Doctor Dolittle (1967)

hyped garbage

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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.

DOCTOR DOLITTLE is the famous film version of the Hugh Lofting novels, starring Rex Harrison as the fellow with a penchant for communicating with animals large and small. It was notoriously a flop on release but watching it these days it's hard to see why; the likable, fast-moving narrative features plenty of good songs and the situation is naturally humorous and allows itself to comedy. Harrison may have been one of the less friendly stars of his age but he fits the role like a glove and Anthony Newley and Samantha Eggar give good support too. Plus, if you're an animal lover then you'll enjoy the material anyway, because all kinds of breeds and species get plenty of funny screen time. I enjoyed it just as much as a well-regarded classic like THE SOUND OF MUSIC.

I think one of the things leaving a bad rep on this movie is that most of the reviewers are adults. Well sure, watching it as an adult I found this movie to be cheesy, lame and weird, not at all like the books I fell in love with as a little kid, but when I was a kid I remember seeing this on VHS and I loved it. I found the acting to be excellent, the stories were funny and exciting and I still remember the lyrics to songs like, "My Friend The Doctor" right out of the movie. I do agree with most reviewers that Dr. Dolittle is pretty bad by most standards, but it's a movie for children, and it was very effective for me as a child. I recommend watching this for nostalgic value or for fun, don't watch it expecting something amazing, but just watch it to laugh at it and you might be surprised.

Forget the cynical cold hearted versions by Eddie Murphy, this is the real thing. The cast are fabulous especially the great Anthony Newly who stands out in a great cast.Newly was a genius and a wonderful performer especially on stage and its great that the Newly magic lives on film. His opening number is a tour de force. Rex Harrison is wonderful and who cares if he is not much different from Higgins. The talk to the animals number is great.It is one of many movies that were under valued at the time of their release. It probably had much to do with people expecting another My Fair Lady. The score of the film is great. The film is a bit long but its still superb. THe film has a great message and promotes a love of animals. Samantha Eggar is great and looks wonderful. The effects are remarkable. I love that giant snail and the great moth. The animals themselves are simply delightful and the film exudes great charm and warmth. The Richard Attenborough number is a real winner and the film is great to look at. The scenery by the way is lovely. What a pounding this fine film got from critics.Not fair.. it should be seen on the big screen but I doubt there would be many brave enough to revive it.