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Jack & The Beanstalk Review

Ever since I viewed this slightly distorted version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (hereafter JATB 1974) about 32 years ago on TV during Thanksgiving or Christmas on the "SFM Holiday Network" (including the "Monday Night Football" theme song - you know, EEEEEEEE, ta-ta-ta-ta-TA!), it has obsessed my memory. Before I bought and watched the DVD from Amazon, I could only remember bits and pieces from this extended cartoon feature, such as 1) Jack's stalwart bloodhound Crosby singing to the moon ("Crosby, you can talk!"), 2) the eerily weird wedding sequence with Princess Margaret, the giant Tulip, and the magically animated "paper congregation", 3) Tulip toppling some columns while chasing Jack and Margaret, 4) Tulip flicking a swordsman (the general) away with his finger, and 5) Jack's shrewish mother fainting at the sight of Tulip descending the beanstalk after Jack. These images flickered in my mind like a dream. Now, having watched the movie as an adult, some of the eeriness and oppressive atmosphere has diminished, but JATB 1974 is still quite a unique, compelling, and thought-provoking experience.

As other posters have commented, JATB 1974 strongly adheres to the basic plot, except for the inclusion of Crosby, Margaret, and the thoroughly malevolent and devious witch Hecuba, also the purported mother (!) of the brutish Tulip. In another deviation from the basic plot, after doing away with her royal parents, Hecuba has somehow mesmerized Margaret to see beastly Tulip as a beautiful prince so that she can marry him and make Hecuba "Queen of the Clouds". The jazzy, theatrical score permeating the movie is a third difference, prompting me to suggest to Broadway to produce a musical based on JATB 1974. Despite Hecuba's convoluted matrimonial scheme, JATB 1974 respects and fleshes out the classic plot, fully developing at a deliberate but lively pace all the characters and their motivations.

For example, Jack comes across as a boisterous, cheerful, friendly kid, if a bit impulsive, self-absorbed, and naïve (with the bean/cow trade and all). His plump, widowed mother appears as a shrill, harsh termagent, but still grudgingly empathetic since we realize that her bad temper probably arises from destitute circumstances. Crosby the bloodhound initially appears as a lazy dreamer of heroic deeds, but eventually proves himself an invaluable ally and conscience to Jack as he convinces him to accept the responsibility to save the princess from the witch and giant. Princess Margaret evokes our fearful sympathy as we feel sorry for the loss of her parents and pray that Jack can somehow break Hecuba's sinister spell over her. Hecuba makes for a completely seductive but hissable witch who is quite prepared to sacrifice anyone in her way (including her verbally abused son Tulip) to achieve her dream. Even the supporting cast of Princess Margaret's court entourage (transformed into speechless mice by Hecuba) charm us with their pluck and resourcefulness as they aid Jack and Crosby in their quest.

Even given this multifaceted cast, I still found Tulip to be the most interesting character of all because despite his seemingly simple brutish and villainous nature, he is actually a rather complex, conflicted, and even endearing being. To me, he had aspects of the Hulk, the Beast (of Beauty and the Beast), the Frankenstein monster, and even the green ogre Shrek. However, most of all, he reminded me of a persecuted King Kong, ape-like (longer arms than legs), fierce, and frightening, but ultimately more sinned against than sinning, and generally harmless unless provoked. Also, like Kong, he topples from a great height to his death, a fate he does not warrant. In other words, "Tulip Kong", in my opinion is not such a bad guy.

From the beginning we meet the giant, you feel a pang of sympathy for him. He comes back to the castle with an armload of firewood, and all Hecuba can do is berate him for being late because he probably was playing with snakes and lizards. In fact, throughout most of the movie, Hecuba treats her son like scum. You also come to the conclusion that Hecuba's scheme is almost entirely her own (I suspect she alone killed the king and queen, Margaret's parents) and "Tulip Kong" is just along for the ride. She tells him to stop "mooning about the castle", which is so much nicer than the cave they lived in. When she orders him to locate Jack, whom she placed in a cauldron to save for dinner (!) but escapes with Crosby's and the mice's help, "Tulip Kong" doesn't exactly knock himself out looking for him. A really big kid at heart, he would rather seek refuge from Hecuba's rants in the treasure room and amuse himself with a caged lizard and the golden hen that lays golden eggs. Okay, he does crush a wind-up doll of Hecuba that spews insults at him, but at that point you are inclined to be on his side. Jack is hiding in the treasure room and almost gives himself away, but "Tulip Kong" allows himself to be distracted by Margaret calling for him. In the movie, it is glaringly obvious that he loves and cares for Margaret.

