Mockumentaries seem to favor mockery above all else, but the year before This Is Spinal Tap was released, Woody Allen made Zelig, a "mock-documentary" posing as a case study of the life of Leonard Zelig. And while mockumentaries amount to poking fun at a stereotype, Allen places a sort of "everyman" archetype at the center of his work. No one is safe.
Zelig (played by Allen) is a chameleon. Or a shapeshifter. Whatever the label, he has the ability to take on the characteristics of those he is surrounded by. Furthermore, he is convincing in his various roles.
Through psychoanalysis, it is learned that Zelig's ability comes from an intense desire to fit in. Trying to "cure" Zelig, Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow) makes progress. Zelig learns to have his own opinion, but goes to extremes here too. When a doctor mentions how nice the weather is, Zelig asserts that it is not and the scene ends with Zelig beating the doctor with a rake. Dr. Fletcher does not give up and succeeds in transitioning Zelig into normalcy with some minor adjustmenst. The tension between being an individual and a conformist runs the course of the movie.
As a mockumentary, Zelig uses the documentary style to give it the air of truth. The "mock" element loosens the gripping illusion of truth. In a careful balance, Allen moves his audience to a wonder beyond mere pity and fear. What makes Zelig more than most mockumentaries is how it implicates all of us. Who does not wish to fit in at some level? Allen has placed the individual and conformist in all of us in the leading role. There is no outside looking in at a ridiculous stereotype. Zelig is concerned instead with the limits of who we are, and in owning up to this question, proves at least more rewarding than a film that questions the ontological ramifications of an amplifier that goes to eleven.
IMDb rates this film 7.7 out of 10
Film 101 rates this film 3.5 stars out of 5
Other underrated films by Woody Allen include: Stardust Memories and Take the Money and Run
Zelig (played by Allen) is a chameleon. Or a shapeshifter. Whatever the label, he has the ability to take on the characteristics of those he is surrounded by. Furthermore, he is convincing in his various roles.
Through psychoanalysis, it is learned that Zelig's ability comes from an intense desire to fit in. Trying to "cure" Zelig, Dr. Eudora Fletcher (Mia Farrow) makes progress. Zelig learns to have his own opinion, but goes to extremes here too. When a doctor mentions how nice the weather is, Zelig asserts that it is not and the scene ends with Zelig beating the doctor with a rake. Dr. Fletcher does not give up and succeeds in transitioning Zelig into normalcy with some minor adjustmenst. The tension between being an individual and a conformist runs the course of the movie.
As a mockumentary, Zelig uses the documentary style to give it the air of truth. The "mock" element loosens the gripping illusion of truth. In a careful balance, Allen moves his audience to a wonder beyond mere pity and fear. What makes Zelig more than most mockumentaries is how it implicates all of us. Who does not wish to fit in at some level? Allen has placed the individual and conformist in all of us in the leading role. There is no outside looking in at a ridiculous stereotype. Zelig is concerned instead with the limits of who we are, and in owning up to this question, proves at least more rewarding than a film that questions the ontological ramifications of an amplifier that goes to eleven.
IMDb rates this film 7.7 out of 10
Film 101 rates this film 3.5 stars out of 5
Other underrated films by Woody Allen include: Stardust Memories and Take the Money and Run
