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Released by: Twilight Time
Release date: November 14, 2017
Directed by: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley, Richard Attenborough, William Dix, Geoffrey Holder, Peter Bull, Portia Nelson, Norma Varden
Year: 1967
Purchase From Screen Archives
The Movie:
Doctor Dolittle began life as a series of letters written by a British civil engineer, Hugh Lofting, from the trenches in Europe during World War I. Rightfully believing that what he witnessed on a daily basis would be too grim and horrific for his family—and his children in particular—Lofting began to tell fictional stories in his letters, stories about a man, Dr. John Dolittle, who, tired of humanity, decides to exclusively treat the animals with whom he can speak in their language. Once the war was over, Lofting used his letters as the basis for a book, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts, which he had published in 1920. Little did he know just how enamored with the book and its lead character the reading public, especially children and young adults, would become, leading to a slew of books centered on that character. Lofting died in 1947, after which a couple of entries were published posthumously.
When Dr. Dolittle begins, the eponymous character lives with his sister in a quaint English village, Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. The doctor is obsessed with animals, which he collects, but their presence drives away not only prospective clients but his sister as well, leading to his pecuniary failure. His fame as a veterinarian grows, however, and he's soon convinced that his services are needed in Africa, where a disease is having a detrimental affect on the primate population. The book proved immensely popular and was soon followed by The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922), Doctor Dolittle's Post Office (1923), Doctor Dolittle's Circus (1924), Doctor Dolittle's Zoo (1925), Doctor Dolittle's Caravan (1926), Doctor Dolittle's Garden (1927), Doctor Dolittle in the Moon (1928), Doctor Dolittle's Return (1933), Doctor Dolittle's Birthday Book (1936), and, after the author's death, Doctor Dolittle and the Secret Lake (1948) and Doctor Dolittle and the Green Canary (1950). Doctor Dolittle's Puddleby Adventures was a collection of short stories originally written for the Herald Tribune Syndicate but not published in book form until 1952.
The first adaptation of the series was a German animated short, Doctor Dolittle and His Animals (aka Doktor Dolittle und seine Tiere), by female film director Lotte Reiniger in 1928. It was followed in 1933 by a radio adaptation at NBC that lasted until the following year. Hollywood's interest in the subject matter followed the original success of the series, but it didn't come to fruition until the mid-1960s, when it was intended to reunite male lead Rex Harrison with the musical team behind My Fair Lady (1964), Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. Unfortunately, the former had retired and the latter was fired after too many delays finishing the script pushed the production back from its intended start date. After attempting to woo a number of writers onto the project, producer Arthur P. Jacobs finally settled on English lyricist and playwright Leslie Bricusse, who was eager to achieve as much success on film as he had on the stage. After cutting some of the original books' racist elements and characters, the script was finally shot in 1966; given the large number of animals that had to be wrangled, the various sets that had to be constructed, and costumes that had to be crafted, it's little wonder that the film went so drastically over budget, growing from $6 million to $17 million, a massive sum by the standards of the time. It didn't help matters that the final product failed to deliver at the box office; initially finding critical praise hard to come by, it struggled to find its footing and ended its theatrical run in negative numbers. Regardless, after a major campaign by Jacobs and Fox, it received multiple Oscar nominations (for Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Special Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Scoring of Music, Adaptation or Treatment, and Best Sound). It won two: Best Special Effects and Best Song.
Loosely adapting the first three books in the series, the film, set in Victorian England, has young Tommy Stubbins (William Dix, fresh off the successful Hammer Horror classic The Nanny, 1965) come upon an injured duck, which his older friend, Matthew Mugg (Anthony Newley), insists can be healed by the best veterinarian in the world: Doctor Dolittle (Rex Harrison). As in the book, Dr. Dolittle has collected so many animals that he has driven away his human patients, instead talking (and singing) to his furry friends and curing their ailments. As a result, he has made quite a reputation for himself, resulting in people bringing their pets to him from all around. Interested in finding a great pink sea snail, he invites Tommy and Matthew on the voyage, though he first has to contend with accusations of theft and murder. Eventually, the murder charge is resolved satisfactorily, but Dr. Dolittle is sentenced to an insane asylum owing to his relationship with his animals. He avoids his sentence, and when he, Matthew, and Tommy set sail to find the legendary sea snail, the niece (Samantha Eggar) of the magistrate stows away. A series of hair-raising adventures—and much singing—follows.
