Jack the Giant Killer [Blu-ray]

Director: Nathan Juran Nathan Juran

Overview

Nathan Juran, director of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, tries to make the magic happen again on a much more attenuated budget in Jack the Giant Killer. Torin Thatcher, another Sinbad alumnus, plays a wicked wizard who kidnaps toothsome-princess Judi Meredith. Kerwin Mathews, still another veteran of Sinbad, plays Jack, who rescues Meredith and promises to escort her to safety. Stop-motion animator Jim Danforth creates several fire-breathing perils along the same lines as Ray Harryhausen's special effects in Sinbad; happily, Danforth emulates the Harryhausen style without stooping to imitation. Prominent among the supporting actors is Don Beddoe as an impish genie. In the recently reissued prints of Jack the Giant Killer, most of the original voices have been dubbed over, and incongruous musical numbers added.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/12/2018
UPC:	0738329224363
Original Release:	1962
Rating:	G
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	3:05:00
Sales rank:	19,451

Special Features

Original 94-minute cut and the re-envisioned 91 -minute musical version; Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas (Original Cut); Original Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kerwin Mathews	Jack
Judi Meredith	Princess Elaine
Torin Thatcher	Pendragon
Walter Burke	Garna
Roger Mobley	Peter
Barry Kelley	Sigurd
Don Beddoe	Imp in Bottle
Dayton Lummis	King Mark
Anna Lee	Lady Constance
Helen Wallace	Jack's Mother
Tudor Owen	Chancellor
Robert Gist	Capt. McFadden
Ken Mayer	Boatswain
Paul Sawtell	Composer
Bert Shefter	Composer

Technical Credits

Nathan Juran

Orville Hampton

Howard Anderson	Special Effects
Jim Danforth	Special Effects
Nathan Juran	Director,Screenwriter
David Pal	Special Effects
Edward Small	Producer
Orville Hampton	Screenwriter
Howard A. Anderson	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Viewers tuning in to see Jack the Giant Killer should be warned that there are two versions of this very same movie, the original 1962 release and a later "musical" version, in which songs were added to the existing footage; avoid at all costs the latter version, which is atrocious. The original, by contrast, is actually a pretty good little flick. Granted, it's a blatant rip-off of The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, but it still has a certain charm of its own. The story is engaging, if decidedly childlike, and Nathan Juran's direction, while hardly earth-shattering, has a nice little flair. Of course, this is the kind of film that lives on "high points," with the moments between coming across as nothing more than filler; but Jack at least makes sure that the high points keep on coming, even if some are higher than others. A film of this sort also lives or dies on its special effects, and it's here that Jack falls significantly short of Sinbad. But even if the effects are somewhat less than convincing (especially for CGI-reared viewers), they still have a charm and their very cartoonish-ness is actually quite winning. Highlights include the sea monster-giant battle, the attack of the witches and the final dragon battle. Kerwin Mathews is acceptable as Jack, with Torin Thatcher appropriately evil. The best work comes from Walter Burke and Thatcher's henchman and Don Beddoe as the imp.