Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Clarissa Mora The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

seasoningspice As a child I had a rampant imagination. As an adult I still do. Naturally it has been tempered and affected by adulthood itself, but I still remember what it was like to play pretend and go on wild journeys through my own thoughts. And out of all the children's movies I've seen, this one captures that experience the most accurately and brilliantly.Ultimately the plot is very straightforward: a boy hates learning piano and dreams of being trapped in a world ruled by his piano teacher, co-ruled by his well-meaning (but, to him, hypnotized) mother who believes learning to play an instrument will be good for him in the end, and inhabited by a lone friendly soul in the local plumber (or, as Hans Conried says, plumbah). He wants to rescue his mother, to regain a father figure in the plumber, and to defeat his teacher's tyrannical dictatorship, and he does all of the above. But truth be told, it doesn't need to be any more complicated than that. This is a story told through the eyes of a child.It's that childlike quality, and the simplicity of the narrative, that brings all the charm. There are no real plot twists, no real feelings of desperation and hopelessness, no moments in the third act where the main character sits alone in the rain thinking his goals will never be accomplished. Everything moves briskly, swiftly, and very entertainingly along.With one exception: the dungeon ballet sequence. I have to mention this because it singlehandedly bumped my score from a 9/10 to an 8/10. Not only does it drag on far too long, with development upon development, but it also looks and sounds and just plain feels like it came straight out of another movie. There's a sort of deranged hallucinatory atmosphere about everything, and hallucinations are still very different from childhood dreams or even childhood nightmares. The only thing tying the ballet to the actual content of the movie itself is the usage of everyday household items such as radiators in the dance - that's unique and innovative, but it doesn't save the sequence from itself. Perhaps it was meant to imitate something like the Pink Elephants On Parade sequence in Dumbo, but it just doesn't work.Otherwise, the best way I can describe this movie is by the word "sparkling". The performances, the surprisingly witty and natural dialogue, the music and songs, even the sets and the extras all sparkle. And as I mentioned before, there is never truly a sense of desperation; I watched fully aware that the heroes would get out of trouble, but not aware of how. For a sparkling adventure like this, that's the best kind of feeling.I also have to politely disagree with those who find Hans Conried's Dr. T. scarier than, say, the Wicked Witch of the West. To me his entire character speaks of a frantic scramble for power that he simply does not have; I personally got the impression that Dr. T. was actually a terrible pianist and was attempting to make up for this by lording it over as many students as possible! Not only that, but Hans' performance has something strangely endearing to it, a sort of childlike quality itself, right down to his proud surveying of his army during their song and the shocked moments of jealousy you see him go through as he watches Mrs. C. and the plumbah dance together. He's just as charming as the rest of the movie, to the point that it's a real shame to watch him suddenly disappear at the end. (But I admit I'm biased, as I'd take him over any of the Old Hollywood "heartthrobs".)In the end, despite how great the cut content may have been, I think the final product benefits all the same. Its simple charm and warm qualities don't make it cheesy or corny, because it comes from that child's point of view. When our hero Bart jumps from the top rung of a ladder miles above ground and untucks his shirt to let it act as a parachute, it comes across as the most natural possible development, because this is his mind we're seeing, right down to the wish for a replacement father to support and help both himself and his mother. It's relatable, funny, sweet, sometimes almost biting in its commentary (which makes me wonder how much more biting the original cut was), earnest, and somehow very real in the midst of total unreality.

earlytalkie THE 5,000 FINGERS OF DR. T is a movie that simply has to be experienced to be appreciated. Tommy Rettig is Bart, a normal little boy who emphatically does not want to be tied down to his piano lessons. His teacher is a grueling taskmaster whom the boy loathes. He drifts off into a nightmare prison world where he is being commanded to play. His Mother has been hypnotized into assisting Dr. T, and Bart tries to enlist the help of the friendly plumber, August, to free her. Heloise, the Mother and August are winningly played by real life husband and wife team Mary Healy and Peter Lind Hayes. Bart is played by Tommy Rettig, and Dr. T is played with flamboyant relish by marvelous Hans Conried, and he steals the show. This film was conceived by Dr. Seuss, and I must say there is nothing else ever filmed to compare it to. A huge flop when first released in 1953, the film today has a well-deserved cult following. The beautiful Technicolor pops off the screen in the blu ray version that I saw this on.

