Jack the Giant Killer
Tags: action, fantasy

Plot synopsis:
This plot summary is based on a text published ca. 1760 by John Cotton and Joshua Eddowes, which in its turn was based on a chapbook ca. 1711, and reprinted in 'The Classic Fairy Tales' by Iona and Peter Opie in 1974.
The tale is set during the reign of King Arthur and tells of a young Cornish farmer's son named Jack who is not only strong but so clever he easily confounds the learned with his penetrating wit. Jack encounters a cattle-eating giant called Cormoran (Cornish: 'The Giant of the Sea' SWF:Kowr-Mor-An) and lures him to his death in a pit trap. Jack is dubbed 'Jack the Giant-Killer' for this feat and receives not only the giant's wealth, but a sword and belt to commemorate the event. A man-eating giant named Blunderbore vows vengeance for Cormoran's death and carries Jack off to an enchanted castle. Jack manages to slay Blunderbore and his brother Rebecks by hanging and stabbing them. He frees three ladies held captive in the giant's castle.
On a trip into Wales, Jack tricks a two-headed Welsh giant into slashing his own belly open. King Arthur's son now enters the story and Jack becomes his servant.
They spend the night with a three-headed giant and rob him in the morning. In gratitude for having spared his castle, the three-headed giant gives Jack a magic sword, a cap of knowledge, a cloak of invisibility, and shoes of swiftness. On the road, Jack and the Prince meet an enchanted Lady serving Lucifer. Jack breaks the spell with his magic accessories, beheads Lucifer, and the Lady marries the Prince. Jack is rewarded with membership in the Round Table.
Jack ventures forth alone with his magic shoes, sword, cloak, and cap to rid the realm of troublesome giants. He encounters a giant terrorizing a knight and his lady. He cuts off the giant's legs, then puts him to death. He discovers the giant's companion in a cave. Invisible in his cloak, Jack cuts off the giant's nose then slays him by plunging his sword into the monster's back. He frees the giant's captives and returns to the house of the knight and lady he earlier had rescued. A banquet is prepared, but it is interrupted by the two-headed giant Thunderdel chanting "Fee, fau, fum". Jack defeats and beheads the giant with a trick involving the house's moat and drawbridge.
Growing weary of the festivities, Jack sallies forth for more adventures and meets an elderly man who directs him to an enchanted castle belonging to the giant Galigantus (Galligantua, in the Joseph Jacobs version). The giant holds captive many knights and ladies and a Duke's daughter who has been transformed into a white doe through the power of a sorcerer. Jack beheads the giant, the sorcerer flees, the Duke's daughter is restored to her true shape, and the captives are freed.
At the court of King Arthur, Jack marries the Duke's daughter and the two are given an estate where they live happily ever after.

Review: As I understand it, this picture was produced to cash in on the tremendous success of "7th Voyage Of Sinbad", and the legal troubles that resulted from the vast similarities between the two films were the reason that the owners of the movie's rights were required to downgrade it into a ridiculous musical version.
Thankfully, after years of being unavailable, the original untouched "Jack" came out on video, and it was about as much fun seeing it again as an old codger as it was as a 10-year-old.For us "baby boomers" who started out on black-and-white TV and seeing such films as "King Kong", etc., when we were young, a stop-motion animated monster is just more scary, other-worldly, dangerous...whatever term fits an effective creature feature.
Although Kerwin Matthews' many nemeses in "Jack The Giant Killer" don't quite stand alongside Ray Harryhausen's magnificent work, they still make this film well worth seeing for anyone who enjoys a good, old-fashioned mythical adventure.Incidentally, if you have an idiotic sense of humour, the musical version is a scream to behold- especially the sequence of the evil wizard's servant returning to his master to report a failed kidnapping.
:D :DEveryone certainly has their own taste in motion pictures, but as far as this old monster movie watcher is concerned, "Jack The Giant Killer" is among the upper crust of its genre.
Many films borrow from a host of differing source material, often with surprisingly good results.One very important comment about the animation-- If you're the type that poo-poo's anything less than 21st century computer generated effects, then stick to films made after 2000 and stop knocking 40-year old films because their special effects aren't the same as you saw in "Independence Day".
