The 1967 version of Doctor Dolittle is a whimsical musical-fantasy that excels with some great set-pieces and a charismatic performance from its lead, Rex Harrison. Although it’s probably a tad too long for my taste, this is still a fun time for families even today.
Doctor Dolittle
— The Limited Edition Series —
(1967)
Genre(s): Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Musical
Twilight Time | G – 151 min. – $29.95 | November 14, 2017
Date Published: 11/26/2017 | Author: The Movieman
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PLOT SYNOPSIS
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Dr. John Dolittle (REX HARRISON) lives in a small English village where he specializes in caring for and verbally communicating with animals. When Dr. Dolittle is unjustly sent to an insane asylum for freeing a lovesick seal from captivity, his animals and two closest human friends, Matthew Mugg (ANTHONY NEWLEY) and Tommy Stubbins (WILLIAM DIX), liberate him. Afterward, they join Emma Fairfax (SAMANTHA EGGAR) and set out by boat to find a famed and elusive creature: the Great Pink Sea Snail. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 2.5/5 |
| This comes with an 8-page booklet. Compared to other Twilight Time releases, this actually comes with a bit more than usual.
First up is an Audio Commentary with Songwriter/Screenwriter Leslie Bricusse and Film Music Historian Mike Matessino, both of whom give background on the project and is more academic than entertaining; Rex Harrison: The Man Who Would be King featurette; and the Original Theatrical Trailer. |
VIDEO – 4.25/5, AUDIO – 4.25/5
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| Doctor Dolittle makes way onto Blu-ray presented with a 2.20 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer. The picture looks quite good with nice sharp detail throughout while colors are generally bright and skin tones appear natural.
The movie includes both a 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio track, either option is fine, though the former does give a bit more depth however nothing terribly drastic, but with this being musical, these do envelop all the available channels. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
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Overall, the 1967 version of Doctor Dolittle is a whimsical musical-fantasy that excels with some great set-pieces and a charismatic performance from its lead, Rex Harrison. Although it’s probably a tad too long for my taste, this is still a fun time for families even today. The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time offers impressive video/audio transfers and an okay selection of bonus features. |