This short, nominated for an Oscar, follows Jack from humble biginnings to his "success", outlining the steps along the way. The National Film Board of Canada produced this thoughtful and provoctive little short, which is moderately difficult to obtain, unless one is Canadian. In print through the NFBC itself, you can go to their website (I don't recall the address at the moment) to find ordering instructions. I found the site by searching for the National Film Board of Canada. Well worth the effort. Recommended.
4 Reviews
Conventionality
Varlaam7 July 1999
This National Film Board cartoon uses the Jack and the Beanstalk motif to attack the uniformity of the middle class. That is a fairly easy target, and hardly an original one. In fact, that very same theme, with imagery not dissimilar to that employed in this short, appeared in "Little Boxes", a song written by Malvina Reynolds and released both by herself and by Pete Seeger in the mid '60's, prior to the release of "The House That Jack Built".
This cartoon promotes the facile notion that being rich is really no better than being poor. Comforting thought, yes. True, no.
With its conventional approach to conventional themes, this film about conformity manages to become the object of its own opprobrium, its award nominations notwithstanding.
This cartoon promotes the facile notion that being rich is really no better than being poor. Comforting thought, yes. True, no.
With its conventional approach to conventional themes, this film about conformity manages to become the object of its own opprobrium, its award nominations notwithstanding.
The House That Jack Built
Hitchcoc16 October 2021
This is a prototypical 1960's idea that often we are unhappy with our lives, but the alternative can be devastating. Riding the coattails of Jack and the Beanstalk, Jacques sell his wrecked car for some magic beans. He meets Mr. Giant (who is smaller than he is) and steals a magic mirror which drives him to be a ruthless businessman. Not particularly original, but it has its moments.
Wow, as for animation, the 1960s really sucked....
planktonrules11 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I know that my summary sounds pretty harsh, but in the history of animation, the 1960s were not particularly good...no, actually this period sucked. Unlike animation of the 1940s and into the 50s, these "modern" cartoons emphasized splashy backgrounds over meticulously painted ones. They also used very low frame-rates--also for the sake of economy. I know that my rather harsh reviews of many 1960s cartoons may put off some people, but the bottom line is that technically speaking, they are rather ugly and haven't the timeless quality of earlier cartoons.
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT ("Le Maison de Jan-Jacques") is indicative of this newly discovered economy in animation. While it has the same low frame-rates and splashy (i.e., cheap and simple) backgrounds, it has the distinction of being Oscar-nominated--meaning its among the BEST of the year--which is a tad sad.
The film is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk but instead of the traditional story, it is set in the present age of industrialization. Jack is a working class drone and once he climbs the beanstalk, he finds that Mr. Giant has a motivational mirror--one that tells you that you are the best and the strongest and the most talented. With this mirror, Jack is able to become rich and successful and miserable.
The moral of the story is that money and power suck. It's not a bad tale but certainly not a great one. Adequacy, at best, is its hallmark.
THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT ("Le Maison de Jan-Jacques") is indicative of this newly discovered economy in animation. While it has the same low frame-rates and splashy (i.e., cheap and simple) backgrounds, it has the distinction of being Oscar-nominated--meaning its among the BEST of the year--which is a tad sad.
The film is a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk but instead of the traditional story, it is set in the present age of industrialization. Jack is a working class drone and once he climbs the beanstalk, he finds that Mr. Giant has a motivational mirror--one that tells you that you are the best and the strongest and the most talented. With this mirror, Jack is able to become rich and successful and miserable.
The moral of the story is that money and power suck. It's not a bad tale but certainly not a great one. Adequacy, at best, is its hallmark.
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