7 Faces of Dr. Lao
| 7 Faces of Dr. Lao | |
|---|---|
film poster by Joseph Smith
|
|
| Directed by | George Pal |
| Produced by | George Pal |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on |
The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Leigh Harline |
| Cinematography | Robert J. Bronner |
| Edited by | George Tomasini |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
100 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.25 million (US/ Canada) |
7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a Metrocolor 1964 film adaptation of the 1935 fantasy novel The Circus of Dr. Lao by Charles G. Finney. It details the visit of a magical circus to a small town in the southwest United States, and the effects that visit has on the people of the town. The novel was adapted by Charles Beaumont, directed by George Pal and starred Tony Randall in the title roles.
It is the dawn of the 20th century, and an elderly Chinese man rides a jackass into Abalone, Arizona, his only visible possession a fishbowl occupied by an innocuous-looking fish. This magical visitor, Dr. Lao (Tony Randall), visits Edward Cunningham's (John Ericson) newspaper and places a large ad for his traveling circus, which will play in Abalone for two nights only.
Though quiet, Abalone is not peaceful. Wealthy rancher Clinton Stark (Arthur O'Connell) has inside information that a railroad is coming to town and is scheming to buy up the place while the land is cheap. Cunningham, who is also romantically pursuing the town's librarian, Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden), a beautiful young widow still grieving the death of her husband, opposes Stark's power grab.
After doing some research, Cunningham visits the circus site that has sprung up at the edge of town and confronts Lao with the fact that Lao's alleged hometown vanished centuries before. Lao deflects Cunningham's questions and he "leaves in a cloud of befuddlement".
That night there is a town hall meeting to discuss the proposition to sell all of the town to Stark. It becomes apparent, largely through the obsequious deference paid to Stark by Mayor Sargent, and the objection of old maid Mrs. Cassan to questions from Cunningham and his love-interest, Angela Benedict (sitting nowhere near him), that greed has possessed most of the town's citizens and they are just one step away from selling out.
...
Wikipedia