With a running time of just over two-and-a-half hours, Doctor Dolittle is a looooooong film. It certainly has its charms, not the least of which are the performances, terrific sets, great costumes, and strong special effects. There's even an occasionally interesting song. Unfortunately, it unfolds at the pace of a great sea snail, but the songs and sometimes bizarre animals (giant molluscs and whales and two-headed llamas) are not enough to save it. This is no My Fair Lady, and anyone approaching the film should at least be warned that there are long stretches of tedium to balance the few positive aspects. Despite this, the film has achieved a reputation as a kids' classic over the years, helped in part by a 1998 remake of much lesser quality.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Twilight Time brings Fox's kids' musical to Blu-ray with an MPEG-4 AVC encode in truly glorious 1080p high definition. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.20:1 and looks utterly gorgeous. Colors are rich and rewarding, existing just outside the realm of realism but close enough that they don't become too stylized or sensational. There are plenty of greens in the outdoor shots, and all the colors of the rainbow in the interiors or in clothing. Detail is phenomenal; look no further than the opening scene in a small English village, where the trees in the background or the rock walls of various structures (homes, store buildings, bridges, docks, etc.) stand in relief against the azure sky and the throbbing pulse of humanity. Threads can practically be counted in clothing, lines etched onto people's faces by the passage of time are clearly visible, and rocky shorelines and various detritus can be picked out with admirable aplomb. Grain provides a filmic structure without ever detracting from the visual treat on hand, which has clearly been culled from a new 4K transfer. Though the film takes a long time in ending and with the addition of nearly an hour in extras, Twilight Time has opted for a BD-50 to house all the information, with the result that there are no compression issues.
For the film's primary soundtrack, Twilight Time has opted for English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which isn't far from the film's original 6-track sound. Given that this is a musical, Fox would have been remiss to have skimped on remastering the sound. As with the visual presentation, the studio has done an amazing job in bringing various songs and animal calls and sound effects to life in high fidelity. For those who prefer their sound more constricted, there's a secondary track in English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. (Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired are included as well.) TT also provides one of its staples in the Blu-ray format: an isolated music track in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Rounding out the aural treats is an audio commentary from songwriter/scenarist Leslie Bricusse and film music historian Mike Matessino, who moderates. The commentary was recorded specifically for Twilight Time in 2017 as part of the film's 50th anniversary celebration. Matessino keeps the dialogue moving, beginning with some background on Fox and its internal struggles at the time. The film's complete history is covered in detail throughout the commentary, though there is, of course, some focus on Bricusse's involvement. Bricusse begins his part of the commentary by discussing how he met producer Jacobs, and his knowledge of the film and memory of events is very strong. The actors are covered, though some in greater depth than others (for example, Harrison gets a lot more discussion than Dix, naturally), as are the animals. The sound recording, the effects, and the direction all get some coverage, making this a highly informative commentary that's a must for the film's fans.
The best extra, however, is the Biography episode “Rex Harrison—The Man Who Would Be King†from 1998. Running 44:10, it is presented in standard definition (as it was originally shot). The program begins with Harrison's birth in England in 1908, tracing his life through the war years and into his adolescence, where he developed an interest in the theater. After winning a role in a school play, he realized his near-lifelong obsession with acting, and upon graduation from high school, he was accepted into his first repertory theater. After moving to London, he received small roles in a couple of West End plays, but his failure there led to his return to traveling theater. It was there that he honed his persona as a sexy young aristocrat. After his first marriage in early 1934, Harrison moved back to London, where he again tried his head on the famous city's stage; he also found minor work in the movies. After struggling for years, and just as Harrison was on the verge of discovery, World War II broke out, and the actor turned down a Hollywood contract to focus on helping his own country through a difficult period. Again part of the repertory theater, he became famous in his native Great Britain; he also met a German actress for whom he left his wife. He also entered the service, and once that (and the war) concluded, he and his new wife found fame in Hollywood, he with a seven-year contract at Fox. His first role for the company was Anna and the King of Siam (1946), and the rest, as they say, is history, a history (torrid affairs, a lover's suicide, dropped contracts, Broadway, a return to movies, multiple marriages, and so on) covered in depth by Biography. Interview subjects include author Roy Moseley, biographer Alexander Walker, producer Elliott Martin, actor Charlton Heston, Harrison's sons Noel and Carey, and Harrison's former wife, Elizabeth Harris.
Topping off the extras is the film's original theatrical trailer, here presented in standard definition and lasting 1:38.
The disc is region free and limited to 3,000 units. It comes with an 8-page booklet written by film historian Julie Kirgo in her usual assured hand.
The Final Word:
While Doctor Dolittle is no great shakes as a cinematic work, Twilight Time's presentation of it is. The film may be a chore, but it's a beautifully remastered chore. And while it may not hold your interest for its entire duration, it likely will hold your children's interest, thanks to a bevy of strange creatures, an almost mythic setting, and its musical outbursts. Plus, there's nary a fart joke to be had, unlike its flatulence-obsessed remake. There are also some terrific extras, from a great audio commentary to a Biography episode.
Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Horror Films of the Silent Era and Horror Films of the 1930s are currently available, with Horror Films of the 1940s due out later in 2018.
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