Zelig
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
- Ada Smith
- Adolf Hitler
- Adolphe Menjou
- Al Capone
- Babe Ruth
- Bruno Bettelheim
- Calvin Coolidge
- Carole Lombard
- Charles Lindbergh
- Charlie Chaplin
- Claire Windsor
- Deborah Rush
- Dolores del Río
- Ed Herlihy
- Elizabeth Kaitan
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Fanny Brice
- Hermann Göring
- Irving Howe
- Joe DiMaggio
- John Rothman
- Joseph Goebbels
- Josephine Baker
- Mae Questel
- Marie Dressler
- Marion Davies
- Max Amann
- Mia Farrow
- Michael Jeter
- Patrick Horgan
- Paula Trueman
- Red Grange
- Rudolf Heß
- Saul Bellow
- Sepp Dietrich
- Susan Sontag
- Tom Mix
- William Randolph Hearst
- Woody Allen
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 |