I really like Woody Allen, he's a great writer/director/actor. He's just as good as I expected he'd be in this movie. It's a very interesting concept, and it's executed wonderfully. The film is shot documentary-style, and revolves around a man from the late 1920's named Leonard Zelig, who has the strange chameleon-like ability to imitate those who surround him. If he spends enough time around doctors, he starts acting and talking like one, if he hangs around with guys with beards, he instantly grows a beard, and so on and so forth. This of course makes him a big celebrity. The film raises a lot of questions about individuality and conforming, and is very thought-provoking and well written. The cinematography is very interesting, the scenes that supposedly take place in the 1920's actually look and sound like they were filmed in the 1920's. There's also a good deal of stock footage from the 1920's that seamlessly blends in with the rest of the film, creating a very authentic documentary feel to it. The humor ranges a good bit, though, from subtle and witty dialog, to slapstick and a few visual jokes. Unfortunately, the the slapstick and visual humor, while still funny, seems out of place with the rest of the movie, and doesn't feel like it should be in a documentary. There's a good bit of parody of the culture of the time; Zelig becomes a marketing sensation and spawns a dance craze called "The Chameleon", among other things. The acting is really nice, Woody Allen in particular. He took a potentially silly character and made him strangely heartfelt. Overall, a very odd and inventive movie. The plot's a bit slow in places, much like real documentaries, but other than that, this is a great movie. Really recommended. 4/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/
No comments:
Post a Comment