Woody AllenSleeper (DVD)

Great classic Woody Allen movie. Funny every you watch it.

Hilarious.

I'm not a diehard Woody Allen fan, but this movie is a favorite of mine. The story and character development progress logically; I especially like Luna's growth as a thinker. The scenes are clean and simple, akin to classic animation. Just a little of it feels dated, but for the most part it's still very relevant.One reviewer complained about the disc. The video and packaging are high quality, just the two sides of the disc aren't labeled. No big deal.

`Sleeper' is the only Woody Allen work where in addition to acting, writing, and directing, he also contributes to the music by playing clarinet in the band performing on the sound track. This is his fourth triple credit movie and I believe it may be one of his better movies before `Annie Hall', which is still two movies into the future. Unlike `Bananas' and `All you ever wanted to know about Sex...', it seems to have more and better satire than simple parody, although there is parody and homage to famous comedic bits aplenty here. The most memorable `quote' is when Allen apes the famous Marx brothers routine where Groucho thinks he is seeing himself in a floor length mirror, but he is actually seeing Harpo dressed to imitate Groucho and aping every move he makes to keep the mirror image illusion.One piece of satire that has actually improved in value over the last 25 years is the conceit that everything that was once thought to be bad for you, such as smoking, is now actually believed to be good for you. All you have to do is think back to the fate of eggs, fats, potatoes, and wine to realize that this gag is perilously close to the truth in a lot of cases.This movie does not have the long `guest star' list or even a lot of the Allen stock company regulars as we see in `All you ever wanted to know about Sex...' or `Bananas'. The only cameo of note is a brief simulated telecast by Howard Cosell. Virtually the entire movie is carried on the backs of Allen's performance and, to a much lesser extent, the fairly ordinary performance from Diane Keaton. Not much of the great work we will later see in `Annie Hall'. But then, Allen isn't writing for drama or character development. All we get is setup, setup, setup, gag, follow-up, setup, setup,...and so on. The whole story is a great big setup for comic effect.The story is that Allen goes into the hospital in 1976 for a simple procedure and is put into a cryogenic sleep. His cryogenic capsule is discovered 200 years later by a team of scientists who decide to awaken him and set him off to help overthrow a dictator because there is no trace of his identity.Early in the movie, Allen shows off how really very good he is at physical comedy, much in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin, W.C. Fields, and the Marx brothers, although except for a bit here and there, it is never entirely clear that he is imitating any of these precursors.If this owes anything to any other movie, it is probably `Fahrenheit 451', the film with Oskar Werner and Julie Christie made of the Ray Bradbury novel.I am partial to Allen's later films, especially `Manhattan', `Stardust Memories', and `Hannah and Her Sisters', but I believe this is one of his two or three best before `Annie Hall', better than `Bananas' and `All you ever wanted to know about Sex...'.Recommended for some great jokes and some really great physical gags.

I first saw "Sleeper" in the theater when it was first released at Christmastime 1973. I was 18 at the time, Well I'm 64 now and I got it DVD and I appreciate even more. Woody Allen wrote along with Marshall Brickman and directed and stars along with the lovely Diane Keaton. Woody Allen plays Miles Monroe who runs a health food store in Greenwich Village in 1973 who dies on the operating table after a "minor" operation and is cyrogenically frozen and thawed out 200 years in the future. Miles wakes up to a society run by a dictator known only as , "The Leader." And Miles finds out junk food is actually good for you, encounters robot housekeepers, a chicken the size of an elephant,(Miles response "That's a big chicken.") Also Miles discovers some gigantic vegetables, sees a newspaper headline that reads "Popes' wife gives birth to twins" and finds a 200 Volkswagen Beetle that still runs. He also grabs a burger at McDonald's,(check out the McDonald's sign.) Diane Keaton plays his new lady friend named "Luna" and they join a rebellion against the government led by John Beck who Miles is jealous of. Says to Luna " Is he going to take his handsome lessons ?" The slapstick jazz music is by Woody Allen's jazz band. The extra is the trailer which is pretty funny too, a kinda of interview with Woody Allen about "Sleeper." I also got this DVD for my sister Teresa and we never get tired of watching it. The tagline for the movie poster read "Woody Allen takes a nostalgic look at the future !"

