Zelig 1983

type: Movie

language: English

duration: 71 min

genre: comedy

theme: mockumentary

director: Woody Allen

Score: 7 / 10

Zelig is a 1983 American mockumentary film written, directed by and starring Woody Allen as Leonard Zelig, a nondescript enigma, who, apparently out of his desire to fit in and be liked, unwittingly takes on the characteristics of strong personalities around him. The film, presented as a documentary, recounts his period of intense celebrity during the 1920s, including analyses by contemporary intellectuals.

Plot

Set in the 1920s and 1930s, the film concerns Leonard Zelig (Woody Allen), a nondescript man who has the ability to transform his appearance to that of the people who surround him. He is first observed at a party by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who notes that Zelig related to the affluent guests in a refined Boston accent and shared their Republican sympathies, but while in the kitchen with the servants, he adopted a coarser tone and seemed to be more of a Democrat. He soon gains international fame as a "human chameleon".

Cast

More details

author	Woody Allen
contentLocation	Washington, D.C.
director	Woody Allen
editor	Susan E. Morse
genre	comedy fantasy
keywords	adopt chameleon conformist conformity falling in love fly germany hypnotism married media coverage nazi nazism neurosis neurotic popular culture psychiatrist psychosis psychotic upside down world war ii
musicBy	Dick Hyman
nomination	Academy Award for Best Cinematography Academy Award for Best Costume Design
producer	Robert Greenhut
productionCompany	Orion Pictures
publisher	Warner Bros.
recordedAt	New Jersey
theme	independent mockumentary satirical