THE SEVEN FACES OF Dr. LAO (1964) is a very free adaptation of Charles G. Finney's 1935 novel, The Circus of Dr. Lao.  Indeed, without this movie, the novel itself might have been utterly forgotten, which would have been a loss.  But I will concentrate on this movie.  {Note, besides the novel by Finney, you may find a 1956 paperback with the same title but attributed to Ray Bradbury - it is actually an anthology selected by Bradbury that begins with Finney's short novel - apparently the entire text of it.}

In the dusty, isolated, Arizona town of Abalone, at the turn of the century, an ancient Chinese mystic, Dr. Lao (Tony Randall), rides into town to have the newspaper announce the two-day presence of his one-of-a-kind circus.  The newspaper is run by young and handsome Ed Cunningham (Jon Ericson), the printing press operated by his assistant Tim (Noah Beery Jr.).  Besides editing the paper, Ed is attempting to win the affections of the town's young and beautiful librarian, Angela (Barbara Eden), but, as a young widow with a child, she devotes all her attention on her little boy, Mike (Kevin Tate).  In the meantime, Ed's editorials have incurred the wrate of local tycoon Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell), who has, in an extremely uncharacteristic gesture of generosity, offered to buy up everyone's property so they can escape this backwater.

Other citizens of Abalone include a Mrs. Cassin (Lee Patrick), a very self-centered woman of mature years,  Kate Lindquist (Minerva Urecal) who has been a nag to her husband Luther (John Qualen),  and two goons in the pay of Stark (John Doucette and Royal Dano).

The circus has its own population:  Besides Dr. Lao, there's the goat god Pan (again Tony Randall), the Abominable Snowman (again Tony Randall), Merlin the Magician (again Tony Randall), the giant anaconda (again Tony Randall), the petrifying Medusa (again Tony Randall), and the ancient wonder-worker Apollonius of Tyana (again Tony Randall).  By the way,  near the end of the movie, Tony Randall appears in the circus audience.

The various citizens of the town encounter the various attractions of the sideshow, and secrets are revealed and lives are changed.

At the climax of the circus show, Dr. Lao presents a magic lantern parable of the fall of the ancient city of Woldercan, whose denizens seem oddly familiar to us.

The movie is a very satisfying bit of whimsy -- with more of a plot than the original book -- as well as an artistic and technical achievement.  William Tuttle won an Oscar for his makeup, and the movie came in second (to Mary Poppins) for the visual effects Oscar.  Although a dozen years before the first Star Wars movie, the special effects (mostly Ray Harryhausen type stuff) are really impressive and convincing.

Perhaps more important, we have here a heartwarming story that not only amuses but teaches -- about love, about materialism, about envy and selfishness.  We take an interest in the characters, and we are interested in how each of them is affected by Dr. Lao and his sideshow attractions.

The DVD offers little besides the movie itself, but that's enough.  It's rated G (but it might be a bit too much for kids under 7) and runs 1 hour 40 minutes.  Get the whole family together, put the popcorn in the microwave, and prepare to be entertained in grand style.

A few odd notes:  Peter Sellers, fresh from his multi-character tour-de-force in The Mouse That Roared was briefly considered for the starring role.  Very early in the movie Dr. Lao claims his yellow donkey is the famous one "of Apollonius" -  he meant Apuleius.  And bits of the magic lantern show are from the 1961 film, Atlantis - The Lost Continent, by the same director-producer, George Pal.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12