Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

wes-connors It's 1845 in Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England. On a rainy day, proud Irish cat-food salesman Anthony Newley (as Matthew Mugg) introduces blond pre-teen pal William Dix (as Thomas "Tommy" Stubbins) to the "greatest animal doctor in the world" – he's Rex Harrison (as John Dolittle). The trio become fast friends. "Doctor Dolittle" is a genius who can talk to all kinds of animals, in nearly 500 languages. A veterinarian, Doolittle is a reluctant vegetarian. This is understandable, because many animals live with him. To raise money and good will, Dolittle and his two friends take a newly acquired "Pushmi-pullyu" (picture a two-headed llama) from Tibet to display in the circus, which turns out to be quite an adventure...The main problem with this adventure is running time. This film is way too long. Perhaps, if it were better, one wouldn't be so bored. Original writer Hugh Lofting's books were delightful and ended too soon, but movie seems to go on forever. Although it initially sounds like a great casting choice, Mr. Harrison is unable to summon the needed charm. The veteran actor should have walked through the role with few problems, but is done in by poor pace, staging and (again) running time. Harrison also butchers the strongest song in the musical; hopefully, he re-recorded Leslie Bricusse's "(If I Could) Talk to the Animals" at some point. It became a hit in other versions. Perhaps the most memorable version was recorded by Anthony Newley...To add a love interest, the 20th Century Fox team slips a new character in "Dolittle" universe – pretty young Samantha Eggar (as Emma Fairfax). At first, it seems like the studio will attempt to duplicate Harrison's "My Fair Lady" (1964) romance. Harrison sings, "I like the way you look," in lieu of, "I've grown accustomed to your face." However, Ms. Eggar also appears interested in Mr. Newley and the llama. None of stars show much chemistry on screen...Highly-regarded actor Richard Attenborough (as Albert Blossom) provided the "Golden Globes" with an easy "Supporting Actor" award target, while money and muscle helped the studio to an otherwise inexplicable nine "Academy Award" nominations, including "Best Picture". Cut by half and presented in two parts as a TV Special, this work be fine entertainment for kids, but to make entire families sit through it in a movie theater veers close to child abuse.*** Doctor Dolittle (12/5/67) Richard Fleischer ~ Rex Harrison, Anthony Newley, Samantha Eggar, William Dix

