Film Review
Doctor Dolittle was an odd
excursion for Richard Fleischer, a director who is more closely
associated with moody thriller-dramas such as
The Boston Strangler (1968) and
10 Rillington Place (1971) than
whimsical adaptations of children's stories. Whilst Fleischer's
filmography does show a remarkable degree of variety (encompassing
melodramas, sci-fi movies and war films),
Doctor Dolittle still feels like
the odd-man out and the film's extremely troubled production was
perhaps partly down to Fleischer's unsuitability to direct it.
Poor planning and a series of logistical misfortunes sent the film way
over budget, so that it ended up costing 18 million dollars, three
times what had originally been allocated. 20th Century Fox's
attempts to recoup this massive expenditure by a ludicrously
extravagant marketing campaign did not help matters and the film barely
recovered half of its production cost. The studio lobbied
hard to get the film nominated at the 1968 Oscars, and pulled off the
remarkable feat of getting nine nominations (including one for the Best
Picture), although it only won two awards, for its special effects and
songs. On its initial release,
Doctor
Dolittle was widely reviled by the critics and its lukewarm
reception at the box office effectively ended the career of its lead
actor, Rex Harrison. There is perhaps something in that old
adage. You should
never
perform with children or animals.
There can be no doubt that
Doctor
Dolittle is far from being Rex Harrison's finest hour.
Harrison did not enjoy making the film and, reportedly, he spent much
of his time being drunk and generally disruptive, apparently to settle
a few scores with Fox. At one point he was replaced by another
actor (Christopher Plummer) when his tantrums became too much for the
production team. (Plummer had to be paid off in full when
Harrison came back and agreed to take the job seriously.) Anyone
familiar with Hugh Lofting's
Dolittle
books (compulsive reading for any child in the age-range 8-12) will
struggle to find any connection between the author's original creation
- a portly but amiable animal doctor - and Harrison's bland reprise of
Professor Higgins from
My Fair Lady (1964). The
supporting cast are not much better - Anthony Newley and Samantha Eggar
both look as out of place in a children's musical as two blind otters
attending a series of lectures on advanced thermodynamics at Gothenburg
University. The one bright spot on the casting front is Richard
Attenborough, who momentarily steals the show with his rendition of
I've Never Seen Anything Like It,
the film's best number (by far). Of the other songs the film has
to offer us, only two -
Talk to the
Animals and
My Friend the
Doctor - sound as though they were not intended for the torture
chamber.
At the time it was made,
Doctor
Dolittle was reasonably good family entertainment, way ahead of
its time with some of its eco-messages (but way behind the time in its
representation of female role models). Today, it feels painfully
dated by its half-hearted special effects, uninspired direction and
ramshackle storyline. The magic it once may have had has long
since evaporated and whilst there are a few amusing moments (most
provided by the well-trained and generally adorable animals) it is a
plodding and cumbersome affair. Two and half hours long,
Doctor Dolittle is a chore to sit
through and you are left with the impression that the film was intended
not to entertain but to punish (presumably naughty boys who had been
cruel to animals). One hour's exposure to the combined vocal
onslaught of Rex Harrison and Anthony Newley is enough to make a
reformed character of anyone. You've never heard anything like it
in your life...
© James Travers 2011
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Richard Fleischer film:
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Film Synopsis
In 1845, Dr John Dolittle decides to give up treating the human
residents of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, England, and instead devotes
himself to the well-being of animals. With the help of his parrot
Polynesia, he has mastered 499 animal languages and makes frequent
expeditions to far away places to extend his knowledge of the animal
kingdom. His next expedition will be to look for the great sea
snail, but he hasn't yet sufficient money to finance this
venture. Fortune smiles on him when a friend sends him a
two-headed camel-like creature called a Pushmi-Pullyu. By hiring
this strange animal out to a circus, Dr Dolittle soon has the
wherewithal for his next voyage. But before he can set sail with
his friends Matthew and Tommy, he is arrested for attempting to drown
an old woman. Dolittle tries to acquit himself, by explaining he
was merely helping a lovelorn seal on her way to the North Pole for a
rendezvous with her husband, but he merely convinces the local
magistrate that he is insane. Fortunately, the good doctor is
rescued by his animal friends before he is committed to an asylum, and
at last he can begin his search for the great sea snail. It turns
out to be quite an adventure...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.