Favorite Scene Theatre: 7 Faces Of Dr. Lao (1964)

In perhaps questionable tribute to the Chinese New Year of the Ox, here’s a wistful contemplative moment from George Pal’s magical fantasy film, 7 FACES OF DR. LAO, based on the 1935 novel by Charles G. Finney, adapted by TWILIGHT ZONE scribe Charles Beaumont and starring Tony Randall in his greatest screen performance, the only one in which he was allowed to show his theatrical range. Originally cast with Peter Sellers — and we can only mourn that possibility — Randall came onboard at the last minute when Sellers dropped out.

Of course, questions of racism and stereotype must come up when a caucasian plays an asian, but given that 1964 Hollywood was less than enlightened, and the new cinema revolution was around the corner, it’s no surprise that an actual Chinese actor wasn’t cast; I could see Keye Luke as a great Dr. Lao (or Bruce Lee a possibility in his later years…). I’ll only defend Randall’s casting as a role any actor would covet, getting to assay seven different parts, from a mystic doctor to a sad wizened Merlin to a lustful Pan to a frightening Medusa. And the film is also about bigotry in the Old West, against Lao and the local Native Americans, so Pal is very aware of these issues — and the hero of the film is Chinese. Even Dr. Lao’s initial pidgin English voice is only a ruse for the locals, one of the delightful facets of this strange unpredictable character.

This is a terrific, unheralded imaginative film with some actual adult themes that may surprise you, especially the sad scene with soothsayer Apollonius telling an arrogant old spinster her probable bleak future; it’s almost painful to watch. Then it’s very erotic, particularly with Barbara Eden (delicious) encountering her sexual id, Pan, within the tents of Lao’s travelling circus. And even cooler, the film won an Academy Award for its nifty special effects, primarily Jim Danforth and Wah Chang’s beautiful stop-motion animation along with William Tuttle’s superb make-up. With all that magic, there’s even an incredibly catchy score by Leigh Harline.

George Pal never developed a strong directorial style outside of his powerful imagination, but Beaumont’s screenplay — much taken from Finney’s novel — is literate, satirical and fantastical (though a tad preachy at the end which feels like studio interference). The scene above is probably the heart of the movie and one that effected me most when I viewed it over the years on TV. It’s a nice philosophical pause and right when it threatens to become mawkish…you’ll see. There’s no doubt that this is one of the best fantasy film performances ever, and I’d rank Tony Randall a notch or two below Gene Wilder as Wonka; both are entirely unique and upredictable. And if you haven’t seen the 7 FACES OF DR. LAO yet, well, you’re missing the circus…

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