Jimmy L. DOCTOR DOLITTLE (1967) is what a "family classic" should be. Entertaining the whole way through, with catchy and witty songs, colorful performances, plenty of cute animals, and a script packed with imagination and a sense of fun.DOLITTLE was a favorite in my family, and I grew up watching it on a VHS we'd taped from an old television broadcast. To me Rex Harrison was always "Doctor Dolittle", even though the film came late in his career. When I discovered his earlier film work, I was amused at seeing a "young Doctor Dolittle". So my views may be colored by nostalgia, although I recently saw the movie in its entirety for the first time in many, many years and found it to be great fun.The story has the feel of an episodic adventure, taking our heroes to different places and having them do different things. This keeps the audience engaged throughout the nearly two and a half hour running time. Doctor John Dolittle (Rex Harrison) is a physician in 1840s England who is more interested in the various species of animals than in his human patients. So he becomes a strictly animal doctor (veterinarian) and, with the help of his genius pet parrot, learns hundreds of animal dialects. The various side-adventures in this film are all in service of Dolittle's quest to find a mythical giant pink sea snail. First he showcases a rare two-headed llama (a "pushmi-pullyu") at a circus until he can earn enough money to set sail. From there come legal complications, a jail break plot, adventure on the high seas, and still more fun on an exotic "floating" island.Harrison gives a signature performance as the good doctor. Dolittle's a very kind fellow whose ideas about treating animals with as much respect as humans (and his practice of fitting short-sighted horses with glasses, for example) run counter to the prevailing minds of his "civilized" community. The man's an eccentric genius who doesn't fit in with human society. Harrison's portrayal gives Dolittle the amusing peculiarities of an absent-minded professor. His performance is pretty funny in an understated way.Singer-songwriter-actor Anthony Newley plays Irishman Matthew Mugg, one of Dolittle's few friends who, along with young Tommy Stubbins (William Dix), accompanies the doctor on his adventures. Matthew introduces Stubbins (and the audience) to the wonderful world of Doctor Dolittle, and the two "ordinary" characters act as proxies for the audience amid the fantastical happenings that seem to follow Harrison's character wherever he goes.Lovely Samantha Eggar plays Emma Fairfax (affectionately known to Matthew as "Fred"), who first sides against Dolittle, but comes to be enchanted by the life he leads. Miss Fairfax is meant to give the film a romantic subplot, but the intended romance is a bit confusing (surely Rex Harrison is much too old for Eggar).Richard Attenborough gives a tremendous, high-energy performance as Blossom, the owner of the circus. I love seeing him bounce around as he sings "I've Never Seen Anything Like It". Caribbean actor Geoffrey Holder (LIVE AND LET DIE) is great as the surprisingly literate tribal chief on the floating island.The songs by Leslie Bricusse are delightful. "Talk To The Animals" is a classic. "My Friend The Doctor" is contagiously joyful. I think the lyrics are particularly well-done on numbers like "I've Never Seen Anything Like It" and "Like Animals".The world of DOCTOR DOLITTLE is unforgettable. A mild-mannered Englishman travels the world in his top hat, conversing with dogs, pigs, whales, fish, horses, chimpanzees, seals, and elephants. It's a world of dancing two-headed llamas, centenarian parrots educated in thousands of animal languages (including "dead" languages like dodo and unicorn), islands that move about the globe, and giant moths that fly back and forth between the Earth and the moon (constantly attracted to the other's light). The script is clever and imaginative. Several scenes stand out: the horse eye exam, the circus, the cunning seal escape, the absurd shipwreck, the tribal execution, the pink sea snail.Having now seen the film as an adult, and finding the experience thoroughly charming, I can't believe how lowly regarded it is. DOCTOR DOLITTLE entertains from beginning to end with a sense of wonder, a sense of adventure, and a sense of humor. Rex Harrison anchors a solid cast and the songs are great. The movie is something unique. Something original and self-contained. Where else will you see a whale pushing an entire island across the ocean? Or a dog giving testimony in court? Or a tribe of natives performing Shakespeare? It's a family classic. What's not to like?I may have been pre-conditioned since childhood to like this film, but some of the criticism seems a bit over-the-top, stemming from dissatisfaction with the film's Oscar attention. Even if you don't enjoy roadshow-length family musicals, you must admit that the production is impressive from a technical standpoint (the sets, the cinematography, the special effects, the animal wrangling).I actually like DOCTOR DOLITTLE, directed by Richard Fleischer (20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA), better than its popular contemporary CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. The latter is fun despite its weaknesses, but DOLITTLE is something wonderful.

TheLittleSongbird I loved this film as a kid. I thought it was magical and beautiful. Seeing it again, I wasn't so impressed. Granted I do not hate it as it does have its charms, but the film also does have glaring flaws that prevent it from being anymore enjoyable. The film does look colourful, with beautiful costumes, scenery and photography, the music and songs are gorgeous and memorable and Rex Harrison's lead performance is superb. I also liked the animals, they were cute and charming and actually much more likable than the human characters.Conversely, while the dialogue has its witty moments, it can have a tendency to be slushy and unfunny. The story is also very slight and poorly paced and the direction is a little too relaxed. Harrison excepted, I wasn't impressed with the other acting. Anthony Newley is very annoying and dull, while Samantha Eggar while beautiful is underused and has no chemistry with her co-stars. Overall, a big disappointment despite its charms. 5/10 Bethany Cox

petersj-2 Forget the cynical cold hearted versions by Eddie Murphy, this is the real thing. The cast are fabulous especially the great Anthony Newly who stands out in a great cast.Newly was a genius and a wonderful performer especially on stage and its great that the Newly magic lives on film. His opening number is a tour de force. Rex Harrison is wonderful and who cares if he is not much different from Higgins. The talk to the animals number is great.It is one of many movies that were under valued at the time of their release. It probably had much to do with people expecting another My Fair Lady. The score of the film is great. The film is a bit long but its still superb. THe film has a great message and promotes a love of animals. Samantha Eggar is great and looks wonderful. The effects are remarkable. I love that giant snail and the great moth. The animals themselves are simply delightful and the film exudes great charm and warmth. The Richard Attenborough number is a real winner and the film is great to look at. The scenery by the way is lovely. What a pounding this fine film got from critics.Not fair.. it should be seen on the big screen but I doubt there would be many brave enough to revive it.