Whatever one thinks of Woody Allen and his kitschy brand of early 1970s sci-fi parody (see the other reviews), the quality of the DVD leaves so much to be desired:Contrary to some reviewers' misunderstanding, the standard DVD does include both the widescreen and narrow "full screen" aspect ratios, but they aren't labeled. So one must find the widescreen version by flipping the DVD and playing the unlabeled Side B of the DVD in the player.Beyond that confusing issue, the resolution of both prints is noticeably grainy and the color is a bit washed out. Furthermore, the audio is mono, not stereo.Personally, I think this movie deserves better treatment, but I'm glad to finally have this movie in my library.

Allen wakes up in 2173, having been accidentally frozen for 200 years (or as his character says; "204, if you count my marriage" ). Clever and funny, which isn't always an easy combination to pull off, it is filled with great one liners, sight gags and physical comedy.Having gone into hospital for a routine operation, Miles Munroe wakes up to find to find his library books are rather overdue. More than that, the world is now ruled by an evil dictator (or his nose anyway). Allen becomes a member of the anti-government underground, with a plan to capture the said snout, however Miles is captured and brain-washed into thinking he's Miss Montana in an American Beauty pageant. It is up to "poet" Luna (Diane Keaton - who does a good job keeping up with Allen in all the madness) to save the day.Along the way, the film is full of clever ideas (the robotic jewish tailors, the ineffective guard dog, "rags", the "orb" and, of course, the "orgasmatron"). The film is also packed with beautiful physical comedy and sight gags, including the badly behaved pudding, the giant chicken and Allen as the robot waiter.This also seems to be a be a loving homage to earlier silent films, with Allen pursued by the secret police (and a giant chicken!) and there is even a giant banana skin gag! With a fun, old time jazz soundtrack, it is brilliant, madcap fun. Still my favourite Woody Allen film, recommended.

One of Woody Allen`s earlier comedies - this one a satirical science fiction parody; it has rather more slapstick and absurdity to it than some of his other (and later) movies, but it`s lasted well and still entertains.This was one of the earliest of his films I remember seeing in the cinema and I still enjoy watching it when I get the opportunity.The standard UK DVD issue has English subtitles available if required and a selection of foreign-language soundtrack options; as with all of Allen`s films there are no extras.

Woody transports his neuroses to the 22nd century in this imaginative offering from the mid-1970s.Cryogenically frozen after a minor surgical procedure went wrong, Woody's character, Miles Monro, wakes 200 years later to find that the former US is now ruled by a despot (or at least, by a small part of him) and that the brainwashed population live in a comfortable, aimless Big Brother-type of society.While trying to come to terms with this strange world he tangles romantically with vacuous, talentless poet Luna (Keaton) and comically falls in with a rebel underground movement, finding himself at the heart of a ludicrous plot to overthrow the incumbent regime.Slapstick is the order of the day throughout and Woody's fondness for the Marx Brothers and silent comedy comes to the fore in many scenes. He also takes the opportunity to display his talent for manual dexterity and magic tricks.The juxtaposing of futuristic sets and costumes against Woody's 1970s morés makes the humour seem more absurd and works well as a medium to parody various 20th century cultural references (Orwell, banana republics and false standards among many). He manages also to take a swipe at Nixon, a hot topic at the time of the film's release and throws in a few old gems about Jewish tailors.Woody himself plays the musical score on his clarinet.DVD quality excellent.

I have watched this film many times over the years and still laugh out loud at the funniest scenes. Look out for the sphere being passed around, the orgasmatron and the fight with the overgrown pudding. Oh, and the president's nose being taken hostage. Nothing can explain this movie - you HAVE to watch it.It's Woody Allen at his funniest in my opinion; an earlier film of his that is packed with mad humour, a bit of romance and some never going out of date comedy that was topical then and still is today.I will never get tired of this zany movie.

saw this at the Cinema a few years after release, it has some great lines, & shows Woody Allen's Stand-up credentials. It's a little dated, but that's part of the charm, there are some very funny scenes, & some not so funny. At the end of the day, Allen was in his element at this time, & Annie Hall which I saw at the same time as Sleeper is really the pinnacle of the one-liner Woody Allen Movies. Sleeper is worth a go - the Giant Banana is funny, the orgasmatron isn't.