Amazon.com

Paul Newman has his glorious youthful swagger in this southern-fried melodrama, which marked his first picture with Joanne Woodward (they married after shooting ended). The script is a melange of William Faulkner stories, although it appears more under the influence of Tennessee Williams and Picnic than the Nobel Prize winner. Drifter Newman catches the eye of schoolmarm Woodward and her father, a rural Mississippi bigshot (Orson Welles). This is not one of Welles's better moments; he appears to be conducting make-up experiments. There is some enjoyable flapdoodle along the way, in the Freud-meets-Gone with the Wind manner of '50s southern cooking, but the ending is embarrassingly compromised. The same production team would leave out the box-office concessions a few years later on Hud. A studly Newman justifies this description of his character:"I wish I was Ben Quick. He's got the whole state of Mississippi to graze on." --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Steam Heat
I rated this film with four stars though on most measurable levels, it is worthy of maybe three. The plot is a montage, some say mish-mash of Faulkner's literary works. Still, the film works..... most of the time. Jerry Wald's production has 1950's sensibilities written all over it. A real strength of this film lies in the charismatic on-screen performance of young Paul Newman's Ben Quick and his incendiary relationship with Orson Welles' Will Varner. It is said the editing room had to re-do much of Welles' dialogue to make it intelligible for the audience. Whatever. I am fascinated by virtually every word uttered in Welles' quirky interpretation of a portly, gravelly voiced redneck hell-bent to leave his greasy thumbprint on all who would come under his influence. For 62 year old Varner to race about town in a Jeep as his personal conveyance of choice completes the picture of a man unbowed in the presence of all others. Eager to marry his daughter off to perpetuate his legacy, Will encouraged Ben anyway he could. In all things, he could be demanding and callous, yet in a rare display of affection, Will uncharacteristically and tenderly explained to his sensitive daughter Clara, (Joanne Woodward) "Sometimes the strong just rolls over the weak." Angela Lansbury played Minnie LittleJohn, a retired women of the evening. As an inevitable consequence of age, her world weariness and palpable sense of urgency that time was running out expedited a patient and sincere pursuit of Will for his hand in marriage. Richard Anderson portrayed Alan Stewart, Clara's long-time supposed suitor, an elegant, tasteful and honorable southern gentleman. Outed by an impatient Varner, and forced to declare his sexual orientation, he had to finally declare his unsuitability for Clara's hand in marriage. To me, the one miscast major actor in this film was Anthony Franciosa as Will's disaffected son, Jody. It was difficult for me to accept a dark and somewhat ethic Franciosa as a privileged son of the deep south, though Lee Remick positively shined as his highly desirable sexually charged wife Eula. The obvious on-screen chemistry shared of Newman and Woodward in "The Long, Hot Summer" is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Those were real sparks of passion arcing between them, the camera just documented the fireworks for posterity. Their highly charged scenes make the price of admission all the more reasonable and justification enough for me to rate this film with 4 stars.

A LONG HOT SIZZLER WITH EXTRAS TO BOOT
"The Long Hot Summer" was (for its time)a steamy study of sexual repression and sensual misbehavior. It starred Paul Newman as a drifter accused of barn burning who sets up house-keeping with the daughter (Joanne Woodward) of a rich plantation owner (Orson Welles). The on screen chemistry is certainly there and why not. This film just happened to be the catalyst for the real life romance between Newman and Woodward. Contextualizing the fact that the censors still reigned supreme during the time of its production, "The Long Hot Summer" still proved to be a smoldering, sexy drama fraught with tension and chaos.
THE TRANSFER: Fox has done a particularly nice job on remastering this movie. Yes, the flicker of scene changes (inherant in all early Cinemascope films)remains present and yes, color consistancy leaves something to be desired. But over all, colors are nicely balanced, if showing slight fading. Contrast and shadow levels are well represented. Pixelization, shimmering and edge enhancement, though all present, are kept to a bare minimum. The audio is Stereo surround and, even though considerably dated, still manages to have a hearty kick in all of the speakers.
EXTRAS: Very nice - the Backstory featurette that details the production of the film, a Paul Newman gallery, original movietone snippet and the film's theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a nice presentation and a pretty good film besides. At the extremely economical price that Fox has advertised it at, "The Long Hot Summer" is guaranteed to burn up your DVD player.

