7 Faces of Dr. Lao

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Simon T One of the oddest of George Pal's features. His final film sees Tony Randall as the enigmatic travelling Chinaman who arrives in the Western town of Abalone and conjures up a circus in order to shake up the local citizens, not least a crook who plans to defraud them all. The best elements - William Tuttle's make-up, Leigh Harline's music - are rather overshadowed by the boring subplots and extended whimsy, but it's still an interesting coda to the Hungarian Pal's career. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/08/24 Full Review jamisean S Movie is quirky, bizarre and delightful. A little ahead of its time. Shows Tony Randall's talent. Barbara Eden is talented and adds beauty, sex appeal and a soft touch (who doesn't love Ms. Eden in anything). Threads magic, fantasy, wonder, quirky characters and life's questions into a western theme- which is what makes it different and fun to watch. currently on TCM. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/24 Full Review Rich J Probably not conforming to modern views on racial stereotyping; it is a thoroughly enjoyable light relief movie. No car chases, explosions but some very dated special effects which add to the whimsy. You know it is a fish tale when you see it is set in abalone. Glorious fun. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review Neil L Been a favorite since childhood when my mother took me. Tony Randall is fantastic in it playing the various characters. I'm sure today people will find his portrayal of a chinese person offense but he plays it to put points across. For me definitely a feel good move. Simple, no real violence, no swearing, no nudity and relays a very good set of life lessons. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/04/23 Full Review richard m Tony Randall is absolutely amazing in his multiple roles here. The kindness and wisdom on full display makes this movie a 10 in my book. Those with a short attention span may miss its subtle nuggets of truth, and complain that it's "cheesy." Just as many in the audience at Dr. Lao's circus miss what the wise old soul is trying to teach them through his various incarnations. Ultimately though the good doctor is successful in bringing about the needed change in people's hearts. If only we could get a modern-day Dr. Lao to bring about change in our current divisive politics of hatred. When the world doesn't always cooperate, it's refreshing to escape to a fantasy movie that takes poetic license to give us a kinder world. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave s There's a good reason why you don't mix drama and romance and fantasy and comedy with Westerns. Why? It just doesn't fully work. Case in point: 7 Faces of Dr Lao. When the mysterious Dr Lao and his one-man circus roll into the dusty town of Abalone, he becomes involved in a land dispute between the naïve town folk and a greedy land developer. It's an interesting concept but there is so much going on that nothing really works all that well. There's a predictable romance that isn't all that romantic. Most of the comedy is slapstick and it falls flat. The drama is as predictable as the romance. Despite the drawbacks, Tony Randall is great as the shape-shifting Lao, the special effects are decent for the time period and the make-up is remarkable. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

7 Faces of Dr. Lao

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