Film #035 - Zelig (1983)
From the ridiculous (Barbarella) to the sublime. Zelig is, to put it simply, the best mockumentary ever made. To me, anyway. And I’ve already mentioned how much I love This is Spinal Tap, so you know that’s a bold statement. But it deserves no lesser phrase. Year before Forrest Gump digitally inserted Tom Hanks into vintage film footage, Woody Allen seamlessly integrated Leonard “The Lizard” Zelig into the world of the 1930s.
Using the trappings of the documentary (interviews, newpsaper clippings, occasional film clips), we see how Leonard (Allen) is found to be a “human chameleon”, able to take on the characteristics of those he is around. If he is with fat people, he baloons in size. If he is with a member of a particular ethnic group, his features alter to appear that he is a member of that group. At first, he is treated a sa criminal, until the nature of his condition is discovered and he is eventually put under the care of Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow). She determines that it is his desire to assimilate that drives his condition and strives to cure him, all the while falling in love.
There is, of course, the usual ups and downs that make any biographical documentary interesting and it is all sold with complete honesty. Never a nudge or a wink to the audience. Allen is helped in this endeavor by a group of real-life experts, including Susan Sontag and Saul Bellow, who wax nostalgically about Leonard and his impact on the era.
Visually, the film is perfect. Allen and Farrow never seem out of place when inserted into real history, whether is be just a photo or film footage. Sometimes, lookalikes are used, but sometimes clever editing makes it look like Fanny Brice is singing right to Leonard. All the original footage is also made to look like it is from the era. Allen even includes clips from the supposed Hollywood movie made about Leonard that captures the feel of films of the day.
Zelig has no huge bellylaughs or big outrageous set pieces. It is a quiet film, to match the dignity that a documentary filmmaker would give his subject. But that said, it is still immensely funny, filled to the brim with sharp, pointed jokes, all sold with the straightest of faces. It is Allen using every skill at his command, from his knowledge of the era to his grasp of older filming techniques, not to mention one of his warmest and most personable performances. The rest of the cast is great, too, particularly Farrow in one of her best bits for Allen. But given the nature of the project, the film rests firmly on Woody Allen’s shoulders more than most of his works and he proves more than up to the challenge.