Infinitely superior to the Don Johnson remake.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The TV-movie version of "The Long, Hot Summer" suffers from miscasting (Judith Ivey was passable, but just, and I can't decide if Don Johnson's attempt to fill Paul Newman's shoes represents touching bravery or misguided arrogance), dreadful accents, and jarring anachronisms.
This film, the 1958 original, leaves it in the dust. Newman and Woodward generate palpable heat, and Orson Welles--clammy, jowly, bullfrog-voiced, crudely vigorous--is unforgettable as a classically bullying, overbearing Southern patriarch. In contrast to the pallid TV remake, it features a top cast whose work transcends the sometimes creaky melodrama of the plot. Nearly every white Southern archetype is brought to life: the brutish, domineering, castrating patriarch; the arch, charming, coyly seductive belle with hot pants; the aging good-time girl, simultaneously randy and prim, with her eye on the prize of a rich widower; the hotheaded but weak son and heir, cuckolded by his wife and utterly dominated by his father, whom he both adores and despises; the sharp-tongued old maid, smoldering with repressed fire, who just needs a "real man" to take the place of her suspiciously lukewarm long-term suitor; and, of course, the roguish, charming, sexy, potentially dangerous outsider, spiritual heir to Rhett Butler, who gets both the community and the heroine in a lather. There's even a lynch mob--chasing a white man, for a change.
Skip the TV-movie remake, which at best is a clunky imitation, in favor of the classic--if for no other reason than to see Paul Newman, at the peak of his beauty, in an undershirt. If that's not inducement enough, it's also marvelously cast, scripted, acted, and directed, and it captures Southern family dynamics with humor, pathos, and wince-inducing accuracy. Florence King would be proud. ... Read more

Amazon.com

At last--a great American movie available on video for the first time in its original aspect ratio. For all the slasher pictures that have ripped off Psycho (and particularly its classic set piece, the "shower scene"), nothing has ever matched the impact of the real thing. More than just a first-rate shocker full of thrills and suspense, Psycho is also an engrossing character study in which director Alfred Hitchcock skillfully seduces you into identifying with the main characters--then pulls the rug (or the bathmat) out from under you. Anthony Perkins is unforgettable as Norman Bates, the mama's boy proprietor of the Bates Motel; and so is Janet Leigh as Marion Crane, who makes an impulsive decision and becomes a fugitive from the law, hiding out at Norman's roadside inn for one fateful night. Psycho gets the masterpiece treatment it deserves on DVD, with extras including newsreel footage surrounding the making and release of the movie; an archive of production stills; the special trailer in which Hitchcock (acting as one of the original Universal Studio tour guides) himself leads viewers around the Bates place; credit designer Saul Bass's original "shower scene" story boards; posters and advertising materials for the movie's William Castle-like publicity campaign (No One Will Be Seated After the Feature Begins!); and a 90-minute documentary on the making of the film! What more could any movie fan possibly want? --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Reviews (319)

Hitchcock's Finest Film
Its amazing how still to this day, a movie made 40 years ago can continue to still scare you every time you view it. But thats exactly what Psycho does. The film never has a dull moment, and all its infamous scenes are just as startling as they were back in 1960. The story revolves around Marion Crane, searching to leave the big city, and live the american dream, she steals 40,000 dollars and travels to the outskirts of California. Along the way, she starts going a little paranoid after her boss sees her leaving the city, and she is chased by a local police officer. Overwhelmed by these feelings and the weather, she stops at the Bates Motel. The hotel, run by young Norman (Anthony Perkins in his finest role) has 12 open rooms. From here, the story starts to pick up. If you have never seen any scenes from Psycho, than the suprise you have will be amazing. There are plenty of plot twists and edge-of-your-seat moments. Hitchcocks directing is a high note. Just look at the scene between Marion and Norman in his parlor. The dialoug is great, directing is great and the acting is great. A all around great movie, and Hitchcocks best.