Its antiquated effects only heighten its nostalgic value and fantastic feel, but i caution you to still watch this movie with a bit of mercy and leeway.Surprisingly, the 'demons' in the castle were rather authentic and creepy in a very contemporary sense (check them out), as well as the marching dragon men guards on the bridge, and the make up of the evil witch alter-ego of the princess (complete with way ahead of their time Micheal Jackson Thriller giant yellow demon contact lenses) all of which came off with an eerie modern vibe.I absolutely love how there were so many unique creatures always lurking about, like the Star Wars cantina scene or a Power Rangers episode.
Also, plenty of fun over the top dialogue about witches and demons and dragons and little people, plus more cheesy stop animation and I Dream of Jeannie dissapearing acts than you can shake your plastic Viking sword at.A real treat that had previously escaped me, as well as an obvious pre-cursor to the pinnacle godfather of stop motion sword and sorcery movies...
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher virtually repeat their roles in Jack the Giant Killer that they had previously done for Columbia's 7th Voyage of Sinbad four years earlier.
For the juvenile viewers even today, they will have goosebumps over the witches, monsters, and giants that our intrepid hero Jack has to overcome.I do like the fact that Kerwin Matthews, Torin Thatcher, and the rest of the cast play their roles with absolute sincerity.
It would not have been appropriate to do it otherwise in a film meant for kids of all ages.The plot is simple, evil prince Torin Thatcher has designs on young princess Judi Meredith and tries one scheme with a giant to capture her and spirit her away to his evil enchanted island.
King Dayton Lummis makes Kerwin Matthews as Jack his daughter's protector and they have quite a few adventures before the happily ever after ending the fairy tale requires.It's still a pretty good family film and a nice bit of nostalgia for folks like me who were kids when it did come out..
The scene with the eerie glowing witches and demons ranks right up there with some of the Wicked Witch's star turns in *The Wizard Of Oz* as one of childhood's most delectably terrifying cinematic moments.While the SFX are sort of goofy-looking by today's standards, that's not a drawback for kids seeing the movie, and grownups who can get past their expectations of CGI-level realism should be able to appreciate them as well.I saw it once as an adult and was surprised to realize how many images and moments of dialog had stuck in my mind ever since.
Good acting by "7th Voyage of Sinbad" veterans Kerwin Matthews, as the hero Jack, and Torin Thatcher as the evil mage Pendragon..
I must admit to having fond memories of see "Jack The Giant Killer" as a 12 year old in the theater.Repeated viewings have strongly reinforced my feelings that this "7th Voyage Of Sinbad" wannabe suffers greatly from 2 main shortcomings: Shoddy stop motion models and a pretty pedestrian musical score.
When I was a kid, I wanted every movie to be like Jack The Giant Killer.
He is knighted Sir "Jack the Giant Killer" and becomes Meredith's protector...Seeing how millions of kids liked to spend Saturday afternoon watching Mr. Mathews battle special effects monsters in "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958), producer Edward Small brought Mathews back with director Nathan Juran and villain Torin Thatcher.
And, there are memorable supporting roles by Walter Burke, Don Beddoe and Anna Lee.****** Jack the Giant Killer (5/18/62) Nathan Juran ~ Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke.
Jack The Giant Killer is a Film I have been waiting to watch since I was a kid, so I got to record it this year.
In Jack the Giant Killer director Nathan Juran reunites Kerwin Matthews (Jack), with the sorcerer from Sinbad, Torin Thatcher who in this film is another evil sorcerer, called Pendragon.
Special effects are very good and the producer was smart enough to give us another cyclops with a horn on his head early in the film....along the way Jack has to fight all types of monsters and ogres to attempt to rescue another princess (ala Sinbad) from the evil Thatcher.
By today's standards this film might be considered lame by some fantasy fans but remember it was made 40 years ago and I still consider the monsters and special effects very well done.
This film almost looks like a remake of THE 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, with the same hero (Kerwin Mathews) and the same villain (Torin Thatcher).
