स्लीपर

No question that Woody Allen's earliest films were the most unpretentiously humorous, and Sleeper stands out among them. The conception of a frozen Allen waking up centuries in the future allows for plenty of biting satire on America in the 70's, not that we don't have plenty of good old-fashioned slapstick to boot. The bit with the Jewish robot tailors knocks me out no matter how many times I see it ("o-KAY, ve'll take it IN").

Woody Allen's films are generally treasured among other comedies because of their wit and charm. Many critics would agree, though, that Allen's earlier films were among his best. One of those movies was a lighthearted film called `Sleeper,' which starred a younger version of Allen and a younger, but always beautiful Diane Keaton. Although `Sleeper' leaves a person in stitches from laughter, its one flaw is that it lacks an ending. But don't let that stop you from seeing this comedy classic. In the end, who cares where it goes because it's just flat out funny. `Sleeper' is the story of Miles Monroe (Allen), who is cryogenically frozen in 1973 after having a procedure in a hospital. He is awoken nearly 200 years later by a group of scientists who want Monroe to help them defeat the leader of their society, as America's future consists of a totalitarian state. While on his adventure through this futuristic world, Monroe meets a beautiful woman named Luna Schlosser (Keaton) who he begins to have a love interest in. The two team up to try to oust their tyrannical government and bring about freedom and prosperity. `Sleeper' was hysterical from beginning to end. The very opening scene shows Monroe covered in tin foil-clearly scientists in 1973 found new and amazing uses for this wonderful kitchen product. As soon as Monroe awakens, he is disoriented, smiling aimlessly into space and walking backwards and into people. Allen's comical blend of intellect and charm shows up soon after. The futuristic society is comprised of people who have no historical references for the events of the past 200 years, as their leader has undoubtedly outlawed certain forms of knowledge that could lead to rebellion. They use Monroe to fill in the historical gaps by showing him pictures of famous twentieth century individuals, such as Joseph Stalin. Monroe provides his own synopsis of their contributions to the world in his own clever way, as he does also for former President Nixon. Allen's writing, direction and performance were hilarious. Rarely do we see writing as clever and sidesplitting in today's comedies. The only other comic director today that could even compare to Allen would be Christopher Guest, whose mockumentary films such as `Best In Show,' and the recent `A Mighty Wind,' have a real source of comedy. Most present comedies are trivial, filled with rehashed jokes that depend more on toilet humor than any form of real wittiness. The film's only problem is that after an hour and a half, it doesn't seem to know what to do with itself. It ends on a clever note about love with the protagonists somehow managing to save themselves, but not really the day. They realize that perhaps the only thing worth fighting for, in the end is love. All in all, `Sleeper' was a very funny farce on science fiction stories, and it cemented Allen's ability to be an engaging and funny in his films. ***

We are blessed that Woody was around, making movies as interesting as this when he was.

Already with this one, he began his vast exploration of movie techniques and devices that would last 25 years or so.

The idea is simple in this one: he wanted to use film slapstick from a bygone era. How better to situate that than to move the whole picture into a future era?

We have some truly classic stuff here. The banana joke, The mirror joke. The robot pantomime. The acting out of the Jewish dinner (done in later movies too). The inflated man joke. You can find all these in any number of Keaton. Marx, Laurel & Hardy movies.

The unifying string of time travel, a romance, the leader and his nose is too weak to make this a solidly recommended outing. And it wouldn't be for a couple years until Woody cared about the cinematography at all.

I had forgotten how pretty Diane Keaton was. Very.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

A futuristic comedy from Woody Allen in 1973 has him waking up from an operation 200 years later (in 2173) to find society has gone berserk.

Clever, witty, and very funny. Allen is hysterically funny as the "sleeper" who gets to give history lessons on the 1970s, pose as a robot, and become a revolutionary to be near Diane Keaton.

Filled with sight gags galore and great one-liners. The giant vegetables and chicken are funny. And so is the "1984" political humor that fits the Bush era better than it did the Nixon era. Also very funny is Allen's extended Blanche du Bois speech.

Allen is excellent as is Keaton. John Beck plays a revolutionary. Mary Gregory is the doctor. George Furth is a party guest. Jackie Mason does the voice of the Jewish tailor.

A must see.

Sleeper was a very interesting project for Allen. He had spent time doing stand up, and up until this, his movies had been written around the jokes. With the exception of Play it Again, Sam, they were a series of sketches loosely tied into a weak plot. Sleeper was the beginning of the end of this. While the plot is somewhat "sit-com-ish", it was still there, and viewers always kept it in mind. It was also loose enough that Allen could incorporate scenes paying homage to the early silent film stars (the scene with the flying suits is my personal favorite). Miles Monroe was also a rip off from Bob Hope's cowardly hero personalities, but Allen gave it his own twist, and, in my opinion, made it much better. All in all, Allen achieved the perfect blend of slapstick and substance for those in need of a simple comedy. It lacks the depth of some of his better films, but if you want to laugh, this is for you.

Oh, and if you find it somewhat intellectually devoid, try Love and Death. It was his next film, and he added less slapstick and more highbrow comedy, as well as a little more real drama and substance.