Don't Go Psycho after Watching "Psycho"
Director Alfred Hitchcock's movie, "Psycho" kept me at the edge of my seat throughout this classic thriller. Although the movie is in black and white, Hitchcock uses other special effects to add excitement. Not only that, but his wise choice of actors made the film that much more enjoyable. They portrayed the characters just as Hitchcock wanted them to. At the beginning of the movie, the plot is shifted in many directions. Hitchcock did an extraordinary job adding many twists into the story. "Psycho" is a famous, classical horror movie that will be a popular movie for many years to come.
Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he chose the characters that he did. Anthony Perkins, who played Norman Bates, used the perfect facial expressions and tone of voice to keep you guessing his innocence or guilt. When the investigator comes to his tiny, in-the-middle-of-nowhere hotel looking for Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), Perkins is nervous and stutters a lot. This suspicion leads you to believe he might have something to do with the disappearance of Marion, but in your head you're portraying Perkins as this nice, innocent hotel owner with great hospitality. Throughout the movie in many different scenes, Perkins uses very meaningful, evil, and friendly facial expressions that especially play out Bates' character. When Bates' is watching Marion through the window, you get the feeling that Bates' has something evil planned, but murder is not what jumped to my head right away.
Janet Leigh was another great actress for Hitchcock's film. She is a petite, vulnerable character that is marvelous for the role of a devious, suspicious blonde on the run with $40,000. I think Hitchcock knew what he was doing when he asked Leigh to be in his movie. It adds a whole other twist to the storyline.
The special effects make the movie outstanding all by themselves. One thing that really stands out in my mind is the soundtrack. The music adds to the horror and suspense of it all. Hitchcock selected music that terrifies you even if you weren't even looking at the screen. It really draws you into the scene like you're witnessing things firsthand.
Throughout the movie, the lighting and camera angles draw you in even more. Hitchcock uses outstanding shadows on the faces of the characters, and adds a dark, eerie glow to the dark nights at Bates' Motel. I especially liked the camera angles during the shower scene. Hitchcock zooms in really close, once again inviting the audience to be a part of the scene.
At the beginning of the movie, Marion Crane is with her boyfriend Sam, at a cheap motel over their lunch break. Unable to get married because Sam is still paying alimony to his ex-wife, Marion is drawn in to the perfect opportunity: She is trusted with $40,000 in which her boss orders her to take it to the bank at the end of the day. Instead, Marion flees the town to Sam's home in another town.
Tired from driving almost all through the night in a heavy rainstorm, Marion sees a hotel off the main highway and decides to stop. Here, she meets Norman Bates, the owner of the hotel. Being the nice hotel clerk that he appears to be, Norman offers Marion a late supper. She complies, and patiently waits for his return. In the meantime, she overhears Norman in an argument with his mother. This adds yet another twist in Hitchcock's film. After dinner, Marion tells Norman she wants to get cleaned up and get a good night's sleep, so he leaves, only to return later, leaving the audience in total shock after what comes next....
I think "Psycho" is an excellent horror film that will scare many viewers right out of the shower after watching it. Its constant mysteries and plot twists keep you thinking all the time. Although it may be quite gruesome, Hitchcock's film remains on my list for scariest movies of all time!

Not his BEST, but FULL of exciting scenes
I`ve seen this film numerous times and I have always found it a bit cold, made without passion. Sure the shower-scene in particular is a mind-blower, but Hitchcock was much better off in the suspense-genre... This story simply isn`t interesting enough. It reason may be that it always had a GREAT reputation and everyone who ever saw it knew if by heart and thus destroyed the first viewing of others... Another factor is that Janet Leigh is much 2 pretty and ladylike for her role. When I saw Anne Heche in the 1998 movie I realised that H E R Marion was indeed a low-life, tramp - sort of - who jumped at the chance of doing something stupid 2 her employer. Janet Leigh`s Marion is never at any moment stupid... Alas, Anne was much more satisfying, as were Viggo Mortensen and Julianne Moore.

John Gavin and Vera Miles are lifeless - cardboard stereotypes and that leaves us only with Martin Balsam and the great Anthony Perkins. THEY breath life into their characters and are the main reason I like this version. William Macy and Vince Vaughn repeated their roles, but eh..... hehehehe???????? Let there be silence. In 1983, Perkins reprised his role as Norman Bates to even better effect in the splendid PSYCHO II.

Mother says, "Watch this movie, or else!"
I don't know why it took me so long to review this film. Perhaps I've been extremely busy, but this creepy and memorable piece of cinema came into my mind a few days ago, and I haven't seen it in YEARS! Unsurprisingly though, I remember everything about it, as if I saw it yesterday. That's one of the many impacts PSYCHO has, no matter how many times it's viewed. (Just for the record, mine is three so far, which includes a USC screening with Hitchcock's own daughter and granddaughter providing a Q&A afterward.)

The master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock has outdone himself with this brilliant masterpiece. It's a taut, suspenseful little tale that paved the way for other thrillers and provided many firsts in cinema-

1) It was the first slasher film, EVER! Without PSYCHO, there would be no BLACK CHRISTMAS, no HALLOWEEN, no FRIDAY THE 13th, no SCREAM, etc. That's right folks, PSYCHO is the granddaddy of the slasher pic.