The stars (Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher) and director (Nathan Juran) of "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" reunite for another engaging fantasy adventure, in which Mathews stars as the title Jack, who rescues the Princess Elaine (Judi Meredith) from a fearsome giant.
The good thing is that Jack is a consistently brave sort who is also able to get by with a little help from his friends: the viking Sigurd (Barry Kelley), Peter (Roger Mobley), the son of a ships' captain, and the powerful Imp (Don Beddoe), a leprechaun imprisoned inside a bottle."Jack the Giant Killer" is good, agreeable fun, if not quite as charming as the best films in this genre (some of which also star Mathews).
A wholesome farm-youth-turned-knight in medieval England (Kerwin Mathews) is enlisted to guard a princess (Judi Meredith) from the schemes of a wicked sorcerer (Torin Thatcher)."Jack the Giant Killer" (1962) is similar to "The Magic Sword," which was released a couple of months earlier.
Some people like to compare it to "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958) because the hero and villain were also in that earlier movie, not to mention both films use stop-motion animation.
Kerwin Mathews and Nathan Juran, star and director of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), team up once again for more colourful fantasy adventure in Jack the Giant Killer, an engaging and inventive yarn crammed full of monsters and magic.Mathews plays Jack, a farm worker who is knighted after saving a beautiful princess (Judi Meredith) from the clutches of an ugly giant sent by the evil wizard Pendragon (Torin Thatcher, also from 7th Voyage of Sinbad).
When a second attempt to abduct the princess proves more successful, Jack sets off to rescue her, with the help of a viking, Sigurd (Barry Kelley), a young boy (Roger Mobley), and a leprechaun in a bottle (Don Beddoe).While the stop motion used to bring many of the film's creatures to life isn't quite up to Ray Harryhausen standards, the sheer quantity of special effects scenes make Jack the Giant Killer a whole lot of fun for fans of classic (ie.
The action starts with a miniature jester in a musical box growing into a towering horned terror, there's a wonderfully creepy assault on a ship by hideous witches (the film's highlight, possibly too scary for the really young ones), Pendragon summons up an army in a scene reminiscent of the skeleton attack in Jason and the Argonauts, a two headed giant battles with a lizardopus (half-lizard, half-octopus), and the evil wizard changes into a dragon to try and put an end to Jack once and for all.Clearly aimed at kids, the performances are of the pantomime variety, especially Thatcher as wicked Pendragon, who hams it up a treat.
I have to say that I assumed Jack wouldn't actually kill a giant but he does and it's in the first ten minutes.Is that a spoiler?The plot is basically the same as every Ray Harryhausen movie except that the star is a farmer.I should be disappointed at the unoriginality but I'm not.It was still a good movie.Although the special effects aren't as good as Ray Harryhausen's, the story is just as good as Harryhausen's best.And don't get me wrong, the make-up and stop motion in this movie are very good.Pendragon's witches are the scariest monsters I have ever seen in a movie but their powers are a bit less impressive.If you like Harryhausen's films you will like this..
This is a pretty interesting B-movie with a cliché but classic plot: A farm boy named Jack (Kerwin Matthews) becomes a knight and must protect the beautiful Princess Elaine (Judi Meredith) from the evil Pendragon (Torin Thatcher), who plans to marry the princess and assume the throne.Again, the plot sounds cliché but the movie was actually entertaining from what I remembered as a kid.
And ,last but no least ,when he goes for broke,the evil character turns into a flying monster,just as Maleficent changed into a dragon.This is good entertainment for the whole family ,although some pictures might have seemed a bit scary for yesterday's kiddies (the same can be said of Disney's "Sleeping beauty")much of which (the reflections in the mirror)has been blunted by the passage of time.The special effects are still good (except for the cardboard giants and monsters )and Kerwin Matthews had plenty of go .Even adults can dig it..
No doubt inspired by the success of 1958's fantasy adventures of the Arabian mythological figure Sinbad (The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad), this tale of a farmer boy, Jack (Kerwin Mathews), who unwittingly saves the life of the Princess of Cornwall (Judi Meredith), from the clutches of a giant, plays in similar fashion to the aforementioned adventurer.
