ZELIG
© 2001 MGM Home Entertainment

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ZELIG

The above quote was a sentiment that many Americans shared in the late '20s and early '30s, when the pop culture phenomenon known as the "Changing Man" or the "Human Chameleon" swept the nation. Also known as Leonard Zelig, the Changing Man was stricken with a unique psychological condition which, like his lizard namesake, enabled him to blend in with his surroundings. When interacting with a doctor, for example, Zelig would talk, look and act like a doctor. When with a rabbi, Zelig would become a rabbi. Speaking to an overweight person, Zelig too would grow to be obese. A freak of medical science at first, Leonard Zelig soon became a fad sensation of the era, spawning dance crazes, mass merchandising and even a movie. In the words of a song of the era, "Everybody go chameleon!"

If you don't recall hearing of this particular historic marvel, don't worry; it doesn't mean that you're going senile. You see, Zelig never actually existedexcept for in the imagination of Woody Allen and in the mockumentary film ZELIG, that is. Like THIS IS SPINAL TAP, ZELIG is a truly hilarious fake documentary that straight-faces it through the ridiculous situations that its subjects find themselves in. And while ZELIG is not that well known a film, it's actually one of Allen's best.

From a technical perspective, the picture was revolutionary when released in 1983. Before computers were inserting digital Jar Jars into live action scenes, or Forrest Gump was rubbing elbows with JFK, Allen's Leonard Zelig was meeting with the likes of Jack Dempsey and Eugene O'Neil. While the conceit of having Zelig actually touch or interact with his celebrity compatriots was not quite possible (as it would be in more recent technology-driven films) the effect here is actually more satisfying. A static shot of a presidential Zelig standing next to Herbert Hoover, or archival footage of him posing in the middle of Times Square of 1930 while period cars zoom past him is much more convincing than seeing Tom Hanks shake hands with the President. The latter is obviously doctored, if technically seamless, whereas the former is almost believable, be it a result of Allen's dead-on interpretation of his character's transformations, or the fact that by its very nature ZELIG requires the use of old, scratchy and poor quality "newsreel" footage.

It's also a matter of recreating the time the footage is supposed to come from, which Allen pulls off perfectly. His affection for the Jazz Age is apparent, and his mixing of real footage with new, purposely aged film is excellent, as is the recreation of the styles of the time and its various dances, music, products and so on.

Beyond the tech aspects of the film though, ZELIG also works because of the fun and ultimately humanistic subject matter. We learn that Zelig's identity crisis affliction was so debilitating that he eventually became a non-person who would simply transform into whoever he was around. This often provides the comedy of the film, particularly when little, white, Jewish Zelig becomes a black trumpet player or a heavyset gangster, but his cure is at the heart of the picture in the person of Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow). Not only does she help poor Zelig grow so comfortable with himself that his transformations subside, but a romance emerges between the two (though not before Zelig transforms into a Nazi deep within Hitler's inner circleand escapes by flying over the Atlantic upside-down, setting a world's record in the process!)

The film is short at under 80 minutes, and yet despite this it tends to drag a wee bit in its middle section. But the overall effect is inventive, charming and side-splittingly funny. A must for Allen fans, connoisseurs of vintage film, Depression era buffs, and those who want to have fun.

"Leonard Zelig is one of the finest gentlemen in the United States of America. He is the cat's pajamas!"