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Zelig

7.6

17,746

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Original title

Zelig

Year

1983

Running time

76 min.

Country

United States

Director

Woody Allen

Screenwriter

Woody Allen

Cast

Music

Dick Hyman

Cinematography

Gordon Willis (B&W)

Producer

Warner Bros.

Genre

Comedy | Mockumentary. 1920s. 1930s

Synopsis

Mock documentary on the figure of Leonard Zelig, a chameleon of a man who astounded the American society of the “jazz era”. His story starts the day he tells a lie on claiming to have read Moby Dick simply not to feel out of things. The need to be accepted kicks in, and he starts physically transforming according to those around him, instantly hitting the front pages.

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Rankings Position

#51 Best Movies of the '80s
#108 Best Comedy Movies

Awards: 1983: 2 Nominations for Oscar: Best Cinematography, Costume Design

1983: Golden Globe: Nominated Best Movie - Comedy or Musical & Actor (Allen)

1983: Venice Film Festival: Pasinetti Award for Best Film

1983: 5 nominations for BAFTA, including Original screenplay and Cinematography

1983: David di Donatello Awards: Best Foreign Actor (Woody Allen). 5 Nominations

1983: New York Film Critics Circle: Best Cinematography. 3 Nominations

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Critics' reviews

"[Zelig] is Woody Allen's most brilliant, most inspired fictional creation (...) 'Citizen Kane' miraculously transformed into a side-splitting comedy."

Vincent Canby: The New York Times
"A sublime comic parable about the quest for identity."

Gary Arnold: The Washington Post
"It sounds perfect, but the format fits Allen like a straitjacket, limiting him to one joke endlessly repeated (...) A gray little nothing of a movie"

Dave Kehr: Chicago Reader
"Woody Allen has chosen a form that is utterly original in conception and exhilarating in execution."

Richard Schickel: Time
"The picture is thoroughly charming."

Pauline Kael: The New Yorker
"Lampooning documentary tradition by structuring the entire film as a meticulously crafted bogus docu, Woody Allen tackles some serious stuff en route"

Variety Staff: Variety
"[Its] loving recreation of Depression-era pop culture is accomplished with amazing verisimilitude; the faux-documentary sequences are among the best since 'Citizen Kane' (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

Michael Scheinfeld: TV Guide
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Zelig

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