7 Faces of Dr. Lao

One of Freder's top 25 favorites, a real American fantasy that works on about as many levels as the viewer will allow. Some will dismiss this as "twee." but pooey on them. Tony Randall has a lot of fun, and recieves great support from the rest of the cast (this was made in the day when we still had supporting actors). The entire film is wonderfully atmospheric and we even get some cool monster animation from Jim Danforth. Wait for me, Dr. Lao. I can do it.

Surprisingly fun, honest and charming.

To the ramshackle town of Abalone comes Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) and his mysterious circus; he sorts out the problems of the townsfolk, especially the manipulative Stark (Arthur O'Connell), with the varied denizens of his circus--all of whom are played by Randall, thanks to William Tuttle's incredible Oscar-winning makeup. Some of the broader humor and Lao's heavy "Engrish" accent haven't aged too well, but Randall's excellent performance and a genuine sense of charm and mystery keep it fresh.

I've never seen such a weird western in my life, both in material and themes. A magician fights racism, xenophobia, and greed by acting out a textbook yellowface caricature. George Pal adapts the novel about halfway, leading to strangely inconsistent characterization of everyone else. The film builds up as a crescendo of weirdness leading to a finale that probably will never exist again in any film ever. I wouldn't call it a great film, or even good, but it certainly leaves a mark in the brain.

A completely charming fantasy movie with Randall giving his all--to the point even where he out does himself. I loved everyone of Dr. Lao's faces and they were all portrayed excellently, even down to Dr. Lao's ever changing accent. A whimsical story with some pretty great special effects.

A film for kids that adults will like. A film for adults that kids will like. And the movie's message?--it's great to be alive.

A peculiar little story which has some very good parts and some not-so-great parts; although it raises some important issues, it never takes itself very seriously. Actually, this is what I expected Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes would be like when brought to screen (surprisingly, Royal Dano is in both). I do wish they had more practical effects than mostly just camera tricks.

Very... interesting.

First time viewing it as an adult (saw it many times as a kid), and you know what? I love it.

Haven't had so much fun watching a film in a long while.

A solid piece of filmmaking. Enjoyed the various ways Randall is used, and I like that the film seems to be able to work on both a child's and an adult's level. It also has a nice message that rings true.

A very sexy scene with Barbara Eden being chased by Pan the goat boy.

A message movie that contradicts its own message. It's entertaining enough, though