As Sete Caras do Dr. Lao

"The whole world is a circus, if you know how to look at it." The inhabitants of an old western town are being terrorized by a corrupt mayor and his cronies. Only a handful of people are brave enough to fight back, until a strange old Chinese man appears in town and opens up a circus. I grew up watching this movie. It contains excellent lessons about life, magic, fighting for what you believe in, and love. The scene with Merlin makes me cry without fail every time I watch it. This is something I intend to raise my children on. The moral message is strong without being preachy or adhering to any religious preference.

My friends and I were used to going to lightweight movies in the Sixties. We would see Doris Day or Rock Hudson or Shirley MacLaine. Tony Randall often played a best friend to a romantic lead or some other less significant role. This one shows what a wonderful actor he was. He plays a strange Chinese "magician" who comes to a dying town in Arizona. The people are in disarray because they see that things are falling apart. Arthur O'Connel (who usually played kindly types) is aware of the railroad going through the town and is doing everything to get people to sell him their land. The thing with Dr. Lao's circus is that when one goes to it, they learn things about themselves. Some of things are very disturbing. Lao is able to bring up monsters and mythological figures. When someone does something evil, he counteracts their actions or punishes them in some way. Randall plays all seven faces, each having significant effect on the town-folks. Mostly, I remember how I could not get this film out of my head for weeks because it was like nothing I had ever seen before. I have since read the book and watched the film a couple more times. It has aged really well.

I saw this film again yesterday, just when I needed to. I was a bit depressed and the film, with its essentially Taoist philosophy, picked me up. Is Dr. Lao really Lao Tsu, famous Taoist immortal? Maybe, maybe not. What matters here though is the message that the movie gives, and the charm with which it delivers this. There is a quote from the film that sums it all up:

"The world is a circus if you look at it the right way. Every time you pick up a handful of dust, and see not the dust but mystery, a marvel, there in your hand. Every time you stop and think, 'I'm alive. And being alive is fantastic.' Every time such a thing happens, you are part of the circus of Dr. Lao."

Go see this film, but not more than once in a while. Its message can be considered a bit "corny" by today's standards, but still has merit when taken at face value.

In the turn of the Twentieth Century, the Chinese Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) arrives in Abalone, Arizona, riding a donkey carrying a fishbowl with a small fish and goes to the local newspaper Diary Star. He asks the owner Ed Cunningham (John Ericson) to publish one-page advertisement for two days for his traveling circus. Ed has unrequited love for the widow librarian Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden) and opposes to the powerful rancher Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell) that wants to buy the lands of the inhabitants of Abalone. He uses the argument that the water supply pipe is decayed and needs to be replaced and it will be very expensive. However Stark has inside information that the railroad will pass by Abalone and will increase the value of the lands. There is a meeting in the town to decide whether the locals will sell their real estates to Stark or not but the decision is postponed after the arrival of Dr. Lao. During the night, the dwellers go to the circus to see The Abominable Snowman, Merlin the Magician, Apollonius of Tyana, Pan, The Giant Serpent and Medusa. Each attraction gives a lesson to each resident, changing their future and behavior for the better.

"7 Faces of Dr. Lao" is a delightful and magic cult-movie, with a beautiful and entertaining story and great direction of George Pal. Tony Randall "steals" the movie performing seven different roles. Barbara "Jeannie" Eden is gorgeous and her encounter with Pan the God of Joy is wonderfully erotic. Apollonius of Tyana telling the truth about the future of his clients is hilarious. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "As 7 Faces do Dr. Lao" ("The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao")

I hadn't seen – or even heard of – this film ever before…And I think that goes for many film fans with me. That's an awful shame, since this neat little film deserves some praising. It's playful, original and moralizing feel-good fun for all the family. Directed by cinema's pre-eminently fantasist George Pal. The legendary director who already shot a few delightful myths and fairy-tales such as `The Time Machine', `Atlantis' and `The Wonderful world of the Brothers Grimm'. This time, he bases his film on a famous novel and it's a successful adventure with unlimited imagination. Tony Randall puts on quite a show as the multi-faced illusionist, Dr. Lao. He arrives with his circus in a near-dead little town. A greedy magnate wishes to buy the entire town and makes the inhabitants believe their properties are worthless. With a little help from a news reporter, Dr. Lao faces the townies with some of the smaller joys of life and their own consciousness. Both fortune-telling sequences are fascinating and remarkably written and - in order to be complete - the story foresees a touching romance. There are tons of educational and mythical aspects to discover in this film…lots of facts about the Greek Mythology, for example! The creature effects and make-up are terrifically kitschy and rather charming. Recommended for sure! Seven Faces of Dr. Lao is some of the most pleasant fantasy adventures of the sixties and it has the right to a larger fanbase!