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Jack the Giant Killer was a 1962 Sword and Sorcery film, directed by Nathan H. Juran and starring Kerwin Mathews(of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad fame) as the title character. The film was loosely based on the fairy tale of the same name, and when we mean loosely, I mean very loosely.
The film follows the eponymous character, whom, after a failed attempt by main villain Pendragon to capture the princess Elaine via giant-disguised-as-a-toy, is escorting her across the sea to a convent. Sure enough, they're attacked by a gang of witches, and the princess is captured... again. For some reason, the crew-members blame it on Jack, and is promptly thrown overboard, and the (dead) captain's son goes in after him. They are saved by a viking boat, after somehow floating on a bench for what could be days, and it only gets weirder from there...
The film was an attempt to replicate the success of the Ray Harryhausen films of the time, especially the previously mentioned Sinbad film, to the point that they got both the director and star of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad into the project. They even tried to replicate the then-revolutionary stop motion special effects. It got to the point that Columbia Pictures threatened to sue United Artists, the film's distributor, over plagiarism. Their solution? It was re-edited as a musical.
Generally, the original cut is considered to be So Bad It's Good, for the over-the-top acting, low-rent special effects, and the cookie-cutter story that doesn't even carry a passing resemblence to the story it's based off of. The musical cut, on the other hand...
Was recently the subject for a live MST by Riff Trax, which premiered in theaters August 17th, 2011, bringing a much-needed riff on such a hilariously-terrible film.
Tropes in Jack the Giant Killer include:[]
- Beard of Evil: Pendragon.
- Captain Ersatz: The giant near the beginning looks almost identical to the Cyclops, only it has two eyes instead of one.
- Everything's Better with Princesses: Elaine.
- Evil Is Hammy: Pendragon. Dear god, Pendragon...
- Follow the Leader: As stated before, probably the most infamous example.
- