Doctor Dolittle

1967 "Ride across the sea inside the GIANT PINK SEA SNAIL!"
6.1| 2h32m| G| en| More Info
Released: 19 December 1967 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.

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gilligan1965 After watching this movie yesterday, and, then reading all of the poor reviews and negative online information about it...I just cannot believe it!?!?This movie, to me, has a wonderful cast; storyline; music; animal choreography; scenery; props; settings; etc...everything there is to like about a movie, and nothing to dislike. Yet, it was a commercial and critical failure!?!? I realize that this movie went over-budget; had many mishaps while in production; took a bath at the box office and with its merchandise; but, I feel the end result was a great children's classic movie.Personally, I believe that it did so poorly was because this movie is a bit too complex for the young audience it was made to target; and, it is too silly for teens and adults. Also, musicals were on their way out at this time. In 1967, teens wanted to hear The Rolling Stones and The Beatles sing, not, Rex Harrison and Anthony Newly; whereas, most parents (adults in general) can understand someone talking to a horse or a cat, but, talking to a snail or a flea!?!?If this movie was made twenty or more years earlier (somewhere in between "The Wizard Of Oz" and "Carousel"), it would have received much better reviews and been a money-maker. It's the same as when "Pennies From Heaven" was made in 1981, it bombed, sadly...it was out-of-style and people just didn't get it. Then, again, "Fantasia" (1940) was even panned by many musicians claiming "it (robbed) the musical pieces of their integrity."Someone always has something bad to write or say about most anything, however, I happen to like musicals; plus, with this movie being a childhood favorite of mine, maybe I'm being a tad too positively-biased, but...I love it!
Kenneth Anderson The thing about getting older is that nostalgia begins to rear its head and one looks at films from one's youth through a haze of sentimentality. Back in 1967 when I was ten years old, "Doctor Dolittle" was all over the place. Toys, dolls, games and posters were everywhere, and the radio and TV variety shows were full of Sammy Davis Jr. singing "If I Could Talk to the Animals." Even with all of this, "Doctor Dolittle" seemed just the kind of family entertainment that I tended to avoid. Now, more than 40 years later, I've finally got around to seeing the film, but I'm no closer to knowing if I would have liked it any better at age ten.The problem with the film seems to be one of mistaken premises. Studios looked at "The Sound of Music," "Mary Poppins" and "My Fair Lady" and tried to duplicate their success, but they seemed to have paid attention to all the wrong things.The adaptation of a popular children's book (like "Mary Poppins") was a good idea, but rather than attempt to recreate the rather dumpy doctor described in the books ("Mary Popping"s David Tomlinson would have been great, but he lacked marquee value, likewise "Dolittle"s, circus-owner, Richard Attenborough would have made a great Dolittle…certainly a livelier one) they opted for the stiff and starchy Rex Harrison. The actor's lack of warmth may have fit the character's unease with humans, but his clear disinterest in anyone else in the film comes across as merely distant and bored. The apathetic Harrison doesn't even try to make Dolittle even a little bit different from "My Fair Lady"s Professor Higgins. Coming across solidly as a misanthrope, he fails also to demonstrate any real rapport with the menagerie of animals on display.The charmless Harrison was greatly helped by the winning softness of Audrey Hepburn in "My Fair Lady." Here Harrison has zero chemistry with Anthony Newly (whom it's reported he disliked for being Jewish) nor the requisite veddy-British female love interest, Samantha Eggar who is not only waaaay to young for him, but, despite her stunning looks, adds absolutely nothing to the film because she seems even more distracted and bored than Harrison. Lastly, there is a mush-mouthed little boy thrown in for no apparent reason (William Dix) beyond giving Newly someone remotely human to give plot exposition to.The songs from "Mary Poppins" and, to a somewhat lesser extent, "The Sound of Music" had the quality of being witty and smart while having a sing-song, nursery-rhyme quality that made it easy for kids to remember and want to sing along. The undistinguished collection of songs in "Doctor Dolittle" sound more like they were written with hopes of becoming standards or Oscar contenders than on being anything that kids might find fun to listen to.From beginning to end "Doctor Dolittle" is a clumsy musical almost on par with "Lost Horizon" in its inability to entertain on even the simplest levels. I think fans of Rex Harrison may like the movie, for it is what he does film after film, and it is a pretty good showcase for the phenomenon that was Anthony Newly (an oddly fascinating actor/singer whose unconventional looks and singing style could only have made it in the 60s), but "Doctor Dolittle" is dreary when it should be cheerful, lumbering when it should be light-hearted, and long-long-long. If the filmmakers were less cynical about tapping into the "The Sound of Music" money-making zeitgeist and more concerned with actually making a fun children's classic, there's no telling how much could have been done musically with the "Doctor Dolittle" books.
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.
readinglips This film's reputation is so bad that you may be tempted to watch it. If so, you'll find a few charms ("Talk to the Animals" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes" numbers, great production values and a very game Rex Harrison) and riches of embarrassments.It actually starts off fairly well with Anthony Newley introducing Dolittle and explaining how the doctor shifted from human patients to animals. But as it grids on, songs begin to sound similar, dropped in only when it's time for something different (rather than growing out of the plot and characters). The script has a few clever lines, but mostly unbelievable characters (in particular, Samantha Eggar's character is angry without motivation, whereas she could have provided some much needed romantic interest) and situations. (Yes, it's a fantasy, but fantasies can be convincing.) Amazingly, Rex Harrison puts a lot of effort into his part and many of his scenes do pay off ("When I Look Into Your Eyes" song; courtroom scene). The photography, sets, costumes and other production values are gorgeous and you can see the money up there on the screen. But by film's end, one is appalled by the huge investment of time, talent and money, which yield so little result.