This is one of Woody's most accomplished movies, an almost incredible pseudo-documentary about a mysterious chameleon man Mr. Zelig, who lived in the 1920s, and had the capacity to alter his appearances and become like any person he encounters. If he’s in the company of a black man, his skin turns black, if he’s with a fat man, he puts on weight. Mostly set in the 20s, but there are a few jumps to the 80s, featuring (among others) Susan Sontag and Saul Bellow, who comment on the life and times of Zelig, and the media hypes he created.
Beautifully executed, filmed in the style of newsreels of the period, fused with stock material and scenes re-enacting - often with a comical edge - historic events such as nazi-meetings. The result is no less than stunning. And yet this is also one of Woody's most problematic movies. The main problem is that it's a one trick pony. Once the central idea has been presented, writer Allen starts having difficulties to keep up the momentum, and in the second half, his narrative begins to wander with a few far-fetched twists and turns. In the end the film feels a bit longish, even if it runs no more than 71 minutes (!). There's also the problem that that the premise of the movie is a bit hard to stomach. In Citizen Kane (which clearly was a source of inspiration) the premise works because we can believe in this person, this citizen called Kane, played by Orson Welles. But it’s hard to take this Mr. Zelig and his bizarre capacities serious.
There are nevertheless some fine observations about man's desire for conformity and a moments of inspired comedy. As a comedy, it will work better if you’re familiar with the history of psycho-analysis. In the end Zelig is more clever than funny, often admirable, but the artifice of its framing eventually gets in the way of things. Best joke: Zelig's comment about his conflict with Mr. Freud about penis-envy; Freud thought it only applied to women.
