The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao-Fortune-telling Scene
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- čas přidán 10. 04. 2009
- In this scene from The 7 Faces of Dr. Lao [featuring Tony Randall attempting to play a Chinese man], an old spinster is dealt a lethal fortune-telling, transcribed below:
"Apollonius of Tyana reads your future" From The Circus of Dr. Lao, Charles G. Finney, 1935.
The widow Mrs. Howard T. Cassan came to the circus in her flimsey brown dress and her low shoes and went direct to the fortuneteller's tent. She paid her mite and sat down to hear her future. Apollonius warned her she was going to be disappointed.
"Not if you tell me the truth," said Mrs. Cassan. "I particularly want to know how soon oil is going to be found on that twenty acres of mine in New Mexico."
"Never," said the seer [who is blind in the film].
"But I paid a fortune for that land" gasps Mrs. Cassan.
"You wasted your money. Next question," said the seer
"Well, what I really want to know is, when shall I be married again?"
"Never," said the seer.
"Well, what sort of man will next come into my life?"
"There will be no more men in your life," said the seer.
"Well, what in the world is the use of my living then, if I'm not going to be rich, not going to be married again, not going to know any more men?"
"I only read futures. I don't evaluate them."
"That's utter nonsense," barked Mrs. Cassan.
"The future is always nonsense, until it becomes the past," replied the seer.
"Well, I paid you. Read my future," commanded Mrs. Cassan.
"Tomorrow will be like today, and day after tomorrow will be like the day before yesterday," said Apollonius. "I see your remaining days each as a tedious collections of hours. You will not travel anywhere. You will think no new thoughts. You will experience no new passions. Older you will become but not wiser. Stiffer but not more dignified. Childless you are, and childless you shall remain. Of that suppleness you once commanded in your youth, of that strange simplicity which once attracted a men to you, neither endures, nor shall you recapture any of them," the prophet predicted.
"Ugly, ugly man!" snapped Mrs. Cassan.
"Mirrors are often ugly and mean. When you die, you will be buried and forgotten. And that is all. And for all the good or evil, creation or destruction your living might have accomplished, you might just as well have never lived at all. I am sorry. You see, it is my curse to tell the absolute truth." - Zábava
This might be a fantasy movie, but this is one of the most realistically sad scenes I've seen in any film. It's a brutally honest sadness.
Roxanne Kateri It has a companion quote from the movie Patton " All glory no matter how great soon fades ! "
This movie doesn't need to be remade. Only watched again.
"Mirrors are often ugly...and mean." That's some heavy stuff. Such a great movie that many people just don't understand.
For sure, you can see her crying because she knows deep inside that what the fortune teller says is completely true but her huge ego prevents her from truly accepting it wanting to make changes.
Understand? Naw, you never really understand this or knows what it means. But it sounds like some COLD BLOODED SHIT to say to a bitch when you are firing her :-D
@@uthmanamoni 😂😂😂
This is how you know he's a real fortune teller, because he's brutally honest and doesn't sugar coat anything
I read Tarot for a living and I adore this scene. Trust me, I would not keep my job if I were this honest. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of people who ask for their fortune told only want to be told what they want to hear. They want hope, not accuracy.
One guy told me he hopes I die when I was a little too honest. You have to have a thick skin reading for people but I have read for some really lovely ones who brighten my day.
This scene has become one of the saddest and hardest scene for me to watch as I have grown older. When I was 11 in 1964 and first saw this movie it was a non-descript scene for me. When I was in my 30s it started to have more meaning. Now in my 60s it is even sadder.
Make friends , reacquaint yourself with current events , celebrations. Company and other people's ideas keep one occupied and happy
This film is such a gem, I found it during the pandemic on TCM
I’m 23 now so I was at that sweet spot for the memo, such a brilliant take on a that trope
Show's the Stark reality of human nature. And only a nickel.
Life, can be a game, or a quest.
Fabulous movie. Far ahead of it's time.
In all myth. There is a reality. A truth. At times dark , at times so bright. It can blind . Peace man.
Your words show your soul. Nothing wrong with you.
It would be truly sad if it was true for anyone. It is one of the sternest warnings of a wasted life I've ever heard. The pity is that Appolonius had two curses: he always told the absolute truth, and he was fated never to be believed in the telling (similar to the curse of Cassandra).
Appolonius of Tyana was a real figure in human history, and what little we know of his life makes for fascinating reading.
