The 5000 Fingers of Dr. T

Dr. Seuss on Acid

Went to Symphony Space. Kids packed in a very flat and strange space for a film. Luckily kids are short so I positioned myself behind a few to ensure myself of a clear sight line. For some strange reason, I've never seen this cult classic film. While it may seem like kids movie - written by Dr. Seuss, set designs to throw you into a Technicolor Escher epileptic trance - this film is more a nightmare built on childhood fears of repetition and slavery to the system of adult responsibilities. Bart is child a little too attached to his single mother. He enters a dream/nightmare world where his sadistic piano teacher, expertly played by Hans Conried, has plans to chain 500 children to his mega-piano to play his most important piece of music. He also has lured Bart's mother into his lair and made him a sort of sexualized slave, trapped in a tower of sorts. The local handyman turns into the superintendent of Dr. T's weird world. He and Bart must save his mom and the kids from the diabolical plans of Dr. T. Along the way there are strange costumes, a dungeon complete with a variety of sized burly men, and many a bizarre musical instrument to play strange cords - is it jazz? Just like in fairy tales, the story in nicely resolved, and nightmares put in the past. While I liked the theatrics and avant garde approach to a very adult fear of being shackled to dreary chores, the heart of the story was never found. Perhaps it was only meant to be an ephemeral replacement for an acid trip.