Soldier Jack or the Man Who Caught Death in a Sack

Name: Soldier Jack or The Man Who Caught Death in a Sack
Genre: Short
Duration: 40 min
Rating: 7.3
Cast: Floyd King, Mark Jaster, Nancy Robinette

Original title: Soldier Jack or The Man Who Caught Death in a Sack

1989
40m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

YOUR RATING

Soldier Jack or the Man Who Caught Death in a Sack (1989)

Short

Adapted from an Appalachian Jack Tale set in the late 1940s, this tale follows a World War II veteran named Jack who, in return for an act of kindness, receives two magical gifts: a sack tha... Read allAdapted from an Appalachian Jack Tale set in the late 1940s, this tale follows a World War II veteran named Jack who, in return for an act of kindness, receives two magical gifts: a sack that can catch anything and a jar that can show whether a sick person will recover or die. Ja... Read allAdapted from an Appalachian Jack Tale set in the late 1940s, this tale follows a World War II veteran named Jack who, in return for an act of kindness, receives two magical gifts: a sack that can catch anything and a jar that can show whether a sick person will recover or die. Jack becomes a national hero when he rescues the president's daughter from a serious illness... Read all

Director
- Tom Davenport
Stars

See production, box office & company info

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

YOUR RATING

1User review

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See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Trivia
Final film of Prentiss Rowe (the President).

Connections
Followed by Ashpet: An American Cinderella (1990)

User reviews1

Review

Featured review

8/10

A Wonderful Folktale

Back in the 1970's and 80's,Tom and Mimi Davenport made a series of short films based on several of the Brother's Grimm fairy tales.

The films were shown regularly on PBS in the late 80's and early 90's. If you're a product of Generation X such as myself, you'll remember many of these shorts.

All of them were finely crafted. The acting, editing, cinematography etc. Everything is really well done. They capture the essence of the fairy tale being told perfectly.

"Soldier Jack" however, I feel is probably their best work. It has the perfect blend of humor, scares, and moral messaging all wrapped up nice and neat for the viewer.

Currently you can rent this tale along with others on Prime or catch it for free from the Folkstreams website. It's really worth checking out. I just watched it recently after hunting for it for literal decades for the title eluded me. And it still holds up - so it's not just nostalgia or rose colored glasses swaying my opinion.

Frankly, these films and the style of filmmaking that went into these shorts - is truly a lost art. I put "Soldier Jack" right up there with the other lost art - the "Made for TV" movie - that were so expertly made by the likes of people such as Dan Curtis.

If you want to see a good folktale check this short out. If you want to see a style of filmmaking lost to time, that's another reason to check it out. In any case, you're in for a real treat.

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