Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel

(On Cable TV, April 2021) I’m not usually averse to goofy whimsical musicals, but even I have my limits and The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. probes at some of them. Written by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel, it’s a musical that stems from the fantasies of a young boy who intensely dislikes his piano lessons — as he dreams about a tyrannical piano teacher and his 500-boy piano, the film goes deep into a fantasy that was probably too far ahead of its time to execute convincingly. It’s certainly weird enough, with outlandish set designs that bring to mind the Seuss books and a fantastical approach that seems exuberant for the 1950s while being too timid for contemporary audiences used to CGI flights of fancy. One thing that does harm the film is a lack of humour to go along with its imagination — the film remains far too serious for its own good, perhaps too preoccupied by the demands of its complex production to allow for moment-to-moment whimsy. There are ambitious musical numbers, but few of them are catchy, likable or memorable — much of the film plays out among too-sparse sets that add a degree of clinical asepticism at odds with what the film should be. I couldn’t help but compare the result to Willie Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, which, while dated by contemporary standards, is far more at lease with its own lunacy. The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is probably worth a look if only for how weird it is by early-1950s standards… but don’t expect too much.