2) It was the first movie to show a woman (Janet Leigh) in just a bra and slip, an aspect used very cleverly by Hitchcock. In the opening scene, Marion Crane is wearing a white bra because Alfred Hitchcock wanted to show her as being "angelic". After she has taken the money, the following scene has her in a black bra because now she has done something wrong and evil. Similarly, before she steals the money, she has a white purse; after she's stolen the money, she carries a black one.

3) It was the first movie to show a flushing toilet on camera. This is a must know for any film buff.

Yup, PSYCHO did all those first. Learn it, live it, love it.

Anyway....Alfred Hitchcock anonymously bought the rights to Robert Bloch's great novel, for just $9,000. He then bought up as many copies of the novel as he could to keep the ending a secret. That's one of many things that made him so great. Hitchcock did take liberties when having the novel (which was more graphic) adapted, but they all work well. In Bloch's novel, Norman Bates is short, fat, older, and very dislikable. It was Hitchcock who decided to have him be young, handsome, and sympathetic. Norman is also more of a main character in the novel. The story opens with him and Mother fighting rather than following Marion from the start. I think that's one of the many reasons PSYCHO works so well. It also shocked audiences when Janet Leigh, who was advertized as the star, bit the dust a mere 50 minutes into the film. (SCREAM used this tactic by offing Drew Barrymore less than 15 minutes into the picture.)

The picture is filmed in black and white because Alfred Hitchcock believed the movie would be too gory for color. That adds to the creepiness and makes the film more effective, as the horrible colored remake proved.

A brilliant and much duplicated score by Hermann Bernard adds to the atmosphere and builds the suspense. Hitchcock originally envisioned the shower sequence as completely silent, but Bernard Herrmann went ahead and scored it anyway and Hitch immediately changed his mind. I couldn't imagine the movie any other way.

However, what makes PSYCHO truly immortal, when so many films are already half-forgotten, is that it connects directly with our innermost fears: Our fears that we might impulsively commit a crime, our fears of the police, our fears of becoming the victim of a madman, and of course our fears of disappointing our mothers.

Speaking of mothers, you wouldn't want to disappoint Norma Bates would you? I thought not, so see the film, before you make mother really angry....

Psycho (1960)
Alfred Hitchcock is definitely the most legendery film director of all time. His work is beyond amazing, without a doubt. Psycho is among the many greats of Alfred Hitchcock and will remain a classic.

Starting off in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, December 11th, 1960. The beautiful MARION CRANE (played by Janet Leigh) has rented a posh hotel room with her boyfriend, SAM LOOMIS (played by John Gavin), during her lunchbreak. Marion has to get back to work, while Sam has to get back to Fairvelle. Marion gets back to work a little late, but lucks out in knowing that her boss, GEORGE LOWERY (played by Vaughn Taylor) is late himself, for he is in a meeting. In comes George Lowery, following a businessman named, Tom Cassidy (played by Frank Albertson). He walks over to Marion and begins telling her about his 18-year old daughter tying the knot. He hands Marion $40,000, the money Mr. Cassidy will be using to buy his daughter a house as a wedding present. George invites Tom into his office and tells Marion to bank the $40,000 until the following Monday. Marion asks George for permission to take the rest of the day off because of her supposed headache and goes on her way.

While in her bedroom, Marion packs a suitcase and changes clothes. She so temptingly stares at the $40,000 and tries to restrain herself, but not for long, for, in one quick movement, she steals the $40,000 and heads out to her car. Seems as though that Marion is on her way to Fairvelle to see Sam. While at a red light, she notices George crossing in front of her. Unfortunately, he notices Marion, but Marion, as worried as she is about having being noticed, continues on her way. She drives into dusk until pulling over to sleep. The next morning, Marion is awakened by a suspicious cop. She nervously talks to the cop and goes on her way, as the cop follows her. She pulls into a dealership and requests to trade in her car for another. She makes her decision rather quickly and pays for it with her car, plus $700.

