Tom Thumb

Dir: George Pal

1958

**

George Pal's 1958 musical Tom Thumb was quite a hit upon release thanks mainly to its then impressive special effects. A few of said special effects are still impressive today but unfortunately many are overdone. It's a lot of fun and a pleasant nostalgia trip but if I'm being completely honest it is really only worth watching for Terry-Thomas and Peter Sellers as the film's dastardly villains. The songs really aren't up to scratch and the many Russ Tamblyn dance scenes seem endless. The appearance of a Golly Wog and some rather unfortunate Japanese impressions don't help the film much and date it terribly. It's fairly innocent stuff though really, it can be rather boring and repetitive at times but is always generally likable. Apart from T-T and Sellers it boasts quite an impressive cast including Alan Young, June Thorburn, Jessie Matthews and Bernard Miles with a nice little pre-Carry On Peter Butterworth cameo too. It's a rather quirky slice of the times, a precursor to the influx of children's fantasy films that would come in the early sixties but never remembered in the same light. Not very good but somehow irresistible at the same time.