Doctor Dolittle

If the only "Dr. Dolittle" you've ever known is Eddie Murphy's rendition, you need to see Rex Harrison's original performance! The first "Dolittle" has the remake and its sequel beat by a mile! Sure, it has the look and feel of those campy 1960's movies, like "Mary Poppins" and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." But it also has the same comfy and family-friendly appeal. The original movie best captures the image of Hugh Lofting's famous veterinarian, in 19th-century England, just as he should be! So never mind Eddie Murphy, and enjoy the real Dr. Dolittle!

In the year 1845 Doctor John Dolittle is an eccentric physician in the English village of Puddleby. (The picturesque village of Castle Combe, Wiltshire was the prime location, although through some special effects magic this inland village in a landlocked county has somehow acquired a seaport and coastline). He finds that he has a much greater rapport with animals than he does with his human patients, so he switches to veterinary medicine instead, a field in which he enjoys great success because of his unique ability to talk to animals. The story follows his adventures in the company of his friends Matthew Mugg (an Irish cats'-meat salesman) and Tommy Stubbins (a young schoolboy) as they go in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail.

Hugh Lofting's "Doctor Dolittle" books were a great favourite of mine during my childhood, so I absolutely loved this film when my parents took the family to see it. Of course, I was then blissfully unaware that the film had been savaged by most of the critics, that it had been a box-office flop and that difficulties in production had meant that the costs massively overran the original budget. (The cost of the finished film was $17 million; only four years earlier that would have made it the most expensive film ever made). My sisters and I were not, however, alone in our love of the film; the Academy nominated it for a "Best Picture" Oscar, a nomination which at the time seemed incomprehensible to most people in the film world.

So how has "Doctor Dolittle" held up over the fifty-odd years since it was made? Well, I can now see its flaws in a way which I could not as a child, although it certainly has its good points. Rex Harrison makes an attractively charismatic hero, even though he bears little resemblance to the short, plump Dolittle of the books. As he had shown in "My Fair Lady" he was not the world's greatest singer, but as in that film he manages to stroll his way through his songs, reciting rather than singing them. The first half of the film, set against some attractively photographed Wiltshire countryside and concentrating on Dolittle's dealings with his animal friends, is still enchanting.

Bricusse's songs are something of a mixed bag. Seeing the film again recently some of them, especially "My Friend the Doctor", "I've Never Seen Anything Like It" and, of course, "Talk to the Animals", took me instantly back to the world of my childhood. Others, however, are instantly forgettable and I have difficulty recalling them even though I only saw the film a few days ago.

Even as a child I couldn't see the point of Emma Fairfax, a character created for the film and not found in Lofting's books, and I'm none the wiser now. The producers presumably invented her because they wanted a female character and thought that Polynesia the parrot, Sophie the seal and Sheila the fox didn't count, but they never really found a proper role for Emma, who veers between love-interest for Matthew and love-interest for the Doctor himself without ever coming down on one side or the other. The concentration on Emma means that Tommy, the character I really identified with as he was a boy of my own age, plays a less important role here then he does in the books.

From my adult perspective, the film really goes downhill in the second half when the main characters leave England. I have to admit that, although Lofting, an ardent pacifist and animal-rights advocate, was in other respects a man of progressive views, he was also a racist, and some of this is carried across into the Sea Star scenes. When the Doctor and his friends find the Giant Pink Sea Snail the creature seems rather disappointing, making you wonder why they went all that way just to find it. Possibly this was a figment of Lofting's imagination that works better on the printed page than it does on screen.

The film still seems to have a following today, and turns up regularly on television, but for me it is a part of my childhood that (unlike, say Disney's "Jungle Book") has not retained its magic for me as an adult. 6/10

Cheery, fun musical from Fox. Dr. Dolittle has the ability to talk to animals, and takes Emma (Samantha Eggar) and Matthew (Anthony Newley) with him to find the mythical giant pink sea snail.