THIS IS A POWERFUL SCENE AND ONCE SEEN, IT IS SOMETHING YOU'LL REMEMBER.
I totally agree. I asked my father to take me to see this movie when it first came out. We saw it in the magnificent Fox theater in downtown Detroit which made seeing it all that more magical. It was one of the most epic moments of my childhood. This scene as well as others were seared into my young mind.
Me too. I saw it as a kid and was mesmerised too. This scene is immensely sad, thought its brutal honesty and it too was seared into my mind. So happy to see it again on CZcams and was just as powerful watching it as an adult.
but the fact remains that he is blind - in a way it's saying that the future is up to you..no one can see it. in other words, only someone truly blind would think they can see the future.
Yes. Richard Linklater inserted much of the dialog into "Before Sunrise", when the couple are having their fortunes read.
Totally underrated movie.
At my age one realizes just how oddly truthful this scene of the movie actually is.
Not something to tell an 18 year old stuck in the pandemic
I saw this movie when I was maybe 10 yrs old & understood everthing. It scared the hell out of me - her vanity and lies, "when you die, you'll be buried and forgotten ... You just might as well not have lived at all."
One of the hardest, most ice cold scenes ever in any film! Brilliantly written, performed, and directed. Tony Randall and Lee Patrick are both heartbreaking.
One of the best movies ever...
Two find and brilliant actors in what may be their mutual shining hour. In a film replete with jewels, this was the Hope diamond.
One of the best movies ever made.
She wept in the early moments because in her heart, as deluded as it may be, knows the truth whenever it hears it. Should she have chosen instead to seek wisdom and not falsities she could have, as we all are capable of, change her fate.
What a sad scene you feel bad for this deluded woman this is such a powerful scene from such a brilliant movie
One of the greatest scenes in an American film.
Brilliant scene...she asked for the Truth--she got it.
I like that each "face" has its own tune, and that we hear each tune with each "face" at the grand finale.
My favorite scene, by far. It's so harsh. It seems cruel, but it's the hard truth. Lee Patrick's performance is perfect as is Tony Randall's. The great impact of this scene is that there are so many people like Mrs. Casson in real life. The deep truth of this scene always hurts my heart. What would it do to you to hear those horrible things? To know that your life makes NO difference?
Most of us live with that every hour of every day. We just never admit it to ourselves.
I too found this hard to watch at first as I felt so bad for the woman; especially picturing myself in such an unfortunate state of life. However, she's simply delusional and thinks good fortune will come despite her nasty deeds in the past and her inflated ego.
It's the opposite story of George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. Had he not been born the whole city would have suffered.
Some people help others and are a rock of strength to build on. Others are just self-absorbed and make no positive impact in the world.
Saddest scene ever.
Charles Beaumont & Bob Hecht wrote the screenplay for this film based on the Charles G. Finney novel -- and these writers were absolutely prophetic. Incredible words. Marvelous, intense scene with Randall and Lee Patrick ("Maltese Falcon") for this type of film. This is basically the reason some of the older fantasy films are still superior to today's scripts. They don't have humanity -- and this is filled with moralistic tales, prophecy and life lessons. I saw this as a child also and the film and its story have always stayed with me. Tony Randall was marvelous in all the roles. The news reporter (John Ericson) at the beginning of the film looks a lot like a young Robert Redford -- or could have been Redford's older brother. The entire memorable cast was excellent.
This scene is verbatim from Finney's amazing novel
always loved this movie from my younger days.
Beautifully played scene. Just one gripe..you should have continued the scene for another 30 seconds when the woman, having learned nothing, continues her empty life of lies.
I thought the same thing, wait for the punchline.
Agreed. The conclusion is actually her disregarding the knowledge that she has just been presented with.
Dec. 31, 2018---Thing is, this woman didn't realize SHE did have the ability/opportunity to change her life. Think how Scrooge was and ended up being. She simply failed to listen.
Those days. You go down to the local cinema, Don't know what to expect and a movie like this turns up out of the blue. It was different and really quite intense and left you thinking about what it is all. Oh!! Great movie!
Apollonius of Tyana appears in "The 7 Faces" as a blind fortune teller. He was historical (or at least folklorical) character in antiquity of about the same time as Jesus and his cult was once a serious rival to Christianity. He supposedly could work miracles, be clairvoyant, and even raise the dead. He was not blind. His bio is by the Greek historian Philostratus. In the novel and movie he was reduced to a blind fortuneteller, who was bound to speak harsh truths (like the Trojan princess Cassandra).