Therefore, even when "Tulip Kong" acts violently against Jack, we suspect he is doing so only to protect his future "bride". He first catches Jack in Margaret's bedroom and understandably becomes upset, relentlessly chasing after the interloper. When Jack interrupts the faux paper-cutout wedding and kisses Margaret to break the spell, "Tulip Kong", like his counterpart, understandably goes crazy, tears off his wedding suit to reveal yellow t-shirt and underwear festooned with hearts (hee-hee) and chases Jack and Margaret to get her back. During the wedding sequence itself, "Tulip Kong" cradles and treats Margaret gently, and daydreams of wedded bliss with her, both of them swinging on a wedding bell (so he has shades of Quasimodo as well). During the sequence where Tulip attempts to thrust an enormous spear into a well where Jack and Margaret are hiding, he carefully aims the spear to get at that dream-killer Jack, not Margaret. In the main hall room, where Hecuba traps the duo with her stormy magic, "Tulip Kong" refuses to obey her command to trample them. Instead, he steps on her instead! It's not murder, because Hecuba turns out to be a clockwork vessel like the doll in the treasure room. Anyway, "Tulip Kong", not Jack, is the one ultimately responsible for destroying the witch and making the castle and its occupants normal again. After that deed, "Tulip Kong" does not resume chasing Jack and Margaret or anyone else. Probably relieved that he fulfilled his previous vicarious wish to get rid of his witch mother, "Tulip Kong" lounges on the front castle steps. He resumes chasing Jack (and Crosby) a la Tom and Jerry only because they mercilessly taunt him and lure him to his death by falling off the beanstalk vine.

Again, this death was unnecessary. I would have preferred that Margaret had intervened and made friends with "Tulip Kong" in an attempt to rehabilitate and humanize him. After all, with his tremendous strength and agility, the giant would have made a useful castle companion and defender. Furthermore, Jack could have reconciled with his enemy and continued to visit the castle in the clouds. Instead, he chops down the beanstalk and loses access to that magical kingdom. A foolish decision. By not deviating from the classic plot climax, JATB 1974 misses the opportunity to show tolerance and understanding to those we consider "monsters". To paraphrase Dino DeLaurentiis, nobody cry when Hecuba "die", but when "Tulip Kong" die, people gonna cry.

P.S.: I would like to conclude with a few observations, questions, and goofs:

1. The movie establishes that Tulip can track Jack by smell ("I smell a hu-man!"). Therefore, when he is searching for Jack throughout the castle, why doesn't Tulip just sniff him out?
2. Tulip's size is somewhat inconsistent throughout JATB 1974. I think he was meant to be about 20-25 feet tall (again, Kong sized). But in comparison with the other characters, he shrinks and grows. For example, Hecuba (about 7 feet tall, I'd say) reaches just above Tulip's knee in some scenes, and up to Tulip's waist in others. When Tulip crushes her, she probably doesn't reach above his ankles. Margaret (about 5 feet tall, I'd say) sometimes reaches up to Tulip's waist as well. Jack (about 4 feet tall, I'd say) reaches up to Tulip's knee. When Tulip flicks away the charging foolhardy general with his fingers, he looks almost 50 feet tall!

3. Tulip is green-skinned like the Hulk. Perhaps the chapel was green during the wedding sequence to conceal that fact.

4. Hecuba wants to be queen. She has killed Margaret's parents. Why doesn't she get rid of Margaret from the beginning as well, instead of going through the wedding scheme? Okay, maybe it was to keep Tulip obedient, but during the wedding sequence, Hecuba daydreams that she becomes queen and turns Tulip and Margaret into mice!!! Why doesn't she do that in the first place? Did they need to be "married" for her magic to work?

