Customer Reviews

Tom Thumb [VHS]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Are you looking for a film that you can safely watch with your children ? Have you seen most of the Disney catalogue ? Well, happily--once in a while--someone other than Disney produces a film that can enchant young and old, and in 1958 Mr. George Pal did just that with "Tom Thumb". After producing several science fiction classics in the fifties, Mr. Pal and his crack special effects team set up shop in England for this winning musical fantasy, based on the famous fairy tale.

A poor, honest wood-cutter, Jonathan (Bernard Miles) and his wife, Anne (Jessie Matthews) are granted three wishes by the Forest Queen (lovely June Thorburn) for sparing her favourite tree. They basically bungle their wishes, but they are granted a son to raise. His name is Tom, and he is 5 1/2 inches tall. Of course, being so tiny, Tom has all sorts of interesting adventures. Unfortunately, one of them involves innocently helping two crooks (the hilarious team of Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers) steal a bag of gold, for which Tom's new parents are blamed. Luckily, Tom is able to eventually turn the tables on the crooks, with help from a local "merry minstrel"
(affable Alan Young),who also has a crush on the Forest Queen, and we wind up with a very happy ending !

Tom is played by one of the most talented and remarkable performers in the history of cinema--Mr. Russ Tamblyn--an incredible dancer and acrobat with a very engaging personality. Even among this strong cast, Russ Tamblyn--all "5 1/2 inches" of him--stands tall ! The extended production number with Tom and the toys is a classic--a tribute to Mr.Tamblyn's talent and Mr.Pal's Oscar-winning (as it turned out) special effects team. You can see how all that "puppetoon" experience paid off ! A later scene where Tom puts on wooden shoes that can't stop dancing is another highlight.

As the "heavies", Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers are a matchless pair--with his rolling eyes, and devilish grin, Mr. Thomas gives this film exactly the type of "over-the-top" performance it needs, with Mr. Sellers as a perfect, dim-witted foil. They are perhaps the funniest duo since Laurel and Hardy.

The DVD is widescreen on one side, and full screen on the other. The colour is beautiful, especially the scenes where Tom is interacting with the toys. The sound is mono. Miss Peggy Lee composed the lively score, with several songs that your children will enjoy (especially the "Yawning Man" sequence, voiced by Stan Freberg)--was there no end to Miss Lee's talent ?
Extras are sparse--brief biographies of Russ Tamblyn and George Pal (who directed as well as produced), and the film's trailer.

"Tom Thumb" is the happy result of two major talents combining their efforts to produce a timeless classic. Today George Pal is remembered and respected as a pioneer of imaginative film. As for Russ Tamblyn, this title role--perhaps more than any other--provides a showcase for his special gifts. How about 4 1/2 stars for a 5 1/2 inch star ! Recommended for the entire family !

and the good parts are just as good today.

start off, of course, with the brilliant sequences from george pal. if i am not mistaken, this was the final puppetoon animation he did, as he was then involved increasingly in directing feature length films. but if only for the yawning man and con-fu-shen, this film would be worth seeing.

add to that, the wonderful live performances by such as the underrated dancer russ tamblyn in the title role; the legendary jessie matthews; and a young peter sellers and terry thomas as marvelous comic villains. sadly, the love story between queenie and woody slows thing down, and even the usually wonderful alan young cant save that part of the movie. (incidentally, a year later young would turn in his finest performance in the george pal "time machine.")

i have such fond memories of this movie, and it manages to live up to them -- i would wholeheartedly recommend it, especially to fans of fantasy, dance, or puppetry. bravo!

Loved the film; brought back memories of my childhood when my parents brought me to see it back in the late 50's. The film though presented principally for children, has a lot of sentimentality and morals to its' credit. Really nice movie.

