A farmboy-turned-knight must protect a princess from the schemes of an evil wizard.A farmboy-turned-knight must protect a princess from the schemes of an evil wizard.A farmboy-turned-knight must protect a princess from the schemes of an evil wizard.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Nobleman
- (uncredited)
- Peasant Reacting to Giant
- (uncredited)
- Party Guest
- (uncredited)
- Celebration Guest
- (uncredited)
- Royal Court Member
- (uncredited)
- Nobleman
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis was producer Edward Small's attempt to cash in on the huge success of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). He even hired the same director (Nathan Juran), hero (Kerwin Mathews) and villain (Torin Thatcher).
- GoofsAt approximately 14:43 Garna, played by Walter Burke, locks the Princess in the cabin on the ship; as he turns to untie the boat he places the key to the cabin in a waist pocket or under his belt but misses his aim and the key falls out of shot.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Narrator: The legend of Jack the Giant Killer was born over a thousand years ago in Cornwall, England near Land's End. There was a time when the Kingdom of Cornwall lived in fear and trembling of the Black Prince Pendragon - master of witches, giants and hobgoblins - who ravished the land. But at long last Herla, the Wizard drove Pendragon and his witches from the kingdom and exiled them beyond the reaches of the known world... Here on a misty isle, uncharted and unknown, Pendragon schemed and waited for the day when he could return to power in Cornwall. Then, after many years, the day came. It was a day of great rejoicing in Cornwall... and kings and princes bearing gifts came to celebrate in special occasion.
- Alternate versionsProducer Edward Small re-released this film as a musical. Songs were dubbed onto the soundtrack. Some of the footage was doctored to make it look like some of the original cast were singing rather than speaking their dialog.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies (1990)
- SoundtracksThe Irish Washerwoman
(uncredited)
Traditional
However, for me it is Judi Meredith who really made the film. The scenes where Pendragon (Torin Thatcher) uses that jewelled staff to turn her from a beautiful, kind princess into a beautiful, cold and icy witch had a real effect on me when I saw the film for the first time on BBC1 in the summer of 1976. Even more effective was when she showed Jack (Kerwin Matthews) her reflection as a wicked witch in the mirror and said "Gaze upon my true form. Am I not beautiful?" then she laughed an evil laugh! It was good that Jack managed to break the spell afterwards. On the other hand, I wish I could have seen a little more of Elaine as a witch, in this film.
I had no idea that this film was released as a musical until a few years ago. I haven't seen the musical so I cannot really comment on it. However, perhaps it's just as well as I have heard that the musical numbers are lousy. I saw the film again on Channel Four at Christmas 1997 and it was wonderful to see it again.
Jack The Giant Killer offers an enjoyable story, great action scenes, competent direction, great special effects and a professional cast. Its a must for anybody who likes fantasy films.
MATTHEW HYATT
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Der Herrscher von Cornwall
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes