7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie Review

Snowmen and serpents and snakes, oh my!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III June 21, 2026

The only film from director George Pal to lose money at the box office, 1964's underrated 7 Faces of Dr. Lao skillfully weaves magic, mythology, humor, and life lessons into a story set in the small western town of Abalone, Arizona. This might look like your typical frontier community but, beneath the surface, Abalone's residents are fiercely divided by the recent actions of wealthy land developer Clint Stark (Arthur O'Connell), who wishes to buy the entire town for unknown reasons. That's where a mysterious old Chinese man named Dr. Lao (Tony Randall) comes in: casually riding into town on a golden donkey, speaking in an exaggerated accent (more on that later), and seemingly unbothered by everything and everyone he encounters, he aims to turn Abalone completely upside down in one way or another.

Dr. Lao's first stop is the local newspaper run by Edward Cunningham (John Ericson), where he gets posters printed to advertise a two-night circus spectacular that he'll be running on the outskirts of town. Cunningham, a known opponent of Stark, has recently printed an editorial heavily criticizing the attempted takeover and his feelings are shared by the pretty local librarian Angela Benedict (Barbara Eden, who would famously lead I Dream of Jeannie the following year), but Cunningham's other feelings are not. No matter: he's actually there trying to research their strange new visitor's past, and the local drama heightens once Stark -- in front of a crowd of split opinions -- gives them about a week to decide if they'll accept his seemingly generous buyout offer. That'll certainly give Dr. Lao more than enough time to work some additional tricks into his upcoming two-night circus, but will it be enough?

Not surprisingly, several of the town's residents -- including Cunningham, and obviously Stark -- aren't won over by Dr. Lao's circus, at least not right away. Some dismiss it as pure nonsense or even the work of a devil, while most everyone else is expecting simple entertainment. Instead, the show features mythical creatures and magical beings drawn from legends around the world, many of whom make deeply personal encounters with the curious onlookers. The creatures seem to know things about the visitors that no one else could possibly know, revealing each encounter to be more like a mirror for those who dare to look... and this applies to some residents more literally than others.

A giant talking serpent (Randall) speaks to Stark directly, even mimicking his appearance with a bristly moustache. Apollonius of Tyana (Randall) is a blind fortune teller who offers the cold, hard truth through wisdom and philosophical insights. The seductive Medusa (Randall) forces people to confront their desires and weaknesses. Pan (Randall), the playful Greek god, awakens the hidden emotions and passions of a certain librarian. Merlin the wizard (guess who?) provides cryptic wisdom, though his magical powers might be fading. Some visitors discover hidden courage, while others are forced to face their greed, vanity, or dishonesty. At the center of it all is Dr. Lao, who seems to understand exactly what lesson each person needs to learn, though he rarely explains his methods directly.

While the largest emotional through-line of 7 Faces of Dr. Lao is personal growth, its built-in element of childlike wonder is full represented by little Mike Benedict (Kevin Tate), a bright and imaginative young boy -- and the son of Angela, the librarian -- who quickly becomes fascinated by the mysterious man and his circus. While everyone else is dealing with their own insecurities (or deciding whether or not they should take an easy payout and move elsewhere), Mike is just caught up in the magic of it all. It's a nice little cherry on the top of this charming fable, a well-paced and enormously entertaining effort that features creative special effects including stop-motion animation -- not surprising, given Pal's involvement -- and outstanding makeup by William Tuttle, who earned an honorary Oscar for his efforts. The elephant in the room is Tony Randall's "yellowface" portrayal of Dr. Lao, but it takes about two minutes to realize that there's not an ounce of disrespect in his commanding lead performance (which of course also extends to Lao's six alter egos), and this includes a voice that changes to suit the expectations of who he's speaking to.

First-time viewers will be absolutely enamored with 7 Faces of Dr. Lao's charming, handmade qualities, as well as Randall's wide variety of performances and the colorful production design, all of which make it a uniquely disarming film that's almost impossible to hate. Warner Archive applies their usual careful touch to this sparkling new Blu-ray edition, a technically proficient package that capably supports its visual and sonic delights with absolute precision.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original camera negative, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao is a standout title on Blu-ray due, once again, to Warner Archive's careful attention to detail. This colorful, creative visuals are ripe with fine detail and supported by an organic layer of film grain, giving it a truly authentic appearance that likely rivals a pristine first-run theatrical showing. As seen in these direct-from-disc screenshots, this looks to be a fantastically well-appointed effort that showcases 7 Faces of Dr. Lao's variety of visual contrasts, from the dusty streets of Abolone to some of its warm and inviting interiors and the colorful backdrop of Dr. Lao's nightly circus spectacular. William Tuttle's Academy Award-winning makeup can also be appreciated much more fully thanks to this 1080p transfer's striking clarity and crispness, as can the creative stop-motion work by George Pal's studio. As usual, disc encoding is strong with no obvious signs of macro blocking, posterization, or black crush, despite no shortage of challenging sequences and shots that would have been problematic in less capable hands. Overall, this is a top-tier presentation that should absolutely thrill long-time fans and easily surpasses prior home video editions, even the boutique label's own DVD from 2011.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Though less showy by design, Warner Archive's DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track is equally impressive for its richness and dynamic range, whose source material is limited to mono yet still manages to carry the weight of 7 Faces of Dr. Lao's more fantastical moments with ease. As always, this Blu-ray presents the film's original one-channel mix in a split two-channel container for wider playback, which obviously doesn't attempt to mimic true stereo but certainly increases the width and overall effectiveness of this film's serviceable sonic delights. Dialogue is clean and clear throughout, even extending to Lao's arsenal of exaggerated dialects, while Dr. Lao's more magical moments -- and later action scenes, including a climactic windstorm -- going for broke and serving up a variety of swirling effects that help sell the film's charming handmade illusions. Leigh Harline's playful original score sounds terrific as well. No prevailing damage could be heard along the way, rounding out this lossless audio presentation with energy to spare.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are offered during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with poster-themed cover art; three vintage extras are also included.

• King of the Duplicators (12:23) - This 1968 studio-made featurette highlights the extraordinary work of talented makeup artist William Tuttle, who stayed with MGM for more the 30 years, won a well-deserved Oscar for his contributions to Dr. Lao, and demonstrates a few techniques including facial casting.

• The Cat Above and the Mouse Below (6:40) - This terrific 1964 Tom and Jerry cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones, is similar to earlier efforts like Solid Serenade in that Tom's musical performance -- this time, Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro -- disturbs Jerry's sleep so chaos ensues. It's been nicely restored, so could a future Chuck Jones Blu-ray Collection be in the works? Only time will tell.

• Theatrical Trailer (3:09) - This vintage promotional piece can also be seen here.

7 Faces of Dr. Lao Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

7 Faces of Dr. Lao is based on a 1935 novel by Charles G. Finney, which was adapted by Charles Beaumont and serves as director George Pal's final film. Though it surprisingly lost money at the box office in 1964 (and was the only Pal film to do so), its strong fundamentals and charming story make it a winner that will hopefully be rediscovered by new fans of all ages. Warner Archive's terrific new Blu-ray package offers top-tier A/V merits and a few valuable bonus features, making Dr. Lao an absolute no-brainer for fans and first-timers too. Highly Recommended.