Movies - Sleeper

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	Movies - Sleeper

Sleeper (1973) is a futuristic science fiction comedy film, written by, directed by, and starring Woody Allen. The title is likely a reference to the classic science fiction novel When The Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells which also deals with a man in suspended animation who awakens in a dictatorial future which he rebels against, although the plots of Allen's film and Wells' novel otherwise have few similarities.

Plot

In the movie, The Happy Carrot health food store owner Miles Monroe (Woody Allen) is hospitalized in Saint Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan for a gallbladder operation, but ends up in the liquid nitrogen tanks of an immortality institution. He is revived 200 years later in the year 2173 by a subversive organization, as he is the only member of this society without a known biometric identity. The authorities question a power surge at the institute and Monroe is arrested and escapes and lives on the run. Monroe joins as an action commando with the idle Luna Schlosser (Diane Keaton, in a role similar to that of Manhattan).

The dictatorial leader of the society has been killed by a rebel bomb, but this has not been revealed publicly. The only surviving body part is the leader's nose. It is the intent of the administration to clone the leader from this single remaining part. It is the rebels' purpose to disrupt this attempt by stealing and "assassinating" the nose. The unidentifiable Miles Monroe is essential to accomplishing this task.

This early Allen movie features some memorable concepts, such as Orgasmatron booths and a related Intoxication orb (passed around at parties), confessional robots, bioengineered hydroponic vegetables (without any other part of the plant) such as hose-fed carrots as large as a canoe, and the cloning of vital organs and entire persons. Many things thought unhealthy in Monroe's time (including deep fried fatty foods and smoking) are known by future scientists to be extremely good for you.

Sometime between Monroe's time in the late 20th century and 2173 there was nuclear warfare, caused "when a man named Albert Shanker got hold of a nuclear device", and due to which much history is obscure or lost. 2173 historians show Monroe some surviving 20th century artifacts (such as a set of novelty wind-up chattering teeth and a crumpled photograph of Henry Kissinger) and ask for explanations. The historians have developed interesting theories about Howard Cosell and Richard Nixon, which Miles doesn't have the heart to refute.

Jokes include: Robots programmed to behave like Jewish tailors and gay butlers; PhDs in oral sex; a McDonald's restaurant with a number "Served" containing dozens of 0's; and an abandoned 200-year old Volkswagen Beetle that starts up instantly.

Quotes

Miles: "Don't you see? Political solutions never work! That's what I've been trying to tell you! In six months we'll be stealing Erno's nose!"
Historian (showing Miles a tape of Howard Cosell): "We have a theory, that whenever citizens in your state committed a crime, they were forced to watch this."
Miles: "Yes, that's exactly what that was."
Miles: "I bought Polaroid stock at seven, it must be up by millions by now!"

Production

The movie was filmed in and around Denver, Colorado.

The soundtrack music is in New Orleans traditional jazz style, by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with Allen sitting in on clarinet.

In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted Sleeper the 30th greatest comedy film of all time.

Also in 2000, the American Film Institute listed Sleeper 80th among its 100 Years... 100 Laughs.

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Movies - Sleeper

Plot

Quotes

Production

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