Review: Dr. Strange (1978)

Dr. Strange was a t.v. movie that aired in 1978 as a proposed pilot. It aired against Roots. Needless to say, it was obliterated in the ratings. The series never got approved. Watching it is like having a guy spike your drink with a mild hallucinogenic, and then waking up the next morning only being vaguely aware of what happened together the night before. My thoughts while watching it follow.

1.) Clea's first encounter with Dr. Strange and his assistant after arriving at the hospital is odd. He sort of gropes her head at length, while he and his assistant refer to her in the third person the entire time. When he finally speaks to her, we get a couple of odd close-ups of her feet and legs. Entire scenes like this pepper the whole movie, giving it a very '70's Italian movie' feel. But maybe it's just all the mustaches. Anyone who has seen any Giallo movies would notice.

Anyway, Dr. Strange intervenes later on her behalf, to rescue her from being forcibly drugged into unconsciousness against her will (which is stated as standard hospital practice?!?).

2.) Wong walks past a frankfurter peddler, where Morgan le Fay magically stimulates an innocent pussy into unknowingly getting electrocuted. It's as wrong as it sounds. I cringed.

3.) Poor Wong acts as an obedient man-servant, but doesn't even get considered for becoming heir to the Sorcerer Supreme's powers (it vaguely involves a blood lineage...but not one related to the Sorcerer Supreme). Instead powers are passed along, as required, to Dr. Stephen Strange by a simple handshake. Not unlike a cold.

4.) When Stephen goes to visit the Sorcerer Supreme at his home in the middle of the graffiti-strewn ghetto, he steps through the front door to find himself at the Flintstone's house in Bedrock. When he travels to the Astral Plane for the first time (god I miss D&D), you will know it. There will be an explosion of xylophone-laden synthesizer disco, as he flails helplessly on wires in front of a blue screen showing the backdrop for an ELO concert.

5.) Clea is inexplicably wearing a flowing white dress while in the Astral Plane, instead of the hospital smock her comatose form rests in. Whereas Dr. Strange is wearing the same white El Pachuco zoot suit that he sports in the real world. I wish I got a flowing white dress every time I Astral Projected. I always get stuck with the same ratty sweatpants and tank top I was wearing before I drank myself unconscious.

6.) "Do not lie to me, woman! Why have you spared him?" (Looks to the ground in shame) "I am still a woman. And the man attracted me." And with golden dialogue like this, people wonder why geek girls were so few in the pre-Whedon days.

7.) Strange, a Psychologist, asks Clea, a recently-discharged patient, current Psychology student and by-her-request future understudy to him, to go out on a date that night. The ethics of it are brought up, then lightly chuckled away. If it's one thing you got to give credit for, it's consistency, since 34 years later he recently had sex with a deeply-regretful understudy in Defenders #4. Ethics, shmethics!

You can tell sparks are flying, because every time they speak to each other from this point forward, a saxophone and piano play in the background.

8.) Eventually he ditches Clea and follows Morgan leFay back to the murky-lighted sound stages of the ethereal world, where the movie suddenly takes on a porno vibe and he gets fresh with her. She makes it clear they can't proceed until he takes off the ring. I assume the ring on his finger. I hope the ring on his finger. Please god, let it just be the ring on his finger. He refuses, and she angrily declares that if he refuses, she will 'take her pleasure from him in another way'. 

I got nervous at this point and checked the running time. 15 minutes to go. Oh, lord.

I have tried to convey some of the essence of this movie without spoiling it for you. Because make no mistake about it. This movie was awesome. Just probably not quite in the way it was intended.