She drives on her through the morning, afternoon, and into dusk. Suddenly, it's starts to storm. She gets off a main road and finds The Bates Motel sitting quietly off the highway as if it were hidden from it. She gets out and sees nobody in the office. She looks up and finds a sinister looking house and notices, through a window, an elderly woman walking about. She beeps her car horn until someone comes running out. He finally comes to Marion's aide and takes her inside. The man who took Marion inside the office is NORMAN BATES (played by Anthony Perkins), a seemingly-sweet young man, who owns both the house and motel. He checks Marion in to cabin No. 1 because 'it's closer in case you want anything'. Marion says she wants sleep more than anything, except maybe some food. Norman invites her to the house for some sandwiches. As he goes off to make the sandwiches, Marion hears a woman, viciously yelling at Norman. The woman is the elderly woman Marion saw and it turns out that the woman is Norman's mother. Norman yells back and comes back into Marion's room. The two have supper in Norman's polar, which is located in the back of the office. The polar is decorated with stuffed birds. Turns out that Norman's hobby is taxidermy. They have a brief conversation, leading to Marion wanting to get some sleep. She goes off into her cabin and gets ready to take a shower. She steps in and begins washing herself. While in the middle of her shower, the curtain opens to reveal a dark figure of an elderly woman. Marion turns around and screams in fright as she is murdered in cold blood. The woman disappears and Norman comes in to erase the crime.

A week later, a young woman runs into Sam Loomis' store and demands to talk to Sam. Sam comes out and walks over to the young woman. The young woman is LILA CRANE (played by Vera Miles), Marion's curious sister. She tells Sam what Marion had done the Friday before. As Sam and Lila are talking about it, a private investigator by the name of MILTON ARBOGAST (played by Martin Balsam) comes in and begins talking to Sam and Lila about Marion. He goes off to investigate and comes across Norman and The Bates Motel. He questions Norman, but claims that Marion stayed overnight and left early the next morning. Arbogast then sees Norman's mother and asks to question her, but Norman refuses. Arbogast calls Lila and Sam, gives them the news and goes into the house to question Norman's mother, only to be killed by her.

Lila and Sam have been waiting for Arbogast to return for three hours. Sam drives up there, but finds no Arbogast, but only Norman's mother. He drives back to Lila and they visit SHERIFF AL CHAMBERS (played by John McIntire). Al and his wife, ELIZA CHAMBERS listen to Lila and Sam's story of Marion's disappearance and of Arbogast's disappearance. Sam says that when he went up there, he too noticed Norman's mother. Both Al and Eliza make them aware of the death of Norman's mother that happened ten years earlier. Sam is certain of seeing Norman's mother in the house. The next morning, Lila and Sam drive up to the motel and decide to check in as man and wife, in order to search the motel. They are checked in by Norman. They settle in and begin searching Cabin No.1 and find that it was occupied by Marion. Sam tells Lila to take the job of questioning Mrs. Bates, while he distracts Norman. Lila enters Norman's fruitcellar, only to see that Mrs. Bates is dead, as the real killer is finally revealed. If you're wise, you'll take showers with the curtains open forever. ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Poor Man's Harryhausen Film
I don't mean to berate the great Jim Danforth, but this is an extremely low budget rip-off of The 7TH Voyage of Sinbad. The legend is that producer Edward Small turned down Harryhausen's pitch for 7th Voyage. Ray went to Columbia, and the finished product was a huge hit, making 12 mill in America alone in 1958!!
Small probably kicked himself a few times, and decided to make an exact duplicate of the film at MGM. He hired the same director (Nathan Juran) and same stars (Kerwin Mathews and Torin Thatcher).Unfortunately, the animation models were not of the quality of Sinbad, and the stop motion is rushed (Small had a very tight budget. The result is a fun film for kids, but fantasy film fanatics do not regard this as a classic. Jack (Mathews) must rescue a possessed Princess from an evil sorcerer who wants to take over the Kingdom.
Columbia actually sued Small for ripping off Sinbad, and the film remained in limbo for many years. In the late 80's, MGM turned the movie into a musical!!!!!! They dubbed over dialogue and made it look like the characters are singing! This version was shown on the Disney channel for a few years, and it is a sight to behold. In the mid ninties, MGM restored the film for a VHS release, and now the "widescreen" DVD. There is some controversy regarding the films original aspect ratio (see stopmotionanimation.com).
Kids will enjoy, but stop motion fans regard this film as a footnote in history.

"Special Place of Honor"
MGM/UA/s PREVIOUS release (VHS and Laser Disc) of "Jack the Giant Killer" was, in fact,the ORIGINAL NON-MUSICAL version (thank god), even though the box described it as "Complete with musical songs..". If the current version IS the musical, AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS;...it is trash! However, if it is the original NON-musical version, then buy and enjoy it!