Bernard Sussman He was also a magician in the book.
Cult, eh?
Damn that's cold and brutal
This is a fantastic movie. Dr Lao comes to town and sets up a mystical circus with sideshows that force the townspeople to confront unpleasant truths about themselves.
Powerfully written and performed. I wish the clip included the next scene, in which she shows that she learned absolutely nothing from what she was told.
As a child this film captured my imagination, to say the least. I watched it on PBS on a black and white portable TV. It stuck with me forever. I finally saw it in color on VHS as an adult. What an underrated classic film. Everyone should see this at least twice. Preferably as a child and then see how your interpretation changes as you mature. I think you appreciate the messages much more that way. Well thats just been my experience. No matter when one sees this. It is surely to be remembered.
scene gets more intense by the second
Glad to see someone else feels the magic of this movie.
That hourglass is in fact form The Wizard of Oz. The crystal ball in another scene in this movie is the one the wicked witch used in Oz also. And the two-headed turtle in another scene was later used on the TV show, "The Addams Family."
This guy must not be a politician.
No. This guy can only tell the truth. Politicians can only lie.
You are correct. Apollonius of Tyana was a Pythagorean mystic who lived from 3 BCE to 97 CE. He was renowned for his wisdom and the miracles he was said to have performed (both of which lead many to consider him to be a Pagan equivalent to Jesus of Nazareth). So yeah, no, most of the people in DC aren't worthy to lick his sandal!
#DeadDopplegangerClub
@@banishedfromthedwarfplanet530 #shithapnds
One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies.
tedious hours full of useless vanities....
Just ouch, hands up anyone here who's uncomfortably sympathetic with the lady there?
Red Robertfly Am moderately liberal and sympathetic with a good deal of the women's movement but not sympathetic with women like that ! I have seen some who live here and have it good compared to say growing up and living in North Korea ?
He's definitely legit. The real, authentic ones are always brutally honest.
One of the best written and wisest films I have seen. Profound.
The fortune teller may tell the cold hard truth but he clearly takes no joy in it.
tony Randall was a SUPERBE ACTOR!!
Thanks to my Dad this movie like defined my childhood XD
so beautiful
A reminder that people should tread carefully when seeking their future
The film improved upon the book by adding a few more touches to this scene. One of my all-time favourite scenes in any film.
Outstanding film on so many levels...one of my early years 'favs'.....the film's theme was especially important today. George Pal was a modern day Jules Vern in his films.
Apolonius telling it like it is. Getting more than your 5 cents worth.
For what was essentially a kids movie, this was some brutal truth being handed out.
One of my fav movies from when I was a kid and one of its best scenes
No filters.
I love this scene. For me, it's the funniest in the movie. The lady needed to see the truth about herself.
Beautiful...this movie meant much to me as a child.
Me too.
thanks for posting this :)
yes, he wrote brilliantly. the dialogue of the prophecy, though, comes direct from the original novel THE CIRCUS OF DR. LAO that Charles Beaumont adapted.
By Charles G. Finney.
Gasp! My fav scene from the film! THANK YOU!
Even when I was a little kid, this scene always reminded me of my mother.
thanks James, that was amazing
This reminds me of an old "Thriller" episode with Boris Karloff in which there was a mirror that reflected only the inner soul of the person looking into it. If a mirror like that was ever created who would have the courage to look into it?
CromLaugsATYour Four Winds That episode involved glasses that produced telepathy or allowed the person wearing them to read somebody's mind . The mirror was just one scene I believe. There was another that starred William Shatner which had a house full of mirrors that could actually steal you and your soul ! It was called the Hungry Mirrors .
Awesome, How sad but brutal the truth is sometimes. Life is a but a dream or in this case a reality check.
Hey the truth Hurts. LOL. That was good.Wow that was Tony Randall?
Yup.
Poor little thing. That was heartbreaking!
Strong but brilliant scene!👏🏻
It is my curse,that I must tell the absolute truth.
Daaaaammnn!!! Like on Friday…
In the book, Apollonius asked the question; to paraphrase; ARE YOU SURE YOU WISH TO KNOW YOUR FUTURE? I always remember that when I see this scene. I think that if I was asked that question I would now say; NO I RATHER BE SURPRISED.
I'm going to have to pick up a copy of this.
4:05 Is that the hour glass of the Wicked Witch of the West???
Yes.
This is genius!
Luv it, want my kids to see this!
