Pre-Order Jack The Giant Killer (1962) (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

The link below will take you directly to the product on Amazon. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link.

https://www.amazon.com/Jack-the-Gia...65953&creativeASIN=B07C5HMXW4&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[haineshisway]

I'm sure Kino are blissfully unaware of the hilarious "musical" version of this film, but they should GET aware and include it as a bonus, just because.

EDIT: Well, blow me over with a dump truck, they're including it! Bravo, Kino.

 

[Keith Paynter]

It blows my mind how someone could make music from dialogue timing of Torin Thatcher’s delightfully hammy delivery, and give it to none other than Thurl Ravenscroft. His recording session must have been a nightmare!

“We have failed, master! We have failed!”

 

[Alan Tully]

The monster models are crude compered to Harryhausen's & no Bernard Herrmann music, but I think this captures the fairy tale vibe far better than The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad & The Three Worlds Of Gulliver, & I prefer it to those movies.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'm sure Kino are blissfully unaware of the hilarious "musical" version of this film, but they should GET aware and include it as a bonus, just because.

EDIT: Well, blow me over with a dump truck, they're including it! Bravo, Kino.

I was all set to just purchase one of the "better" DVD copies (I think the Legend release was WS) until I read this (I have MGM's 4:3 release). I've never seen the musical version but have read about it. Just having it as a bonus item was enough for me to spring for the Kino release instead and helps justify the added cost.

 

[Dick]

The monster models are crude compered to Harryhausen's & no Bernard Herrmann music, but I think this captures the fairy tale vibe far better than The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad & The Three Worlds Of Gulliver, & I prefer it to those movies.

Interesting take. It does, as you say, "capture the fairy tale vibe" quite well, but as you also indicate, the animated models are comparatively crude, which alone (for me) relegates JACK to second tier. 7th VOYAGE was, in 1958, and has been to this day, my childhood quintessential fantasy, and nothing has surpassed it. Period.

However, JACK still has a place in my Saturday matinee heart. Although no Bernard Herrmann, Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter turned out some wonderful music scores over the years and this was one of their best (available as a 2-CD set). Judi Meredith was simply a babe, even when she was her "evil self." The genie in a bottle was a cool gimmick, but the rhyming of his dialog grows old rather fast. Torin Thatcher again makes a good villain a la Sokura, and Kerwin Mathews another earnest hero with great man-monster eye lines. I particularly like the demon attack on the ship, which I think comes off rather well and has striking colors.

Unfortunately, the weakest element is the jerky animation of rather unfinished-looking puppets, something you can't accuse SINBAD of. But, if you were 12 years old in 1962, and watching this on a sweaty-hot afternoon in your air-conditioned local theater, it worked very well indeed.

 

[RolandL]

Standard version is zoomed in compared to the musical.

 

[Mark-P]

Standard version is zoomed in compared to the musical.

Or... The original version is properly framed and the musical version was optically reduced to show the image that was supposed to be covered up by the soundtrack. You will notice that in the comparison captures the right side of the the frame is pretty much identical but the left side (soundtrack area) shows a lot more image.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Or... The original version is properly framed and the musical version was optically reduced to show the image that was supposed to be covered up by the soundtrack. You will notice that in the comparison captures the right side of the the frame is pretty much identical but the left side (soundtrack area) shows a lot more image.

Go about halfway down this article for a possible/plausible explanation:

https://trailersfromhell.com/jack-the-giant-killer/

 

[Mark-P]

Go about halfway down this article for a possible/plausible explanation:

https://trailersfromhell.com/jack-the-giant-killer/

Yeah, that mostly ties in with what I was saying, though it means that the original theatrical framing was compromised. Apparently the effects shots were all shot and composed in silent aperture and then never properly adjusted for Academy which is why the original version has the left side cropped. And Kino's musical version shows the whole frame, but do they only do that on the effects shots or for the whole film?

 

[RolandL]

Yeah, that mostly ties in with what I was saying, though it means that the original theatrical framing was compromised. Apparently the effects shots were all shot and composed in silent aperture and then never properly adjusted for Academy which is why the original version has the left side cropped. And Kino's musical version shows the whole frame, but do they only do that on the effects shots or for the whole film?

Musical - not an effects shot and it's 1.66 not full frame 1.33

Standard - cropped on all sides except the right

 

[Mark-P]

Musical - not an effects shot and it's 1.66 not full frame 1.33


Standard - cropped on all sides except the right.

I should clarify. Based on the linked article Peter supplied, the effects shots used silent aperture WIDTH (perf to perf) and the non effects shots used Academy WIDTH (crop out soundtrack area). So it looks like the Kino's original version uses Academy framing (again width, not height) and and the Musical version silent framing. That makes neither correct. The effect shots are cropped and off center on the original and the non-effects shots are off center by showing too much information on the left side on the musical version. In any case none of it is Kino's fault, it's the way the final film has always been. And just for the record, I have no personal knowledge of any of this, I am just making conjecture based on the linked explanation.

 

[haineshisway]

I just want to understand something here - these caps - is RolandL making a judgment having seen the actual disc or just on these one-frame caps? Because if its the latter, well, I don't know what to say. Almost every shot in the musical "version" is manipulated in one way or another and you cannot judge ONE shot from a screen cap.

The transfer of the original is okay - nice color. But it's such a weak sister to the Harryhausen films and such an obvious rip-off of them in just about every way, including Mr. Matthews and Mr. Thatcher. However, the one key creative they didn't coerce is the one needed most - Bernard Herrmann. A score by him would have made this into an entirely different film, not a good one, but much more watchable, rather than the silly and pedestrian score by Sawtell and Shefter.

As to the musical, one can only assume that Mr. Charlap and those responsible were on some might potent pharmaceuticals. It is so wacko - I remember seeing it on early cable and dying of laughter - nothing's changed. Moose Charlap was a fine composer for Broadway, but oh dear Lord, it doesn't work here. And Sandy Stewart, who was a very good singer, should never put pen to paper as lyricist. But then again, she was Mrs. Charlap. There is so much futzing with the image in this version that once again I say - stop with the caps - see the transfer and you'll know exactly what's going on on ALL sides of the image.

 

[ahollis]

Jack The Giant Killer has been a favorite since my elementary school days. I watched it at summer kiddie matinees, watched it on TV, purchased VHS, purchased Laser Disc, purchased DVD, purchased Blu-ray. Until this release, I had never heard of the musical version. I feel I have lost out on years of pure horrible entertainment.