Yes, producer Edward Small deliberately imitated Harryhausens' "7th Voyage of Sinbad" (which Small had actually turned down in the mid-50's; when "Sinbad" went on to reap huge profits, Small was kicking himself and thus set out to produce his "own" version). Yes, the animation isn't as polished as Harryhausen's......yes, the production values were not as high... But "Jack" is still something that Harryhausen films could never be....ENGAGING on a human level...fresh, quick-moving, genuinely enchanting. The crude animation, in a way, adds to the charm of the film, which manages to capture the essential fantasy, fairy-tale world in a way which Harryhausen's humorless, heavy-handed approach could not.

Kerwin Matthews is, as always, sincere and engaging, Torin Thatcher is more controlled than in "Sinbad", Dayton Lummis is a cool King Mark, Barry Kelley is a hoot as Sigurd the Viking. Don Beddoe...always a fine, understated actor, here performs wonders of subtlety and telling characterization while stuck inside a giant prop bottle. Even Robert Gist, who portrayed "Hal" (Jack Buchanan's side-kick) in "The Band Waqon" turns up briefly as the ill-fated ship's captain. And, of course, my FAVORITE character actor of all time...the underrated, forgotten WAlter Burke plays Garna, Pendragon's henchman, in his usual skilled way (Anyone ever seen him in the episode of "Ben Casey" called "The Men Who Raised Rabbits?"-he's superb). Only Anna Lee's "witch" scene is embarrasingly bad, as is the bulk of Judy Meredith's Princess Elaine (she was Frank Sinatra's main squeeze at the time the principal photography was done (Summer, 1960).

Yes....the music of Paul Sawtell is no match for Herrmann's "7th Voyage" score, but it is rousing, tuneful and, in the case of the mechanical doll dance, absolutely enchanting. The final harpy scene (designed and animated by Jim Danforth) is first-rate, the Wah Chang-designed giants are bizarre and fantastic, the witches, who due to complications during filming were never realized on screen as the designers intended, are still cool in a child-like, imaginative way (a "Fish" witch?..a "Bunny" witch?...a mini-Godzilla witch with a harp-like mouth that emits a gale-force wind....? ).

And those rockin', swaying' KNights of the Dragon's Teeth, always my favorite sequence and, as director Nathan Juran said, a scene which "didn't contain one dollar's worth of special effects" (!)....just stop & start the camera, explode some powder, march in those Knights, and add Sawtell's mechanized music....voila! .....another simple, exciting fantasy sequence that keeps the film bubbling along.

Yeah, I know it ain't Citizen Kane.....but "Jack The Giant Killer" gets my "Special Place of Honor" award; I saw it on its first release when I was 11, and it became the final, yet most endearing example of cinematic magic (next to "The Wizard of OZ")that I was ever to experience as a child.

Generally sharp DVD
The DVD is free of blemishes and is quite colorful; however, some images are pale, no doubt due to the aging of the original materials. This is especially apparent in composite shots where the models look bright but the backgrounds don't. Probably the best this film is going to look.

We have failed master, we have failed.
I grew up and loved the musical version of this film as shown on the disney channel. I was disappointed to learn that only the dry and humorless version has been released on dvd. The masters at GoodTimes DVD made a crippling mistake and failed miserably by not making this version the musical version. This version of the movie is not worth the mere $4.95 that it costs here. The layer that the music adds is priceless...I watched the musical version of the movie with my girlfriend, and it was like falling in love all over again. You don't get that feeling from the original version.

I'm planning on doing my own transfer of the musical version from VHS to DVD (for personal uses only, sorry guys, you're just going to have to wait until they come out with the musical version. I bet you're jealous.) I'm also going to add a special feature that will allow me to loop the songs over and over again, and I'll be singing "a spectacle" until the wee hours of the morning. Non-musical version=1 star. Musical-version=5 stars.