5. Hecuba is a powerful elemental sorceress. However, she apparently had no defense against a size 35 EEEEEEEE moccasin coming at her from above.

6. Jack uses an axe to cut down the beanstalk and send Tulip plummeting. It takes him only one chop! He either hit a weak spot in the vine, or he doesn't know his own strength!

7. Tulip's colossal corpse has probably left a crater in the landscape (unless he vaporized on impact) and will attract scavengers and curious townspeople for miles around. The putrefying carcass will also stink up the land.

8. Jack brings two sacks full of gold and the magic golden laying hen back to his mother and sings a song about how he is responsible for making them rich. However, at the movie's end, they seem as poor as ever. Have they already spent all that money? Has the hen "gone dry", so to speak?

Jack & The Beanstalk Overview

Jack and his dog Crosby find a land of magic and mystery when they climb a magical beanstalk.

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Customer Reviews

Blast from the past.... - Matt Willimas - Virginia, United States
My dad found all sorts of great cartoons at the video rental store for us to watch growing up. This was one of them, and even to this day when I hear the name "Jack and the Beanstalk" this crazy, haunting movie comes to mind. Even as a kid I was no dummy, I knew they took alot of liberties with the story but I didn't really mind nor do I now. Normally I usually hate song numbers in cartoons but these are good songs...well except the dog's weird little caterwaul under the moon. That was really weird. My sister and I were always glued to the TV in the afternoon and evening after preschool/kindergarten let out and we watched this cartoon movie quite a bit. I don't ever remember being bored or having places lag in boredom, unlike suffering through Lady and the Tramp or Cinderella *ugh*. It was amusing watching the silly oaf of a Jack go off dancing, meeting that creepy dude on the road with the pipe organ, getting the seeds which his mother promptly throws out the window in anger. But then the musical number and animation of the beanstalk growing....wow, it was actually entertaining. The castle in the sky was haunting, breathtaking. Madamde Heckuva (or however you spell it)and her ugly giant of a son were creepy and downright bizarre (remember the windup toy of his mother that sang that Tulip had in his drawer?). The wedding scene had such a manic gothic song, it always kept me in suspense, wondering if Jack would get there in time to save the princess from marrying Tulip. My sister and I would laugh ourselves silly during the final music number where Jack drove Tulip insane with his antics.

Heh, good childhood memories. A truly exceptional case of taking a paint by the numbers fairytale and making it fun. :)

A trip in the wayback machine - H. Kitts - Arizona
OMG!!!! My brother drove me nuts watching this when we were kids. The songs do stay with you, for some reason "Tulip" and the chase scene have always stuck in my head but that might be because my brother would sing that song, lol. Someone has even posted clips from this on youtube! What a kicker!

Wonderfully unique adaptation of the classic story - Gregory N. Perkins - Frankfort, KY USA
This animated adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" is easily the best movie I have ever seen made of the fairytale. Daringly mature and loaded with memorable songs, it is also very perceptive and heartfelt.

It also breaks the mold by taking significant creative license with the tale, and the changes wrought on the storyline are so natural that it is almost easy to criticize the original telling. For instance, there is no poetry-spouting giant here, just a mean and frankly dumb behemoth looking to absolutely crush Jack for being in his castle and looking sideways at his bewitched bride, Princess Margaret. Princess Margaret herself represents another departure from the traditional telling of "Jack and the Beanstalk," and even adds a layer of heartache, tragedy and sophistication to this unexpectedly rich treatment. Princess Margaret's signature song "No One Is Happier Than I" is drenched in bittersweet irony, and would be at home in a wide range of movies.

Also featuring a creepily maternal witch and Jack's faithful hound Crosby, this particular adaptation of "Jack and the Beanstalk" is perfect.

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Sep 13, 2010 16:45:07

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Monday, September 13, 2010