Rabbit Ears: John Henry

Denzel Washington's narration of the story of John Henry from the Rabbit Ears series was awesome, and the music performed by the late BB king added nicely to it. I remember watching this video about this black American of a giant who built the nation's railroad on the east side of the U. S. when I was in middle school. John Henry was known to some people as a natural man who drove the steel spikes for the rails and who competed against the steam drill. I even hear there was a song about John Henry performed by the late Harry Belafonte.

John Henry is a great edition to have in your Rabbit Ears video library. I also recommend from the series The Legend of Sleepy Hallow and Pecos Bill.

Quite the opposite in 'John Henry's' case. As well as loving many of Rabbit Ears Productions' literary adaptations a lot and wanting to view all that are available, my main reasons for encountering 'John Henry' was for Denzel Washington (already well established as a fine actor at this point and who did such an amazing job narrating another Rabbit Ears adaptation 'Anansi') and due to really liking to loving all of the "American Heroes and Legends" adaptations.

Of which 'John Henry' is one of the finest and it is hardly surprising that it was Grammy-nominated at the time. 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'Follow the Drinking Gourd', another two of the best adaptations Rabbit Ears Productions ever did, are the other favourites from the "American Heroes and Legends" series. It is such a wonderful introduction to anybody who is not familiar with this legendary character and his story and anybody that loved Washington's narration for 'Anansi' will love it here also.

Washington once again plays a big part in 'John Henry's' huge appeal. Once again he brings tremendous energy to his narration, as well as noble gravitas which was equally perfect for the story. BB King's music is full of soul and authentic atmosphere, the repeated song does not grate at all and does very well without hammering home what sort of person John Henry is.

The visuals don't disappoint, having a lot of vivid colour and rich attention to detail. There is nothing limited about it and it doesn't try to do too much either. The character design of the titular character is particularly striking, having a tough edge as well as a gentle soul. Just like John Henry himself.

John Henry is a larger than life presence which makes him quite formidable but at the same time he is likeable and easy to root for. The writing is both humorous and sincere and the story really comes alive from the get go and never stops. It is full of fun and soul but is also emotionally powerful in the right places.

Summing up, outstanding. 10/10.

I loved reading about Tall Tales as a kid, but the one that stuck with me more than any other was the tale of John Henry, a natural man who believed in hard labor. Denzel Washington is the perfect choice to narrate the story with his smooth, calm, hip presence. Adding to that is the music of B. B. King, in fact the theme with lyrics will get stuck in your head for years to come. I love the drawing style as well, it feels like an impressionists drawing come to life, even if it's not fully animated, not that it matters. Yet another favorite from the Rabbit Ears series!