The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 15, 2017

Roy Rowland's "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T." (1953) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Nick Pinkerton; new video program with Steve Rowland; new featurette with musician/composer Michael Feinstein ; original production materials; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The little dreamer

For complete analysis of Roy Rowland's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., please see Marty Liebman's review of Mill Creek Entertainment's release of the film here.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roy Rowland's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from a pre-existing master which is only slightly above average. (It is the exact same master that Mill Creek Entertainment licensed from Sony Pictures for their North American release). Indeed, while there are large areas of the film where detail and clarity can be rather pleasing, it is quite easy to see that density levels are nowhere near close to where they should be. This of course is something that has an immediate negative effect on depth, which is why the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to recognize that the film should look quite a bit better in high-definition. The color scheme also reveals notable limitations. For example, saturation isn't optimal; plenty of segments also reveal some minor stability issues (these are minor color pulsations that can be very easy to spot in backgrounds). Color registration is also far from optimal, and there is a very limited range of healthy nuances. (For reference, please see the 4K restoration of The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp which has a proper very lush and beautifully balanced Technicolor appearance). The good news here is that there are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Also, a few minor blemishes remain, but large and annoying damage marks, debris, cuts, specks, and stains have been carefully removed. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I think that the lossless track is very good. In fact, I am fairly certain that even if some time in the future it is fully remixed at best there will be only a few cosmetic improvements. I even like the current balance, though perhaps in the mid/high registers there is some room for optimizations. The overall dynamic intensity is modest, but it is appropriate for a film of caliber. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - presented here is an archival filmed introduction by Karen Kramer. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. . Music only. (2 min).

• Joe Dante Trailer Commentary - presented here is a short segment from Trailers From Hell in which director Joe Dante (Matinee) quickly addresses The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and its production history. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery - presented here is a very large collection of original production stills, as well as copies of published articles and other original printed promotional materials.

• A Little Nightmare Music - in this archival featurette, musician/composer Michael Feinstein discusses the unique harmonic structures of the soundtrack that Friedrich Hollaender created for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. as well as the nature of the lyrics that are part of it. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Dr. T on Screen - this archival featurette takes a closer look at the production history of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. Included in it are interviews with Cathy Lind Hayes, Michael Feinstein, musician Glen Roven, and Karen Kramer, amongst others. In English, not subtitled. (15 min).

• Father Figure - in this new featurette, Steve Rowland, son of director Roy Rowland, discusses the history of his family, his father's career in the film industry, and his love for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. The featurette was produced by Robert Fischer for Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Crazy Music - in this new featurette, Michael Feinstein recalls his initial impressions of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and discusses the original soundtrack by Friedrich Hollaender, some rather interesting editing choices, and some of the key songs that are heard in the film. The featurette was produced exclusively for Powerhouse Films in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Audio Commentary - presented here is a new audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Nick Pinkerton in which the two offer a great deal of factual information about the production history of The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T and discuss its unique narrative structure.

• Booklet - 40-page illustrated booklet featuring Peter Conheim's essay "Those Happy Fingers are Yellow and Terrifying" and extracts from the original press kit, advertising and promotional guide for The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., as well as technical credits.

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I don't side with folks who believe that Roy Rowland's The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is some sort of an underappreciated classic gem. On the contrary, I am convinced that there is a very good reason why at one point its producer, Stanley Kramer, attempted to remove his name from it, and why it was a box office bomb -- it is an ambitious but ultimately below average film. In my opinion, the main issue with this film is not the overall quality of the production, but the fact that a lot of the people that crafted it apparently had very different ideas what the end result should look like, which is why it underwent multiple revisions in the editing room. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' Blu-ray release is sourced from the same older master that Mill Creek Entertainment licensed from Sony Pictures for their North American release of the film. However, this release offers a healthy mix of new and archival supplemental features.