What the film also shares with The Simpsons is the idea that grownups need guidance, and mischievous children are just the ones to provide that spirited direction. The family plumber becomes the hero to the boy in his nightmarish vision of piano lesson hell, and in real life when he attempts, somewhat successfully, to get the plumber to help him and the boys defeat Dr. T in the nightmare, and woo his mom in real life, so he doesn’t have to live his life without a father anymore. You know—basic make believe kid stuff mixed with a dash of paranoid fantasy, a smidgen of reality, and Scooby-Doo type meddling.
Geisel reportedly hated the film, disowned it, shat on its legacy, and would not discuss its alleged travesty. Yes, the music sucks, too. Indeed, The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T, was initially a flop, which may explain one of the reasons why Geisel/Dr. Seuss was not involved in too many live action films later on in his career. Which is a shame. Full-length cinema is quite a different medium from illustrated books or animated films, and Dr. Seuss’s stories are ripe for clever interpretation on the large screen, especially in the early 00s obsession of the daunting new terrain of 3-D animation coupled with live film. However, 5000 Fingers became a cult film for new generations of the heady masses who want to see what happens when Dr. Seuss chicanery is wedded with M.C. Escher architecture to produce an original portrait of a child’s mundane world of piano lessons.
Regardless of the fact that Geisel didn’t appreciate the film directed by Roy Rowland, and co-written by Seuss and Allan Scott (and 2003’s The Cat in the Hat would have probably killed him if the man had not already died in 1991), The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T holds up as a great cheese classic that one can enjoy with kids or the child that lies within the soul, never aging, and never straying too far away from the daydreams that help one get through the dreaded dreck and drudgery of lessons from a humorless teacher.
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In our next edition of Hidden Flick, we will look at a documentary about the inventor of a weird little instrument that has been occasionally played by adventurous musicians.
– Randy Ray
2 Responses
This movie is classic!! Have seen it several times. If you were ever a kid who had to take piano lessons and practice, watch this. It is great and truly unique.