dougdoepke Oddball fantasy about a boy escaping into dreams to avoid his tyrannical piano teacher. Trouble is his dreams are also terrorized by the same teacher and his minions.The movie's definitely not for everyone. There's little dialog and in a cast of hundreds, there's exactly one woman! Most of the time is taken up by either dance routines or little Collins (Rettig) running hither and thither to get away from his tormentors. Frankly, I fast-forwarded through some of the routines. Unlike some other reviewers, the sets and art direction impressed me as imaginative and well-done. The candy box colors also hold the eye, and I wouldn't be surprised the exotic project was intended to compete with new-fangled TV.Also looks to me like the woodenly conventional Zablodowski (Hayes) is intended as reassurance amid all the unconventional settings. Taking a child to the movie would be a risk, I think, since the material could easily come across as nightmarish, whatever the original intentions. Little Rettig does well as the average boy, while the eccentric Conreid is at his most archly sinister. And what about that chaotic scene of hundreds of little boys escaping that piano from heck. I'll bet that was a year's worth of headache trying to keep a mob of ten- year olds in line.In years of viewing, I've seen nothing quite like this production. Frankly, I'm not sure I liked the overall result. Definitely, this oddity should be approached with caution, unless you like seeing bands of men dance to no particular purpose or little boys run and run and run.

maxpuppydaddy I first saw this unique movie at the tender age of about 7 or 8.....and it was about the time I was having my own recurring nightmares. After watching it, I realized I wasn't alone, and that recurring dreams were "normal." I remember afterward having a few dreams where I was being chased by men with brightly-colored, humongous butterfly nets.....dreams that were obviously influenced and driven by this movie.And like a lot of folks, I always felt I was trying to run through water....that sluggish feeling when your legs just won't move fast as you need them to move. But this is supposed to be a movie review...so let's look at a few things about "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.": First off, Hans Conried was a genius of comedy...and this role is perhaps his finest role and performance. He made "Dr. Terwilleger" into a maniacal, egocentric, hypnotic menace...the kind of pushy, abusive adult that all pre-adolescent kids dread...that parental-approved "authority figure" that kids are forced to deal with despite all protestations, usually found today in overpowering, intimidating sports-coaches, a perfectionist teachers, or any adult that looks DOWN on kids and treats them like lowly subordinates. The genius of Dr. Seuss's understanding of fears and insecurities of young children is quite evident in how he wrote Conried's role....and the sad and winsome song that Tommy Rettig sings alone as he feels abandoned by his only confidante, the plumber Zabrodowski after Terwillger entrances Zabrodowski with magic and tainted "pickle juice" is both touching and revealing of just how kids feel when they find they have no one, or no compassionate adult to turn to with their problems. Yes, Tommie, adults shouldn't ever "push us little kids around". I have always felt this movie is VASTLY underrated, and it is a darn shame that Seuss never made another movie after this one....never again had the creative license and control to bring some of his other work to the magic, Cinescopic big screen. The sets, backgrounds, costumes, and music in this movie are brilliant and imaginary, and some of the script was pretty daring, for its time. Especially notable is the song sung by the Executioner as he describes what each floor of the dungeon is used for.....watch the movie and listen to the lyrics.There are many other moments in the movie that carry a not-so-subtle message about the vagaries of American child-rearing, even some commentary about the threat of nuclear Armaggedon that was very much on people's minds in 1953. I think Seuss was also making a jab as to how so many Americans were sending their children off to "camp" to receive instruction in whatever the PARENT thought the child needed, rather than what the children themselves were proficient or interested in. Well, done, Dr. Dr. Seuss's books are a recognized, language and decade- spanning treasure, and so is this movie. Although "The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T." gave me some nightmares as a 2nd-grader....it has stayed with me all these years later...and every time I pull it out of my movie collection, I am reminded of the "blissful, carefree picture of typical American life" that Hollywood was always trying to project in the mid-1950's, highlighting our sunny blue-sky days, our disposable income, our perfectly-manicured, beautifully-dressed (but overly submissive) Moms and families, and all the other post-WWII aspects of pure Americana that the sudden, burgeoning post-GI Bill Middle-Class sector of America was creating for itself. Don't miss this MOVIE!! I've rated it a 9 for one main reason: it is an utterly-unique reminder of what Dr. Seuss was really trying to tell us all in his many great books: Children are a treasure, the most-perfect gifts we receive in our short lives, and they should be loved, cherished, and respected.... Wouldn't it be wonderful if we ALL never, never, never had to grow up?