Review of Zelig (1983) by Monster . — 05 Sep 2012

Originally made as the first film of a new deal with Orion Pictures, this one of Woody Allen's most brilliant and technically astonishing films, he got the idea from seeing talk show host Dick Cavett, inserted into old film footage.

He had a brilliant idea, and it's one of the most original films he's ever made, and the special effects are brilliant. It's a mockumentary set in the 1920's and 1930's, and charts the phenomenon of Leonard Zelig (Woody), a man who happens to be a "human chameleon", meaning he is able to change to be like any party of people he is in the presence of, it gets him into trouble, when he mingles with Chicago gangsters and the New York Yankees.

When his medical malady is discovered, Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow) is determined to cure him of this strange syptom, but it's not going to be easy, especially when Zelig is exploited because of his symptoms and put in freak shows and put on a world tour, but after a tragedy, he's discovered at the Vatican and put in Fletcher's care, and she finds a way to cure him, and doctor and patient find themselves falling for each other.

This brilliant piece of cinema, it took nearly 3 years to make, but it was worth it. This is not a million miles away from Citizen Kane, or even when Forrest Gump did, but with Allen's usual wit and characterisations, this is a real treat, which could actually fool people who didn't know any better.