Sadly this is not the horrifically wonderful Musical version
The obviously over-dubbed musical numbers which elevate this film into a comedy classic are sadly missing from this DVD version. The insipid acting, asinine dialogue, goofy clay monsters, even the appearence of a chipanzee. All this hilarious comic potential seems wasted without the "positive" and "inspirational" musical numbers. I mean come on people, "We have failed master, we have failed" it's a freaking classic! Wake up!
Looks like it's back to that worn VHS copy of the musical version I taped off T.V. (musical version = five stars) ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Poor Man's Harryhausen Film
I don't mean to berate the great Jim Danforth, but this is an extremely low budget rip-off of The 7TH Voyage of Sinbad. The legend is that producer Edward Small turned down Harryhausen's pitch for 7th Voyage. Ray went to Columbia, and the finished product was a huge hit, making 12 mill in America alone in 1958!!
Small probably kicked himself a few times, and decided to make an exact duplicate of the film at MGM. He hired the same director (Nathan Juran) and same stars (Kerwin Mathews and Torin Thatcher).Unfortunately, the animation models were not of the quality of Sinbad, and the stop motion is rushed (Small had a very tight budget. The result is a fun film for kids, but fantasy film fanatics do not regard this as a classic. Jack (Mathews) must rescue a possessed Princess from an evil sorcerer who wants to take over the Kingdom.
Columbia actually sued Small for ripping off Sinbad, and the film remained in limbo for many years. In the late 80's, MGM turned the movie into a musical!!!!!! They dubbed over dialogue and made it look like the characters are singing! This version was shown on the Disney channel for a few years, and it is a sight to behold. In the mid ninties, MGM restored the film for a VHS release, and now the "widescreen" DVD. There is some controversy regarding the films original aspect ratio (see stopmotionanimation.com).
Kids will enjoy, but stop motion fans regard this film as a footnote in history.

"Special Place of Honor"
MGM/UA/s PREVIOUS release (VHS and Laser Disc) of "Jack the Giant Killer" was, in fact,the ORIGINAL NON-MUSICAL version (thank god), even though the box described it as "Complete with musical songs..". If the current version IS the musical, AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS;...it is trash! However, if it is the original NON-musical version, then buy and enjoy it!

Yes, producer Edward Small deliberately imitated Harryhausens' "7th Voyage of Sinbad" (which Small had actually turned down in the mid-50's; when "Sinbad" went on to reap huge profits, Small was kicking himself and thus set out to produce his "own" version). Yes, the animation isn't as polished as Harryhausen's......yes, the production values were not as high... But "Jack" is still something that Harryhausen films could never be....ENGAGING on a human level...fresh, quick-moving, genuinely enchanting. The crude animation, in a way, adds to the charm of the film, which manages to capture the essential fantasy, fairy-tale world in a way which Harryhausen's humorless, heavy-handed approach could not.

Kerwin Matthews is, as always, sincere and engaging, Torin Thatcher is more controlled than in "Sinbad", Dayton Lummis is a cool King Mark, Barry Kelley is a hoot as Sigurd the Viking. Don Beddoe...always a fine, understated actor, here performs wonders of subtlety and telling characterization while stuck inside a giant prop bottle. Even Robert Gist, who portrayed "Hal" (Jack Buchanan's side-kick) in "The Band Waqon" turns up briefly as the ill-fated ship's captain. And, of course, my FAVORITE character actor of all time...the underrated, forgotten WAlter Burke plays Garna, Pendragon's henchman, in his usual skilled way (Anyone ever seen him in the episode of "Ben Casey" called "The Men Who Raised Rabbits?"-he's superb). Only Anna Lee's "witch" scene is embarrasingly bad, as is the bulk of Judy Meredith's Princess Elaine (she was Frank Sinatra's main squeeze at the time the principal photography was done (Summer, 1960).

Yes....the music of Paul Sawtell is no match for Herrmann's "7th Voyage" score, but it is rousing, tuneful and, in the case of the mechanical doll dance, absolutely enchanting. The final harpy scene (designed and animated by Jim Danforth) is first-rate, the Wah Chang-designed giants are bizarre and fantastic, the witches, who due to complications during filming were never realized on screen as the designers intended, are still cool in a child-like, imaginative way (a "Fish" witch?..a "Bunny" witch?...a mini-Godzilla witch with a harp-like mouth that emits a gale-force wind....? ).

And those rockin', swaying' KNights of the Dragon's Teeth, always my favorite sequence and, as director Nathan Juran said, a scene which "didn't contain one dollar's worth of special effects" (!)....just stop & start the camera, explode some powder, march in those Knights, and add Sawtell's mechanized music....voila! .....another simple, exciting fantasy sequence that keeps the film bubbling along.

Yeah, I know it ain't Citizen Kane.....but "Jack The Giant Killer" gets my "Special Place of Honor" award; I saw it on its first release when I was 11, and it became the final, yet most endearing example of cinematic magic (next to "The Wizard of OZ")that I was ever to experience as a child.

Generally sharp DVD
The DVD is free of blemishes and is quite colorful; however, some images are pale, no doubt due to the aging of the original materials. This is especially apparent in composite shots where the models look bright but the backgrounds don't. Probably the best this film is going to look.

