Jack and the Beanstalk (1974 film)
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| Jack and the Beanstalk | |
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 Japanese poster for the film |
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| Japanese | ジャックと豆の木 |
| Hepburn | Jakku to Mame no Ki |
| Directed by | Gisaburō Sugii |
| Produced by | Mikio Nakata |
| Screenplay by | Shūji Hirami |
| Starring | Masachika Ichimura Linda Yamamoto |
| Music by | Takashi Miki |
| Cinematography | Kazu Moriyama |
| Editing by | Masashi Furukawa[1] |
| Studio | Group TAC Nippon Herald Films |
| Distributed by | Nippon Herald Films (Japan)[2] Columbia Pictures (United States) |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 96 minutes[3] |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
Jack and the Beanstalk (ジャックと豆の木 Jakku to Mame no Ki) is a 1974 Japanese animated feature film produced by Group TAC and Nippon Herald Films and directed by Gisaburō Sugii. Styled after classical Western animation, it is a musical fantasy based on the fairy tale of the same name with the screenplay by Shūji Hirami, music organization by Yū Aku and songs and score composed and arranged by Takashi Miki with Shun'ichi Tokura and Tadao Inōe.[2] It was released in Japan on July 20, 1974[3] and in the United States by Columbia Pictures in 1974.[4]
The feature is both Group TAC's first and the first directed by Sugii and particularly unusual in the nature of its Western influence, which extends to animation being assigned by character (rather than by scene as it is conventionally in Japan)[5] and the eclecticism of its soundtrack, which includes examples of kayōkyoku pop, progressive, funk and hard rock, enka and other genres.[2] It is sometimes confused with Tōei's Jack and the Witch, thanks to their similarly-named title characters, and should also not be confused with the 1993 OVA directed by Kōji Morimoto of the same name and tale.
Plot
When Jack climbs the beanstalk, he finds himself at a creepy castle in the Land of the Clouds, with a beautiful princess, people turned into mice, an evil witch hellbent on becoming Queen, and her slow and ugly son, the giant. Jack must save the princess from the witch's evil plans and help restore the Land of the Clouds to its former glory.
Characters
- Jack (ジャック Jakku)
- Key animated by: Shigeru Yamamoto; Voiced by: Masachika Ichimura (Japanese), Billie Lou Watt (English)
- Margaret (マーガレット Māgaretto)
- Key animated by: Tsuneo Maeda; Voiced by: Linda Yamamoto (Japanese), Corinne Orr (English)
- Old bean-seller
- Voiced by: Kō Nishimura
- Prince Tulip the giant (巨人(チューリップ) Kyojin (Chūrippu))
- Key animated by: Teruhito Ueguchi; Voiced by: Hiroshi Mizushima (Japanese), Jack Grimes (English)
- Madam Noir (ノワール夫人 Nowāru-fujin), Madame Hecuba (English)
- Key animated by: Kazuko Nakamura; Voiced by: Kirin Kiki
- Crosby (グロスビー Gurosubī)
- Key animated by: Takateru Miwa; Voiced by: Kazuo Kamimura (Japanese), Jack Grimes (English)[6]
- Harp (たて琴 Tategoto)
- Key animated by: Kanji Akahori; Voiced by: Nobue Ichitani
- Mother (おっ母)
- Voiced by: Miyoko Asō
- Paper priest (紙の司祭 Kami no shisai)
- Voiced by: Takeshi Kusaka
- Kōjō (口上)
- Voiced by: Tonpei Hidari
- Mii (ミイ)
- Key animated by: Toshio Hirata
- Mice (ねずみたち Nezumi-tachi)
- Key animated by: Toshio Hirata
- The beanstalk (豆の木 Mame no ki)
- Key animated by: Kanji Akahori[2]
Production
It is the first feature directed by Sugii or animated by Group TAC and the second film under that arrangement, following as it did the just previously produced half-hour educational film The History of Mutual Aid: The Story of Life Insurance.[7]
Release
As of July 2011, a transfer of the film is available on DVD-Video with both the English and Japanese audio but only dubtitles from Hen's Tooth Video UPC 759731409421.[8]
Soundtrack
ミュージカル・ファンタジィ“ジャックと豆の木” was released in Japan on July 1974. Catalog# AQ-4001.[9]
Track listing
- タイトル・口上（左 とん平）
- 朝の歌（ジャックと豆の木・オリジナルキャスト）
- 生きて行くきまり（ア・ティムス）
- 豆売りの曲
- 奇跡の歌（山本リンダ）
- 完全にしあわせ（山本リンダ）
- 私は何でも知っている（一谷伸江）
- 食べては駄目よ（一谷伸江）
- チューのスキャット（ア・ティムス＋ジャックと豆の木・オリジナルキャスト）
- お前はみにくい（悠木千帆<＝樹木希林>）
- おあいにくさま（市村正親）
- これが成功の道（上村一夫）
- これが男の道（上村一夫）
- 長い間の夢（悠木千帆）
- 愛してますか（日下武史）
- もとへ戻りなさい（ア・ティムス）
- 巨人さんこちら（市村正親）
- さよならジャック（山本リンダ＋ジャックと豆の木・オリジナルキャスト）
- 追い出しの歌（左 とん平）
Reception
The English-dubbed version received mixed opinion from U.S. critics. Henry Herx wrote in his Family Guide to Movies on Video: "Its songs are insipid and the animation rather primitive[;] still it moves along at a lively enough pace and may amuse younger children."[10] Richard Eder of The New York Times remarked: "The lines are blurry, the colors muddy, and the action is blocklike. When the characters' lips move up and down, the words come out sideways." He ended his short review with this comment: "It is the kind of thing grandfathers are sent out to send their grandchildren to. They will sit silently, side by side, and a quiet loathing will come up between them."[11] In 2010, Michael R. Pitts said that the songs are "forgettable".[12] Conversely, the writers of Jerry Beck's Animated Movie Guide hailed it as "A successful Japanese emulation of American fairy tale theatrical cartoon features with many delightful songs", and gave it four stars.[13]
References
- ^ "ジャックと豆の木とは - 映画情報 Weblio辞書". Weblio.jp. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ a b c d The original, Japanese-language version film itself.
- ^ a b "ジャックと豆の木". Jmdb.ne.jp. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ "Los Angeles Anime Festival". Anime News Network. April 16, 2003. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Two pioneer women animators". Pelleas.net. 2006-11-11. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ Jack and the Beanstalk at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "The History of Mutual Aid". Pelleas.net. 2010-11-27. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ "Family/children". Hen's Tooth Video. Retrieved 2012-02-25.
- ^ "ミュージカル・ファンタジィ"ジャックと豆の木"" (in Japanese). Anison Generation. Retrieved 2012-06-24.
- ^ Herx, Henry (1988). "Jack and the Beanstalk". The Family Guide to Movies on Video. The Crossroad Publishing Company. p. 136 (pre-release version). ISBN 0-8245-0816-5.
- ^ Eder, Richard (April 16, 1976). "The Screen: 'Beanstalk'". The New York Times. p. 11.
- ^ Pitts, Michael R. (2010). "Jack and the Beanstalk". Columbia Pictures Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Films, 1928–1982. McFarland & Company. pp. 118–119. ISBN 0-7864-4447-9. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
- ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). "Jack and the Beanstalk". The Animated Movie Guide. Chicago Reader Press. pp. 125–126. ISBN 1-55652-591-5.
External links
- Jack to Mame no Ki: Animemorial
- AniPages Daily: Jack and the Beanstalk
- Cartoon Brew TV #12: Anime Trailers
- Jack to Mame no Ki: Television Tropes & Idioms
- English version trailer
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