Jack the Giant Killer

Recently reminded of this little gem after visiting its origins in St Michael's Mount, Cornwall. Loved this film as a kid. The attack on the ship was especially effective (I recall it being quite scary when I first saw it). The fact that there were 'scary' elements probably set it apart from the likes of the Sinbad and Jason films, and I guess this is this reason why its my favourite film of its genre and age. Admittedly the effects may look a little ropey nowadays but that doesn't get in the way of a very entertaining film. As much as I enjoyed it though, I can't help but admit that I wouldn't mind someone having a stab at a remake (this version will always be there if it goes pear shaped)

A well made film, that some say copied a lot from 1959's The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Interesting, I think it's better. Kerwin Mathews was great as Jack, the farmboy-turned-giant killer. Judi Meredith was far superior than Kathryn Grant, in terms of acting and beauty. Torin Thatcher was once again evil to the core. The other cast members performed well too as their characters stood out amongst the special effects. Outstanding supporting characters included the servant Garna, played by Walter Burke and the imp in the bottle, played by Don Beddoe.

The budget for 'Jack' wasn't as big as 'Sinbad', it was about 6 to 1 in comparison. There were some impressive effects for the time. Some of them were quite clever such as Pendragon's disappearing trick done with his cape. This effect can be seen recently in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Ray Harryhausen is a tough act to follow, he was indeed the founder and master of stop motion animation. The team for 'Jack' were quite new to the craft but still managed to pull it off.

The film is available on DVD from Goodtimes Home Video and taken from the same film transfer as MGM's laserdisc version. The only difference is that the laserdisc includes the theatrical trailer. The color is awesome (Technicolor) and the sound is crystal clear. The sound effects and music that's well suited and good considering that the film was made in 1962. I have never seen the musical version, if anyone has it, let me know.

This is one of my favourite films and am proud to have my two sons enjoy it too.

Jack The Giant Killer is a unique film in its own right. Personally, I think it is a far nicer film than The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (although I still have fond memories of that film, rest assured)and its one that I enjoy watching again and again and again. All the cast (Kerwin Matthews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Anna-Lee, Walter Burke, Don Beddoes, et al) give fine performances and the special effects (most notably, the stop-motion animation, the cartoon-style animation) stand up well to the test of time. The story is nice and straight forward and easy to understand.

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

This is one of the most interesting and entertaining fantasy movies ever made. Unfortunately, it is relatively unknown, (especially in the UK where it cannot be found on DVD or video, and it has never seen a release on either of these formats to my knowledge- it does however, show up every 5 years or so on Channel 4-so look out for it there.) It also seems to be compared unfavourably with "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", which is a shame, as it surpasses this admittedly fine film in many ways. The story is typical fairy tale stuff, a poor farmers' son rescues a princess from the evil clutches of a sorceror, but it somehow transcends this simple tale and becomes something so much darker, and scarier than it's more famous rival. There is a cruel streak running through this film which is totally absent from "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", and which makes this movie more like a horror film than a childrens fantasy.This fact was obviously picked up on by the film censors in the UK who gave it an "A" certificate (children to be accompanied by an adult) way back in 1967 when it hit the cinemas here- it was also cut by around two minutes of the more violent moments. On the down side, the monsters in "Jack" are rubbery and unconvincing- which is unfortunate, and does make some of the scenes look very fake indeed, and in this respect, the film is no match at all for the beautiful models on display in "Voyage"- but the optical colour effects when spells are cast, and especially the nightmarish blue tints during the scary witches' attack on the boat, are breathtaking and look very magical, and there is also a fabulous finale when the evil "Pendragon" turns into a dragon and fights to the death with Jack. Younger children will find this movie too frightening, even now when kids see a lot of things they should'nt. Older kids will probably find it a bit too corny for their tastes. Which only leaves nostalgic adults and the 6-10 age group left to enjoy this movies' many charms- a shame.

It's the fairy tale land of Cornwall, England, and the Black Prince Pendragon (Torin Thatcher) plans to abduct Princess Elaine (Judith Meredith) so as to gain control of the land. However, his plans are at first thwarted when farmers boy Jack (Kerwin Matthews) slays the giant sent by Pendragon to claim the Princess. But Pendragon is not to be denied and a battle between good and evil commences.

There's quite a back story to this United Artists feature film. It's loosely based on the traditional tale "Jack the Giant Killer" and features the use of stop motion animation. The mere mention of stop motion automatically brings to mind the great name of Ray Harryhausen. In 1958 director Nathan Juran had helmed The 7th Voyage of Sinbad with both Matthews and Thatcher starring as the good and evil characters respectively. A big success for Columbia, Harryhausen had offered it to UA producer Edward Small who turned it down, much to his regret. So here, four years later, he gathered the same crew for what essentially is a retread of the plot of Sinbad's seventh in the hope of replicating said success. Harryhausen, however, said no, perhaps understandably, so his creatures were created for "Jack" by Project Unlimited under the watchful eye of one time Harryhausen understudy Jim Danforth. While the other effects, filmed in "Fantascope" come courtesy of Howard A. Anderson and Augie Lohman.

Columbia sued Small on the grounds of plot similarity, thus holding up the release of the film in the UK for several years (it wasn't banned as some people seem to think). Once released the film was panned by the critics and many parents were outraged that the film was too violent and scary for youngsters. Small would take this personally and intending to make something of the movie, had it re-dubbed and made into a musical. The result of which is just garbage. Thankfully the film was finally restored to its original glory on DVD and found a whole new generation of fantasy adventure fans with a bent for the lost art of stop motion animation. Kerwin Matthews passed away in 2007, a handsome swashbuckling actor, Jack The Giant Killer was his last foray into the fantasy adventure genre. It's at least comforting to know that he got to see this little treasure of a film finally get accepted by an audience.

The film itself delivers everything one expects of the genre. The creatures are effective, even if the jerkiness shows that it's not Harryhausen at the helm; tho this is off set by a wonderful sequence as electricity cloaked witch demons attack Jack's ship. There's a dashing hero, a pretty princess, a vile and chilling evil doer, hell there's even the little imp of the lamp (Don Beddoe) for some limerick shenanigans. From its delightful story book opening to its final battle between hero and villain, Jack The Giant Killer is a rich and playful fantasy. 7/10