist named Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow) takes an interest in his case and vows to help him in any way she can. She quickly determines her patient is only yearning for the approval of others which is why he physically changes to fit in with those around him. It is a bizarre condition the likes of which has been seen before but Dr. Fletcher honestly believes that she can help cure him of this malady. The trials and tribulations of Leonard Zelig and Dr. Eudora Fletcher are chronicled in the film. What makes this film so unique is that it was shot in the style of those primitive 1920's black and white newsreels that were so popular back in the day. Allen, who also wrote and directed this film, cleverly weaves stock footage from the period into the story. Patrick Horgan who narrates the "mockumentary" is just perfect and greatly adds to the ambiance of this film. Meanwhile, Allen adds contemporary commentary (filmed in color circa 1983 when the film was made) on all of these events from a number of the leading intellectuals of the day including such notables as Susan Sonntag, Irving Howe and Saul Bellow. A vintage Woody Allen technique!With all of the hoopla surrounding Leonard Zelig there is really only one person who truly cares about him. Zelig was under observation by Dr. Fletcher when his half-sister Ruth and her shady husband Martin Geist show up to claim custody of Zelig. Ruth and Martin want control of Zelig for one reason only....to exploit him for financial gain. They turn Leonard into a carnival attraction, a novelty, a freak if you will. They not only charge admission to see him but offer all kinds of merchandise to boot. There are Zelig dolls, clocks, toys and books. He truly is a worldwide phenomenon. Zelig's popularity even spawns a dance craze known as "The Chameleon". With no around to love him Leonard's condition continues to deteriorate. Eventually, he vanishes from the scene and Dr. Fletcher is frantic to find him. Some time later she spots him in a newsreel standing right behind of all people Adolf Hitler looking like an SS officer. She rushes to Germany and manages to bring him home for treatment. Eventually the two of them fall in love and are married. Still, there are more peaks and valleys to come.So just how did Woody Allen go about making such an innovative film? "I wrote the whole script first," explains the filmmaker, "then I looked at millions of feet of documentary and I changed my script with the new discoveries. And this went on for a couple of years". Allen also went out of his way to find old cameras, lenses and sound equipment from the 1920's to help give his film the authentic look and feel he was after. The film also features several original new tunes recorded in the 1920's style including "Chameleon Days", "You May Be Six People But I Love You", "Leonard The Lizard" and "Reptile Eyes". Very clever indeed!I viewed "Zelig" for the first time in a good many years the other day and found it to be every bit as engaging, charming and witty as I remembered it to be. This is one of the most unique films you will ever see and ranks at or near the top of my favorite Woody Allen movies. If you have never seen "Zelig" I urge you to give it a look-see. You are in for a real treat. Very highly recommended!

This film is perhaps the ultimate in parody-documentary. Some people might find the pace a bit slow, and the humor a bit dry, precisely because it is presented exactly as it would be if it were an actual serious documentary about a real historical personage. It requires a bit more thought and attention on the part of the vewer than does a "conventional" comedy for that reason. At one point the narrator, in his best, serious, Public Television Documentary National Geographic Special voice, describes Zelig's parents and their violent domestic squabbles: "...Even though they lived over a bowling alley, it was the bowling alley that complained about the noise." This sort of thing could go right past you if you weren't really listening.The reason this film works is that all of the supporting details are meticulous and perfect. All of the 1920's songs about Zelig (such as "The Chameleon Dance" and "You May Be Six People, But I Love You") are written and performed so perfectly in period style that I, watching it the first few times, could hardly believe that they were not actual, real (but obscure) 1920's songs that they found somewhere which happened to fit the movie theme, rather than being modern parodies of vintage recordings. (Speaking as a musician, I can vouch for the fact that that bright, Irish popular tenor sound which was all the rage back then is a rarity these days!)And all of the film clips are just as carefully executed. I seem to remember, back when this film was just out, an article describing how Allen's production staff took just-shot black and white footage into the parking lot and threw it on the ground and walked all over it, and carefully crinkled the film, so that it would look worn and decades-old. Another tour-de-force was inserting Allen himself, playing the title character, into REAL period footage. The most famous example is a film of Hitler ranting away to a crowd on his Nazi platform, and seated behind him among all of the party officials is... Zelig. This was an amazing technical achievement at the time, long before digital cinematography had become commonplace, and it was brilliantly done.And then of course, there are all of the present-day intellectual luminary talking heads being interviewed for their two cents, again, just like a true documentary. One that comes to mind of course is the (now late) Susan Sontag. I am sure that all of those "experts" had lots of fun filming this.The subject of the documentary, Zelig, has an unusual mental/physical affliction due to insecurity. He literally, and physically, becomes just like whoever he is with, in order to blend in and be accepted. This offers the opportunity for plenty of sight gags as Zelig turns into different cultures, occupations, and races -- sometimes more than one at once! He is alternately exploited as a circus freak for profit, and attempted to be cured by his caring psychiatrist. He is alternately proclaimed a hero, a villain, a traitor, and a hero again by a fickle public. Zelig's exchanges with his psychiatrist are some of the funniest dialogue in the film. When she finally manages to get Zelig under hypnosis so that she can find out what the true, non-chameleon person inside really thinks, he launches into a (dreamy, trance-voiced) tirade about her awful cooking. I still joke with my wife to this day about her "terrible pancakes." [grin]Those who are Woody Allen fans in general will of course probably enjoy this; people who like subtle wit and parody generally will probably enjoy this; people who habitually overdose on PBS and The History Channel but still have enough sense of humor left to laugh at themselves will probably enjoy this. If you prefer jokes with punchlines, or "Gilligan, drop those coconuts!" then Zelig is probably one to avoid.And might I add in parting: If you have not yet read Moby Dick, don't wait until it is too late!

Not quite as funny as I remember as the one conceit is stretched a little thin. Still an incredible technical achievement alongside a satisfyingly comedic one.

This is brilliant movie. Unlike many "mockumentaries" which rely heavily on humor to the point it is obvious that it is not a real documentary, "Zelig" from its opening frame is constructed EXACTLY like a real documentary - its visuals, its pacing, its entire construction is that of a documentary. So much so that some critics of the time complained that is was not a "real movie." I complain that most critics are not "real people."!Despite it's outlandish premise - a man who can physically change personality and appearance to blend in and be accepted by his peers, "Zelig" will leave you feeling as if you just witnessed a true historical event. I watched this movie years ago with my nephew who was about eight years old. For years he insisted Zelig was a real person and that the tings in the documentary actually happened! "But, I saw it in the movie!"...This is one of Woody's finest and one of his funniest movies! It's in my top five: 1.Sleeper 2.Broadway Danny Rose 3.Zelig 4.Annie Hall 5. Take The Money And RunThe new MGM Blu-ray edition looks excellent! I plan on picking up all of Woody's early movies now that they are on Blur-ray. I recently replaced my old 2-sided DVD of Sleeper. The new Blu-ray is FAR superior in every way.

La compre para un regalo y llegó en buenas condiciones. Tardo 2 semanas en llegar a CDMX.

Bel film

Woody Allen à son absolu meilleur, drôle et attendrissant, une comédie sociale d'une finesse remarquable, avec le ton particulier du grand Woody, indispensable !

Como la mayoría de las pelis de Allen, preciosa. Digna de verse.

Another Woody Allen gem. The premise is very interesting and the film itself is well shot (in black & white) and of course well acted with ALL the Woody wit you've come to love and enjoy!Greg B.