The Doctor's Dilemma

Not much about the film itself - just a few wacky observations . . .

A very astute version of Shaw's classic play - director Anthony Asquith, allows the characters to revel in the pathos that The Doctor spills over each scene.

Although Dirk Bogarde has his comedy smirk on, his performance is utterly commanding.

A nice little quote is *when you're as old as I am it doesn't matter how old a man is when he dies* :) In the latter scenes, the high jinks continue with (poor) old Dirk in shot in the background.

The colouring of the film is quite brutal - but lends a hand to the mystery of the plot - IMHO.

A nifty film for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

If you want to dislike Dirk Bogarde, watch The Doctor's Dilemma. You could also watch any number of his movies, but perhaps this is the one that started it all. He plays his character so despicably - and while arguable, that was the point of the story, had the role been acted by James Mason, you would have both hated and liked him. The doctor and the audience would have had a dilemma!

In the story, Michael Gwynn is a celebrated doctor who has the resources to cure a certain number of men from tuberculosis (this is a period piece, despite Leslie Caron's strange hairdo). When a beautiful, pleading woman (Leslie) comes to him and begs him to save her husband's life (Dirk), he tells her he doesn't have enough room in his treatment program. How can he, in good conscience, kill one of the men already signed up just to save Dirk's life? Is he really more worthy of living than any of the others? She argues that because he is a talented artist, he is more worthy. When Michael and his associates, Alistair Sim and Robert Morley, spend some time with Dirk to get to know him, there are lots of unpleasant discoveries... I didn't really enjoy this movie. I couldn't stand Dirk, and George Bernard Shaw's script could have used a good edit while translating it from stage to screen. One fun thing, though: if you're wondering why Leslie was always wearing blousy dresses, it's because she was extremely pregnant during filming! In the final few scenes, even her loosest dress and coat couldn't hide her baby bump.

I love this film. Alistair Sim and Robert Morley are marvelous as they advocate the various and absurd treatments they'd used on their patient.

But I'm appalled that this film isn't available for home viewing, especially when you consider how many crummy films have been released on tape or DVD.

Could it be that Shaw's estate has refused to release the distribution rights for home viewing? If so, then someone out there -- perhaps the Criterion Collection -- can convince the copyright holder to relent.

"Dilemma" may not be the best adaptation of a Shaw play (I think top honors go to "Pygmalion"), but it catches the play's flavor. The dialog is sharp and witty, and Dirk Bogarde gives another fine performance as the ailing man.

This would be a fine addition to any collection.

George Bernard Shaw's play, "The Doctor's Dilemma" is adapted here by Anatole de Grunwald and directed by Anthony Asquith. Asquith has a formidable cast: Leslie Caron, Dirk Bogarde, Alistair Sim, Robert Morley, Felix Aylmer, John Robinson, and Michael Gwynn. Caron plays Mrs. Dubedat, whose artist husband Louis (Bogarde) is dying of tuberculosis. She approaches a doctor, Sir Ridgeon (Robinson) who has a cure for TB but can only treat so many patients. He's very attracted to the lovely Mrs. Dubedat and says that he must meet her husband to see if he's worth saving. Meanwhile, he finds out that a friend of his (Gwynn) is suffering from the same disease.

Mrs. Dubedat worships her husband and is blind to his faults, which are many. He hits people up for money that he has no intention of returning, he steals a cigarette case from one of the doctors, and he's a bigamist. The doctors are shocked to learn all of this. On the other hand, he's a great artist. What to do? At the time this play was written, it was somewhat topical, as there was a doctor who thought he had a cure for TB but didn't. Shaw, in his way, pokes holes at the doctors represented here - the surgeon (Morley) who thinks that there's an operation for every condition; the quack (Sim) who blames everything on blood poisoning. A third doctor (Aylmer) is more thoughtful, taking nothing for granted. Shaw was somewhat of a metaphysician, and apparently didn't believe in doctors. He believed that the human system could heal itself.

But though this has its comic moments - Dubedat's completely unapologetic attitude about his bigamy, borrowing, and stealing - it does raise questions about the iconic status some people achieve when they die young, and whether, in fact, they're not better off doing so. And what makes a person worth living? His good deeds or his great art? Bogarde is great as usual as the handsome, womanizing rogue, and he and Caron make a beautiful couple. If Caron was trying to prove she was more than a dancer with this film, she certainly did so, in a sympathetic performance. But for a woman without much money, she sure had some beautiful Cecil Beaton costumes. As the film is in color, they're even more eye-popping. The doctors Sim, Morley, and Robinsonare wonderful.

"The Doctor's Dilemma" is talky, especially in the beginning, but stick with it. It's not the best adaptation of Shaw for the screen that you'll ever see, but the performances make it worth it, and it's a thought-provoking movie.

It's rare to come upon such clever and witty dialogue and such an admirable rogue. While this film turns the medical profession onto its hat (not a difficult trick) it does it in a delightful way that captivates and entertains. The twists and turns of the various attitudes is a pleasure to behold. Sure, Caron is a crappy actress who is way over her head among these great actors, but her stilted acting does suit her role. In any case, her acting is overshadowed by the brilliant play and the wonderful performances around her. This is a movie that must be listened to. It wasn't until I devoted my entire attention to it that I really began to appreciate it.