The songs are forgettable, but the cinematography, costumes and set design are good, and Rex Harrison is much less hammier than he was in My Fair Lady. The main problem with the film is Anthony Newley, who has one of the worst Irish accents afflicted upon the movie going public. Richard Attenborough has a nice cameo as a circus owner, and gets to sing the film's catchiest song. 3/5

As an animal lover, I very much enjoyed Dr. Doolitle (1967). It's an enjoyable Comedy/Adventure/Musical/Fantasy movie about Dr. Doolitle, the animal doctor, and his journey to find the Great Pink Sea Snail in order to improve on his skills in animal languages. I gave this film a 6/10 because the vintage settings are authentic and beautiful, the overall message of the film, and the cinematography is excellent. The criticisms that I have are that some of the characters were boring, some songs were dull and there are some very corny and unfunny moments.

The movie begins on a fishing deck in the middle of a town where the houses are yellow-brown brick and conjoined together with triangular rooftops, chimneys, and a sign reading "Fundlesy Clay". Dr. Doolite's home is not how you would expect an average veterinarian's home to look. Across the bridge and past, a small garden is Dr. Doolitle's brick house. There is a large doorbell and an engraved wooden and brass sign with his name on it on the wooden door. Inside his home, you will find all kinds of animals, such as pigs, monkeys, parrots, roosters, horses, donkeys, owls, sheep, ducks, rabbits, hedgehogs, cats, and dogs walking and sitting inside and outside.

The message of the film is about why we treat animals different from humans even though humans are animals as well. Dr. Doolite is a proud vegetarian who speaks to animals. When he was in court and presented his case in an attempt to prove that he is able to speak to animals, the judge decided to sentence Dr. Doolite to an insane asylum. He claims the reason in that he treats animals like humans and then Dr. Doolite goes into a song explaining why we should not kill and eat animals, and rather treat them like people.

The cinematography of the film is great. The director cuts to the new actors very smoothly when a new person is speaking or when something new has been introduced. The camera pans slowly onto Dr. Doolitle while he speaks the most important parts. While reading this book in the library after he is released from jail, the camera switches back and forth between Dr. Doolitle and Emma while they are conversing in a very smooth and professional manner.

The film is 152 minutes long. Adults may find some parts to be very immature humour or very corny. For example, there is a scene where Dr. Doolitle is singing what appears to be a love song to a baby seal in a stroller. Also, although some of the songs are humorous, short, sweet, and catchy, others are not. There are some songs in the film that I think should have been taken out completely. The characters, other than Dr. Doolitle, are boring and uninteresting. Their motives, strengths, and weakness are unclear as most characters in the film are not very dynamic.

I would recommend this movie to people who enjoy musicals. The film definitely gets better after the 1-hour mark. It is a good film to watch when you had a long day and just want to shut off your brain and enjoy a film with your family. The comedy is light and easy but there are definitely some funny moments. The animals are enjoyable, especially the two-headed llama.

I gave this film 6/10 stars because it was not nearly as good as I was hoping that it would be. The areas that I think that could be improved would definitely be that Tommy, Lady Petherington, and Matthew were all very boring characters. Some more detail could have been added to bring them to life. There were only 1 or 2 songs that I really enjoyed and found catchy in the film and some of the jokes made in the film seemed a tad lazy. The parts that made the film good were the cinematography, the settings, and the overall message of the film.

Highly atmospheric and splendidly acted this film is a pure joy to watch. Legendary actor Rex Harrison give one of his best screen performances as the eracable,lovable Doctor. Anthony Newley gets one of his rare screen appearances and shows just what a talented performer he was.And of course Lord Attenbourgh's comic turn as Albert Blossom gives him rare comic opportunity.the score is well done by Leslie Bricusse (Newley's long time collaborator.)And the dialogue is sharp and witty. the performance are extremely real for a childeren's fantasy film. Its a shame that the Eddie Murphy misfire has taken recognition away from this charming film.