Tony is not "attempting" to play a Chinese man here! You have the scenes mixed up!
I was a fortune teller once. It’s a tough racket.
"Racket" is the right word.
i saw cinemassacres top 30 favorite movies and this seemed most interesting to me so i had to see it and boy is this a great movie
The Flexorcist same here.... I really enjoyed this movie... Thanks James!
Dude.... fucking roasted
I love this movie; Dr. Lao is able to address everyone's deepest flaws in a unique way including this woman, someone whom insults others to hide his own flaws, and another whom needed to be awakened from a life of celibacy.
Realization is the one true punishment and the one true blessing for the blinded.
Does this make you wonder what he would say about your life ?
He dropped some truth on her ass!
This is my Truth & Future
yes one of the best bits in this amazing movie that nobody talks about--tony r-best picture--credit also to the writers and george pal--this is a scene to remember-to rid the cobwebs of a humdrum existance and to ask--whats next
This clip cuts off before the most important part...
4:06 that dark hour glass withy the red sand, I'm willing to put money on that that is the same prop featured in the Wizard of Oz
It is (or was)
I did a little colour correction on this clip to give it a slightly different feel.
Let me know what you think.
I remember, as a preteen boy, crying at the end of the movie, not understanding why.
Favorite moment in the movie. Nice cap. !
Unfortunately, this film was promoted as a kid's movie... which it isn't in the least. Tony Randall and Lee Patrick... they don't make actors like that anymore.
I'm an expert on the Odd Couple, and I can tell you that WAS Tony Randall. He played Oscar Madison (the slob) on the Odd Couple; I know this because I've seen every episode twice.
Exactly. And the played the old hag in this scene..as you damned well know!!
I feel terrible for Apolonius cause I AM that kind of person in life. I'm able to act on youtube, but only to a certain extent.
I can't lie to save my life, unless I can assure without a doubt that I am able to make the lie truthful before I am found out.
People don't like me because I'm the truth, and the truth hurts sometimes.
I don't flatter, nor do I give needless insult.
I can't hate the enemies of another, nor can I pay them any undue respect.
The Feederz bring me here over and over ❤️
What a depressing scene
He tells the future indeed. But not to her, he predicted the future of 21st century and how society will develop.
-I used to torment My Mother with this very scene, whenever it played on TV in Sydney! I'd turn the volume up & she'd seethe with Rage at My suggestion, that not only did she LOOK like Mrs Casson, she was as "Spiritual" as her! & Ma in her last dying breath was Spiteful to all around her...Art imitates Life...
I am destined to be alone & heart broken
Blur-a-vision
just thought of something the fortain teller sounds like the mirror from snow white
I wish I could be a movie director and make a remake of this movie!
in this movie; 7-faces of DR. Lao, I have notice a hourglass Props in back round inside the tent is the same one used in The Wizard of Oz when the wicked witch of the west when she turn the hourglass over & threw the hourglass at them. It's the same design & as well of the actress getting her fortune told, that old lady is Glinda the good witch of the north. she also has the same rosey cheek make-up when she was younger. you have to look real hard to see them. Have fun trying to see something that was used in other movie by Warner BROS. Good Luck!!!
Not the same actress as Glinda. Glinda was played by Billie Burke, the twittering wife of Florenz Ziegfeld; her last movie appearance was in 1960 and she died in 1970, she would ahve been 79 when Dr Lao was made in 1964. The actress getting her fortune told is Lee Patrick.
No. that name is that woman was the turned to stoned
Michael Contreras No, that was Minerva Urecal who turned to stone.
Oh I see. But she sounds the same voice. Oh well. Thanks you for the info.
Nyetscape brought me here. Damn.
A lot of women needed to hear this
*roasties seething*
@oeng1967 The opener to "Teachers In Space". A rockin fuckin album in my opinion. The Feederz rock and Apollonius rocks.
The text seems to be from the original novel, by Charles Finney.. Am I right, Jennifuh?... This was one of the few scenes where the book and the movie coincided... By the way, in the fortune-telling scene in "Before Sunrise", Jesse quotes Appolonious almost verbatim. He tells Celine he would "just once" like to see a fortune-teller say... and then he quotes Appolonius... My theory is that Richard Linklater is a Dr. Lao fan too.
I think I would ask about choices that I might make. What thing can I attempt to do that will create the greatest total amount of happiness in the world? ...making sure to specify that I am not asking what that amount is, but what can I do to maximize it.