So much of Tom Thumb is so good, unfortunately, that it makes its faults all the more glaring. George Pal's "Puppetoon" sequences, featuring Russ Tamblyn interacting with puppet characters, exude both charm and mystery--the perfect fairy-tale movie experience. Tamblyn, a much underrated talent, is adorable--no other word will do--as Tom, while as the villains Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers manage the hat trick of being both supremely funny and truly frightening. On top of this, George Perinal's Technicolor photography is exquisite, giving the whole film the patina of a forgotten masterpiece. Here, however, praise must end. The screenplay is overly cutesy, the writers seeming to write down to the audience. The songs by Peggy Lee and others are merely serviceable, and whenever the story concentrates on Alan Young and June Thorburn as the young lovers, the movie stops dead. Young, a likable actor without the slightest vestige of sex appeal, would have been far better cast as Tom's father. It's too bad Pal wasn't able to persuade Donald O'Connor to take Young's part (O'Connor held out instead for Tom, and lost out to Tamblyn). O'Connor would have added pizzazz to the movie, and can you imagine the special effect/dance duets that Pal could have created with him and Tamblyn? The very thought is heartbreaking.

I found this late 1950's version of Tom Thumb" to be the best Rus Tamblyn was superb in it. It's so very well worth seeing. i think it deserves all the stars it can get. It really impressed be as such a magical film. The dance numbers were great. It was funny amusing, romantic, colorful, nice songs and dance. I also found Alan Young wonderful in it as well. It's a must see for the entire family.

This film is one of the best films of all time for children and adults too, unfortunately the film is not available on video or DVD in the United Kingdom so anyone who lives in the U.K. will have to have a Video Recorder which is NTSC compatible. This film used to double bill at the cinema with Wizard of Oz but more enjoyable of the two and you don't tire of watching it.

I loved this film in the cinema, though it may be too
slow and dated for some children now. However I was
very dissapointed when I bought this DVD to find that
there was no audio commentary contrary to description
here and other sources. I don't know whether it was
perhaps on some early copies but it isn't on the
current version. Seems a missed opportunity if it was
dropped for some reason.

Thoroughly entertaining for those who enjoy fantasy and 'laurel and hardy' type humor. I am moved by movies about wanting to be loved by a father and/or mother, and this one brings me to tears, even as I am in my forties- go figure. If you like Toyland, you will love this one, 10x more.

TOM THUMB (1958) Directed by George Pal. Based on the story by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Songs by Peggy Lee.
Starring Alan Young, June Thorburn, Terry Thomas, Peter Sellers, Bernard Miles, Jessie Matthews, Peter Bull and Russ Tamblyn as Tom Thumb.

In the early 19th century Germany, a childless couple--in reward for a good deed---are sent a forest sprite less than an inch tall to live with them as their son as long as they might live. When a pair of scoundrels trick the entity into thievery, the couple are blamed and condemned to the lash unless their tiny son can resue them.

A charming fairy tale musical with great songs, good performances and a highly agile and acrobatic Tamblyn. Pal treats the story with great respect and affection and there is none of the modern anochronistic "Hip" rubbish that Hollywood today insists on injecting into their current films thus demonstrating their contempt for the material and their audience. This was so successful that Pal produced a follow up THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM which also featured Tamblyn and Thomas and was just as good.

I remember this classic quite vividly from my childhood - it's a real treat to finally be able to see it again on DVD. In TOM THUMB (1958), the special-effects wizardry of George Pal, the outstanding talents of Russ Tamblyn, and the whimsical music of Peggy Lee come together to create a spellbinding story for the young and the young in heart.

A childless couple (Bernard Miles and Jessie Matthews) are blessed with a tiny, thumb-sized son, when they are given three wishes by the beautiful and kindly Forest Queen (June Thorburn). Little Tom Thumb (Russ Tamblyn) turns out to be quite a handful indeed, leading the whole town on a merry dance in his enchanted shoes; but later falls into the clutches of two merciless crooks (Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers), who exploit Tom by making him participate in a robbery, for which his parents are ultimately blamed. Tom and his friend Woody (Alan Young) - who also hides a yen for the lovely Forest Queen - must race against time to catch the real villains, and save Tom's parents in the process.

A real charmer. TOM THUMB springs to life with music, colour and merriment to spare. Russ Tamblyn is a little dynamo in the title role, displaying his amazing gymnast skills in some fantastic dance numbers ("tom thumb's Tune", "Talented Shoes"). George Pal's legendary stop-motion Puppetoons make several appearances (who could ever forget the Yawning Man?), and the strong chemistry of June Thorburn and Alan Young helps the romantic portion of the story become one of it's most memorable components.

The DVD includes both widescreen and full-frame versions of the movie, plus the trailer.