Search - Zelig on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor Movie Release: 1983 DVD Release: 11/06/2001 Format: DVD - Black and White,Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 19 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Comedy, Fantasy Comedy, Mockumentary, Media Satire

Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon", is profiled in this mock-documentary. Director Woody Allen appears as Zelig in scenes that purport to be vintage newsreel clips of the 1920s and 1930s, but are actually clever recreations, "aged" and scratched-up Citizen Kane-style by special-effects maestros Joel Hynick, Stuart Robinson and R. Greenberg Associates. An appropriately pompous narrator details the life and times of Leonard Zelig, whose overwhelming desire for conformity is manifested in his ability to take on the facial and vocal characteristics of whomever he happens to be around at the moment. He shows up at batting practice with Babe Ruth, among William Randolph Hearst's guests as San Simeon, side by side with Pope Pius at the Vatican, and peering anxiously over the shoulder of Adolf Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Becoming a celebrity in his own right, Zelig inspires a song, a dance craze, and a Warner Bros. biopic. Mia Farrow plays Dr. Eudora Fletcher , a psychiatrist who tries to "reach" Zelig and ultimately falls in love with him (all of Farrow's scenes are in black-and-white and allegedly culled from archive footage; Ellen Garrison, whose resemblance to Farrow is uncanny, plays the older Dr. Fletcher in the interview sequences). In the manner of Reds, the influence of the fictional Leonard Zelig on popular culture is discussed by such real-life notables as Susan Sontag, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow and Dr. Bruno Bettenheim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Woody Allen - Leonard Zelig
Mia Farrow - Dr. Eudora Fletcher
Garrett M. Brown - Actor Zelig
Stephanie Farrow - Sister Meryl
Will Holt - Rally Chancellor

Woody Allen's intriguing comedy Zelig comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. Zelig is a very distinctive-looking film, and this transfer does a marvelous job of capturing the "made to look aged" film clips used throughout the film. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English, Spanish, and French subtitles are accessible. As with most Allen DVD releases, the supplemental materials are sparse. A collectible booklet and a theatrical trailer are all this film offers. Allen enthusiasts will certainly be pleased with how Zelig looks, even if they are disappointed by the lack of extra material. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide