Rent Zelig (1983)

3.7 of 5 from 131 ratings
1h 12min
Rent Zelig Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Leonard Zelig (Woody Allen) is a man so introverted and insecure that he has developed the ability to blend perfectly into the background of any given situation, regardless of the personality or even ethnicity of the people around him. But when he inadvertently becomes famous as "the human chameleon" after the media takes too keen an interest in his therapy sessions with Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow), Zelig is faced with an unprecedented challenge: how do you fade into the background when the spotlight is firmly upon you?
Actors:
, , John Buckwalter, , , , , , , , , Robert Iglesia, Eli Resnick, Edward McPhillips, , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Robert Greenhut
Voiced By:
Ed Herlihy, Dwight Weist, Gordon Gould, Wendell Craig, Jurgen Kuehn
Narrated By:
Patrick Horgan
Writers:
Woody Allen
Others:
Joel Hynek, Stuart Robertson, Santo Loquasto, Susan E Morse, Gordon Willis, R Greenberg, Fred Buchner, John Caglione
Studio:
MGM
Genres:
Classics, Comedy
Collections:
Memory Lane: Films Set in 1920s, Romantic Film Pairings for Valentine's Day, What to Watch Next If You Liked Nomadland
BBFC:
Release Date:
03/10/2003
Run Time:
72 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, French Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, German Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Italian Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, French, German Hard of Hearing, Italian, Spanish
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour and B & W
Bonus:
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • Interactive menu
  • Scene access
BBFC:
Release Date:
12/12/2016
Run Time:
79 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0, English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
Colour and B & W
BLU-RAY Regions:
B

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Reviews (3) of Zelig

a neglected gem - Zelig review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
27/02/2007

this film doesnt often get mentoined in the discussution of woody allens films, which is a shame because its one of his best. the of a human cameleon in depression era america is rendered in a mockumentary style. therefore allens usual persona and obsessions are kept at bay here allowing a more gentle humour to shine through. along with broadway danny rose this is one of woodys most purely pleasurable films.rent it and give this film the attention it so richly deserves.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Funny gimmick. - Zelig review by Steve

Spoiler Alert
16/02/2021

 Slight but clever experiment from Woody and his crew (particular credit to cinematographer Gordon Willis) about a man who seeks to conform to the extent that he actually takes on the physical characteristics of whoever is near him.

Leonard Zelig (Allen) becomes known as the chameleon man, a novelty of the roaring twenties, and Mia Farrow plays the psychiatrist who seeks to restore his individuality. Eventually the story takes a darker turn when his desire for anonymity among the compliant masses attracts him to Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

 Zelig feels like an extended sketch, but it's a fine premise and makes appropriate points about celebrity and the dangers of wholesale public compliance and there is a dusting of successful gags.

Where the film really scores is with its visual effects. Leonard and his doctor are inserted into old photographs and newsreel of famous figures like F. Scott Fitzgerald and William Randolph Hurst, and film of Allen being psychoanalysed is aged to blend seamlessly into the old b&w footage. The scene where Zelig spots his analyst in the crowd at Munich while on the stage with Hitler, is amazing. No digital technology back then. As a bonus there are a handful of songs about Zelig in the style of the jazz age, composed by Dick Hyman. My favourite: Doin' the Chameleon. 

0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.

not his best effort - Zelig review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
15/09/2006

Woody Allen could have done much better than this. The premise was silly and seemed to just put him in historic scenes because computer effects had just evolved to make it possible rather than because it was in any way important to the plot.

I watched this with a psychologist and he was disgusted with the portrayal of his profession.

Don't rent this movie unless you really want to watch every single film Woody Allen has ever made.

0 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

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