tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post6958906101101203077..comments2024-03-08T18:49:51.289-05:00Comments on Classic Film and TV Café: The Odd Odyssey of "Jack the Giant Killer"Rick29http://www.blogger.com/profile/08358116647815569722noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post-78060552757023920462019-01-14T21:14:57.825-05:002019-01-14T21:14:57.825-05:00I thoroughly hated the idea that "Jack the Gi...I thoroughly hated the idea that "Jack the Giant Killer" was converted to a musical... and the music was childish, not fitting the actor's voices at all! The lyrics rhymed poorly, and the romantic exchange between Kerwin Matthew's and Judi Meredith was edited so poorly, it seemed out of synch with the singing voices and the original film's spoken <br />dialogue! <br /> I loved the original film, especially those nightmarish-looking witches and demons! My favorites were Tubo ( the warlock thing with the trident) and Cheera, the Wind Witch, with her(?) Wide maw dripping slime, and the white manes of hair framing a reptilian face! Pendragon's transformation into the wolf-headed harpy was the film's highlight, of course, but the creature looked much more ominous on the original movie poster art!True Believerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02264339912042071136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post-17405767048023177052016-09-04T18:33:13.457-04:002016-09-04T18:33:13.457-04:00In some ways I also prefer "Jack" to &qu...In some ways I also prefer "Jack" to "Sinbad", mainly in the Cornish background--for me the whole Arabian Nights shtick had been run into the ground by the time "Sinbad" came out. But "Jack's" herky-jerky animation and crude creature sculpting were primitive, especially compared to Ray's. A note about the closeness of the 2 flicks: Small dictated that the landing of the bug-eyed dragon on Jack's boat should duplicate the roc's landing from "Sinbad" frame for frame. No wonder Columbia sued! But the musical version was awful. Torin Thatcher as a basso produndo? Gahh!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18030112918054543041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post-37350220659520326072013-07-25T07:09:14.531-04:002013-07-25T07:09:14.531-04:00This film is a guilty pleasure for me. I have alwa...This film is a guilty pleasure for me. I have always seen it as the film that should have been a Schneer/ Harryhausen film. The cast is wonderful, especially Judi Meredith. Evil wizard Torin Thatcher is always a treat, but I do not find Kerwin Mathews dull as Jack at all. Producer Small hurt himself trying to copy elements from 7TH VOYAGE too much. He should have trusted his talented production personnel to develop an individual look for the giants and other too similar elements gleaned from the Schneer/ Harryhausen predecessor.<br /><br />A wonderful piece Rick, one correction though: Cormoran was the first giant's name not his genus, which comes from the original tale. The second, two-headed giant was called Galligantua by the production, though I don't recall that name is ever actually mentioned in the movie. It is rather like the creature from Venus in 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH; Ray Harryhausen called him ''the Ymir'' (pronounced ''EE-meer''), but the beast is never really referred to as such in the film.<br /><br />~Scott GambleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post-77127562825412858662013-03-01T15:45:50.836-05:002013-03-01T15:45:50.836-05:00Rick, I enjoyed reading your very timely review of...Rick, I enjoyed reading your very timely review of "Jack the Giant Killer." This is not a very well know movie but I think it is rather sweet. The Cormorants are a bit scary, especially due to their size, yet Jack is able to use his wits against them. I liked your comparison of "Jack" with "The Wizard of Oz" and do enjoy fantasy films. Excellent post!<br />toto2https://www.blogger.com/profile/09652682900471649463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5344878851139332715.post-83623730293745103112013-02-28T12:54:09.448-05:002013-02-28T12:54:09.448-05:00True, it's no Harryhausen but "Jack"...True, it's no Harryhausen but "Jack" has its own charms. Judi Meredith is a lovely heroine, though she does look better when she turns bad. Kerwin is a might dull and not altogether worthy of her. The castle is pretty spectacular and the witches are spooky. I remember it fondly from when I was younger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com