Zelig (1983)

Another day, another Woodly Allen film, this time one of his lesser knows, more experimental films. Like Sweet and Lowdown Zelig uses the framing of a supposedly real fictional character for its narrative, unlike that film however it chooses to present the whole film as a documentary, mixing faux-interviews and historical footage, never breaking the illusion.

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The film concerns itself with Leonard Zelig (played by Allen), an unremarkable man living in the 1920’s who becomes an overnight celebrity thanks to a very unusual skills he has, in being able to mimic the people he is surrounded by. Rather than focus on impersonations though Allen takes this idea of a ‘human chameleon’ to it’s full extent, having Zelig gain weight when around fat people for example, his typical knack for absurdity sitting well alongside the deliberately realistic look of the piece. What this premise does is allow Allen to use it as a springboard not only for comedy, the film is frequently very knowing and funny not only in terms of the documentary format but of the character as well, but he also has more on his mind. He uses Zelig as a metaphor for shyness and low confidence; he is literally a shell of a man who, as a coping mechanism, latches onto whatever group of people he is around.

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The focus of the film is on the documented study of Zelig once he becomes renowned, Mia Farrow plays a lonely and shy psychiatrist who takes him on as a patient. Naturally when she does so Zelig believes himself to be a psychiatrist as well leading to a less than productive session. The heart of the story is the relationship between these characters over the years and how she is able to draw Zelig out if his shell, and whilst the performances are strong it is here I feel that the documentary format holds the film back. By its very nature this distanced view of events, glimpsed through impressively fakes newsreel footage mixed with actual archive material, has less immediacy than a straight drama would have done and we never get an opportunity to spend enough time with these characters as themselves. That being said the construction of the film itself can’t be faulted; it is arguably Allen’s most impressive film from a visual and technical point of view, especially considering when it was made. The film even manages some funny Forrest Gump style overlaying of Zelig with real people from history and does so effectively.

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As a mixture of Allen’s more serious dramatic fare and his slapstick comedies Zelig fits somewhat uncomfortably in the middle. It is entertaining and doesn’t outstay its welcome, but the artifice of its framing can wear a little thin. A documentary that you know is not real, and is being constructed deliberately, has a lot of its power removed and I didn’t feel the satirical points were necessarily made with enough force.

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That said the film is sweet and funny and well worth checking out, it feels like an experiment and a labour of love, combining many of Allen’s pet passions and themes. It may not completely work, or remain memorable enough to count as one of Allen’s best works, however it is nonetheless a fascinating, and relatively unique entry in his back catalogue.