We have failed master, we have failed.
I grew up and loved the musical version of this film as shown on the disney channel. I was disappointed to learn that only the dry and humorless version has been released on dvd. The masters at GoodTimes DVD made a crippling mistake and failed miserably by not making this version the musical version. This version of the movie is not worth the mere $4.95 that it costs here. The layer that the music adds is priceless...I watched the musical version of the movie with my girlfriend, and it was like falling in love all over again. You don't get that feeling from the original version.

I'm planning on doing my own transfer of the musical version from VHS to DVD (for personal uses only, sorry guys, you're just going to have to wait until they come out with the musical version. I bet you're jealous.) I'm also going to add a special feature that will allow me to loop the songs over and over again, and I'll be singing "a spectacle" until the wee hours of the morning. Non-musical version=1 star. Musical-version=5 stars.

Sadly this is not the horrifically wonderful Musical version
The obviously over-dubbed musical numbers which elevate this film into a comedy classic are sadly missing from this DVD version. The insipid acting, asinine dialogue, goofy clay monsters, even the appearence of a chipanzee. All this hilarious comic potential seems wasted without the "positive" and "inspirational" musical numbers. I mean come on people, "We have failed master, we have failed" it's a freaking classic! Wake up!
Looks like it's back to that worn VHS copy of the musical version I taped off T.V. (musical version = five stars) ... Read more

Description

To get his ranch out of dire financial straits, Gene reluctantly goes toHollywood to make a movie. But his real troubles begin on his return when everyonefinds out he#s the voice of Ding Dong the animated singing donkey#and his nemesis triesto drive him to ruin. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Pleasant Autry Musical
Back from the war, and still under contract to Republic Pictures, Gene Autry made a few more films for that studio before switching to a more lucrative relationship with Columbia. Of the five Republic movies Gene made after the war, "Sioux City Sue" was the first, and some feel the best. While not on a par with his classic Republic films of the late thirties, "Sioux City Sue" still provides enjoyable entertainment for fans of filmdom's greatest singing cowboy. There are many good western songs featured in this movie sung by Gene and the Cass County Boys ( when Gene moved to Columbia, he was smart enough to take the "boys" with him ), including "Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" and the catchy title song.

The plot is very slight--Gene is manipulated by an unscrupulous movie studio and has to deal with a bitter, former cowhand from his ranch--but Gene's personality and relaxed vocal stylings overshadow any shortcomings. Lynne Roberts is an attractive leading lady. On the other hand, Sterling Holloway is downright annoying--he is not really a sidekick in this movie, but his silly over-acting and mannerisms get far too much screen-time. Great character actors like Tris Coffin and Kenne Duncan are wasted in minor roles.

Bottom line--this film is still good fun for fans of "America's Favourite Cowboy", and as usual Image gives us as pristine a picture as one could expect.

Those Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
A highly enjoyable Autry western, boosted by a spirited supporting cast, a non-formula script, and a sprinkling of very listenable songs including the delightful title number. Autry was always an unlikely cowboy hero, short, stout, and wooden, yet his way with a song was always pleasant and natural, while his horsemanship and fight scenes were as convincing as any. His secret of success may well have been his ordinariness. Unlike a towering John Wayne, Crash Corrigan, or innumerable other icons of the Saturday matinee, Autry was always within reach of the audience, a reassuring nearness for those of us who knew we would never grow into the boots of a Wayne or Corrigan. Anyway, I suppose the audience for this kind of innocent bucholic fun dwindles each year as we matinee kids age and shuffle off, leaving such fare to film historians and curiosity seekers. Historians should find this film particularly revealing for its behind-the-scenes look at the making of musical westerns, and also for a fluttery Sterling Holloway, a most unlikely comic relief for the macho western, which, I suppose, amounted to someone's comment on the film industry since he appears as a production assisstant. The leading lady also goes against type. A hard-driving studio scout, who overshadows the laid-back Autry, she defies patriarchal expectations by remaining with the studio at film's end. All in all, this programmer rises above the low expectations of a cowboy movie and remains well worth a look on several levels.

ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!
THIS PICTURE JUST GOES TO PROVE THAT GENE AUTRY WAS STILL COWBOY #1 EVEN AFTER HIS RETURN FROM THE WAR. WAS THEN AND STILL IS NOW!

The best of the post-WWII Autry movies
This is probably the best of the the Post-WW2 Autry movies from a music standpoint. Many of the songs were hits for him and are delivered by a more mature Autry. The Cass County Boys do an excellent job of supporting him musically. The quality of this uncut video is excellent and the sound is above average for a reissue. A 'must have' for those who collect singing cowboy music and films. ... Read more