Mjeteconer
Just perfect...
Brightlyme
i know i wasted 90 mins of my life.
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
chaswe-28402
Zelig is an adjective of Germanic (not especially Yiddish) origin, with multiple meanings, ranging from blessed or blissful (soulful), to silly. In its Anglo-Saxon incarnation (saelig) it has often had a tendency to be applied to sheep: simple, hapless, foolish animals, conforming aimlessly to the herd, sometimes referred to as sheeple, incapable of independent thought. This seems to be Woody Allen's impersonation here, ineffectual and unidentifiable. Merge with the herd; go with the flow.Reviewers have had a little difficulty in assigning a satisfactory genre to this film, most settling for describing it as a mockumentary of a non-existent person. Perhaps slightly pretentious.I think of it more as a philosophical excursion into the meaning of life, and an examination of our purpose, if any, on earth. Acceptance, compliance, or defiance ? A very great deal of archive research and other work was clearly put into this production, and it was undeniably highly ingenious. Although a little annoying at times, on balance I found it fascinating and engaging, and while I hovered for a time on a low rating, I finally settled for quite a high appreciation of its paradoxical creativity.
grantss
The story of Leonard Zelig, a man who could (and would) assume the physical characteristics and mannerisms of anyone he cam into contact with. When doctors discover him, they try to figure our he has this ability and what causes him to change. Eventually he is treated by Doctor Eudora Fletcher, a psychiatrist, and she works out how to treat him. Meanwhile, dubbed "the human chameleon", he becomes a celebrity. Celebrity has its downsides, however...Very original film from master writer-director Woody Allen. The 1980s were a very creative period for Allen, including venturing into more dramatic areas. Long gone were the absurdist (yet very funny) comedies of the early 70s. Zelig is a bit of a throwback to that period, with a wonderfully ridiculous central plot and some hilarious jokes.While over-the-top, the plot is actually very plausible doesn't fall apart, remaining solid to the end. Being presented as a documentary helps the plausibility. Reveling in its absurdity the movie has a great momentum and energy. The documentary format presents Allen with scores of opportunities to demonstrate his editing and cinematographic skills, editing Zelig (ie himself) into newsreels with famous people as well as constructing very plausible "footage" of Zelig at famous events.One of Woody Allen's greatest movies, and that says a lot.
Dalbert Pringle
In this extremely clever "Mockumentary", comedian Woody Allen plays fictional character Leonard Zelig, a remarkable man who can fit anywhere in society because he can change his appearance at will.The laughs come fast and furious in this account of Zelig's adventures in the 1920s and 1930s, when he became all the rage and hung out with the likes of Babe Ruth, Al Capone, Fanny Brice, Pope Pius XI, and Adolph Hitler, to name but a few.Woody Allen seamlessly weds old, black and white newsreel footage with his humorous tale, allowing Zelig to be right there in the thick of history.Zelig, from 1983, is a remarkably well-executed Comedy that holds the viewer's rapt attention from start to finish.A big hand goes to Cinematographer Gordon Willis for his painstaking work in this film.
mark-whait
Woody Allen has long been considered a genius of cinema, and here again is another example of how he has always been ahead of his time. The story is about Leonard Zelig (Allen), who when in the company of academics or famous people can morph himself into them, regardless of race, colour or creed. Allen cleverly superimposes himself onto newsreel footage so that he appears on screen with such recognisable figures (for example, there is a scene where he is seated just behind Hitler at a Nazi rally). Yes, the intelligence of this kind of footage was explored to huge commercial success with films like Forrest Gump, but, as that film was released well over 10 years after this one, it again shows how Allen was trailblazing a path in cinema long before others. Most of the film is naturally therefore in black and white, and told in a documentary style, and there are numerous clever sequences that uphold Allen's reputation as a master film maker. For me, there is no doubt that the quality of the piece is visible pretty much from the first frame of film, but conversely, this for me is also the problem. You can't slate the film because it is obviously something very unique and well made, but I fidgeted, because I think the germ of the idea was not (in my humble opinion) strong enough to extend over a feature length movie. To be honest, the mood and feel of the picture got on my nerves, and that is my problem with it, but I cannot doubt the obvious work of genius that is going on underneath.
