Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story (TV 2001)

The bones of a giant are discovered turing Jack Robinson's life upside down, teaching him the truth behind the fairy tale and how he can fix a greedy ancestor's mistakes.

Director:

Brian Henson

Writers:

James V. Hart (story), Brian Henson (story),

Stars:

Matthew Modine, Vanessa Redgrave, Mia Sara

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Modine	...	Jack Robinson (Johnathan William Duncan Robinson)
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Countess Wilhelmina, Matriarch / Narrator
Mia Sara	...	Ondine
Daryl Hannah	...	Thespee, Member Great Council of Mac Slec
Jon Voight	...	Siggy (Sigfried Mannheim), Overseas Div. Director for Robinson Intl.
Richard Attenborough	...	Magog, Arbiter of Justice Great Council of Mac Slec
Bill Barretta	...	Thunderdell
Honor Blackman	...	Jules, Jack's Secretary
JJ Feild	...	Young Jack
Jonathan Hyde	...	Dussan, Jack's Butler
Anton Lesser	...	Vidas Merlinis, Research Scientist
Julia McKenzie	...	Jack's Mum
Frank Baker	...	Forensic Doctor
Josh Cole	...	Operator 1
Richard Cubison	...	Curious Patron

Storyline

Jack Robinson is a wealthy business man with no time for anything but work. However, a family curse is looming over him - no man in the Robinson line ever lives past the age of thirty. With his upcoming birthday appears the remains of literally giant skeleton and a mysterious woman who claims to have once known the giant. Jack decides to go with her to another world where all is revealed to him along with the story of his ancestor, the original Jack and the Beanstalk. In order to save his own life and the world of the giants, Jack must right the wrongs of the past and return the magical harp and goose that lays the golden eggs to their rightful home.

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Plot Keywords:

giant | fairy tale | fairy | harp | goose | 

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Taglines:

What if the fairy tale were true?

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Genres:

Drama | Adventure | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 December 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Verdadeira História de João E o Pé de Feijão

Filming Locations:

Bray Film Studios, Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Entertainment, Jim Henson Company, The, Jim Henson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 174 min (2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Jack visits Stoker's Pub, the curling match taking place on the TV in the background is the final from the 2000 World Curling Championships which was held in Glasgow, Scotland. The match was between the team skipped by Peja Lindholm of Sweden, and the eventual winner Greg McAulay of Canada.

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Connections

Version of Faerie Tale Theatre: Jack and the Beanstalk (1983)

User Reviews

Entertaining

Corporate head Jack Robinson is about to discover that fairytales are very real in this revisionist take on `Jack and the Beanstalk'.

The film starts off well, with Jack (Matthew Modine) discovering that life isn't as straightforward as he thought. A nice atmosphere is created as a mysterious woman, Ondine (Mia Sara looking very cute), appears dropping dire hints as to his family's secret. Eventually Jack discovers the truth behind his wealth, and finds out that it is up to him to put things right.

The `real world' segments of this movie tend to work best, as Jack struggles to come to terms with his discovery that fairy tales are true, with the `fantasy land' segments - mainly due to some variable effects - actually detracting from the sense of wonder. While most of the performances are fine (though Modine occasionally seems to be playing Scott Bakula), the guy playing the original Jack is fairly dire.

What really makes the story work is the idea that fairy tales are history dressed up to be palatable to us (and of course not necessarily reliably related history), and the way that we might exploit magic if it were available to us.

Well worth a watch for fantasy/fairy tale fans, or if you liked the superior `The 10th Kingdom'.