Fasinating
Added 10/14/2009
This movie will take you back in time, when living was simpler and complicated at the same time, depending on what hang up you're on at the time. Tony Randall does an excellent performance portraying different aspects of the human condition that ether makes or breaks human happiness and giving it back to the subject at hand. Of coarse Barbra Eden didn't hurt the movie at all. The ending will leave in wonder.
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SFX certainly timeworn, Story is Timeless!
Added 7/17/2009
There are deep & thoughtful reviews here & I'm not going to try to match them. This is a great story with some great actors, a kinda hokey-for-today script & definitely dated special effects. Tony Randall is great- losing himself in the characters even if obviously-himself in the various disguises. His Dr Lao is deliberately part offensive-caricature and part perhaps-saint/angel/god.
Amazon's pairing of this with SOMETHING WICKED is genius. Before showing this to a friend, I was telling her "It's the good & happy version of Mr. Dark's Pandemonium Carnival".
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The best magical comedy ever made
Added 6/13/2009
A most entertaining film about a mysterious traveling Asian who portrays all of the characters in his circus. A very entertaining family film. The film examines the greed in some men but in the end all is well.
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Tony Randall is Brilliant
Added 4/20/2009
This may be some of Randall's best work. In no other film is he required to flex his comedy timing or dramatic persona as he does in this one film. It's sweet, funny and has some serious things to say about human values and even racial prejudice.
My only complaint is that I was surprised to see that the DVD was produced in fullscreen format. Maybe in twenty or thirty years it'll be produced as it was first shown and as how modern TV's are formatted to view movies today.
Oh, and Barbara Eden never looked more beautiful in a role.
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BE HERE NOW
Added 4/15/2009
A wonderful fable. Timeless even though it is dated in its execution. Much more than meets the eyes here. Meaningful on many levels. Tony Randall is terrific (he didn't like the part -- or so he said).
There's been word of a remake with Jim Carrey -- something he's said he wants to do for personal reasons. That would be great. Especially if the screenplay is a closer reflection of the sometimes edgier 1935 fantasy novel by Charles Finney.
Is Dr. Lao meant to be Lao Tzu author of the Tao Te Ching? Seems so to me.
See this -- if you can find it -- and ponder it's meaning as you attempt to find your best path and live fully, bravely in the now.
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I was 6 yrs old when my mother took we to see this!
Added 11/4/2009
This was the first movie my mother and grandmother took me to see. I have never been to a indoors movie before. I enjoyed watching all the stories but the one who took my heart away was elves! I have the album that was sold from the movie. This is a keeper!
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Wonderful Movie
Added 11/2/2009
I saw this in cinerama back when it first came out (yeah, I'm THAT old!) LOVED it! Fifteen years ago, I purchased VHS for my stepdaughter to watch -- and she loved it (despite the hack job when they crammed it into full-screen mode). I still have the old, worn, and much loved VHS version, but am hoping that DVD will come out soon, and hopefully at least in letterbox format. I suspect that my 6-year-old great neice will also love the movie. Special effects are dated, but still fun, especially the cobbler's elves.
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This beautiful movie was just shown on TCM at 6 in the morning. It was the first time I had seen it since it was released in theatres over 40 years ago.
When is it going to be released on DVD? It will delight children of all ages! And lots of older folks too!
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