After being knighted for his courageous actions, Jack is sent on a voyage to hide the princess, but is thwarted by the evil magician, Pendragon (Torin Thatcher), who takes her as a prisoner in his castle hideaway.Whilst the film looks very similar to the majority of fantasy adventure films of the time, with its beautiful use of vibrant colour, the histrionic acting (there are no complaints about this from me, as this over-exuberance is fitting to the genre), and the fantasy monsters, it is in its presentation of these that brings the bare bones of the narrative to life.
The script is a poor bastardized combination of Arthurian legend and Jack and the Beanstalk and Sinbad.And then there is the horrendous stop-motion animation and the even worse animated magical effects when the "witches" attack the princess' boat.
Starring Kerwin Mathews as Jack, Judi Meredith as the princess Elaine, and Torin Thatcher as the evil wizard Pendragon, the movie is chock full of stop-motion animation delight.
The miniature jester in the music box, the ghostly witches attacking Jack's ship,the dragon guarding Pendragon's lair, the valley of the Cyclops,all this and more provide a Panavision vista of the wonderful special effects which Ray Harryhausen summoned from his creative talents in this movie, and numerous others such as Jason and the Argonauts, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Clash of the Titans,to name a few.The chemistry between Kerwin Mathews and Judi Meredith is alive, and Torin Thatcher is delightful in his supporting role as the evil wizard Pendragon,who stops at nothing to kidnap the princess and hold her as ransom to force her father the King to give Pendragon the land and riches he so desperately craves.
A wonderful story, music score, the direction of Nathan Juran and the creative stop-motion effects artistry of Ray Harryhausen make this movie a fantasy feast for the senses..
Produced on a modest budget but filmed in color with some primitive looking special effects, JACK THE GIANT KILLER will probably be just the right sort of entertainment for its target audience--kids.Stalwart KERWIN MATTHEWS, who seemed to be specializing in these kind of swordplay roles for awhile in the '60s, makes a good adventure hero and JUDI MEREDITH is a satisfactory princess who has to be rescued once she falls under the spell of the wicked TORIN THATCHER.Thatcher is the wizard/magician, power mad and obsessed with dethroning a king whose throne he covets.
Despite the terrific make-up, Thatcher is never quite as chilling a villain as Veidt.ANNA LEE has a small role as a woman who falls under his evil spell and TUDOR OWEN is another familiar face in the supporting cast.Matthews has to fight one stop animation figure after another, all in good fun and perfect entertainment for the kids.Summing up: Not bad for the kiddies and adults will appreciate seeing the late Kerwin Matthews in the sort of action role he was known for..
Jack the Giant Killer is an adventure fantasy that I feel stands the test of time better than a lot of animation monster movies out there.
On the surface you would think that this movie has it made - a fantasy with many of the ingredients which made The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad so successful - star Kerwin Matthews, baddie Torin Thatcher, director Nathan Juran, and stop motion creatures.
The plot is very entertaining, the acting is solid, Kerwin Mathews is perfect for fantasy movies like this and is charming as Jack, Judi Meredith is almost as beautiful as Kathryn Grant and Torin Thatcher is forever terrifying as the evil wizard Pendragon, the evil grin on his face and his Bela Lugosi Dracula stare makes him a perfect villain.
Brave, noble, resourceful farmboy turned knight Jack (well played with dashing aplomb by Kerwin Mathews) has to rescue fair damsel Princess Elaine (a charming performance by the lovely Judi Meredith) from the vile clutches of powerful evil sorcerer Pendragon (essayed with marvelously sinister brio by Torin Thatcher) and his creepy, whimpering henchman Garna (a perfectly detestable Walter Burke).
This is a film that comes from the same stable as 7th Voyage of Sinbad, insofar as Nathan Juran was director and Kerwin Matthews and Torin Thatcher are in it, but alas there the similarities end.
Fantasy and film noir sometimes mix successfully, although Jack, the Giant Killer (1962) is not the most entertaining of the genre despite the presence of lovely, talented Judi Meredith (who, alas, made only nine or ten movies, spending 80% of her career in TV episodes).
I saw this film on release at a drive-in movie theatre, i.e. HUGE screen, i.e. scarier looking monsters and witches.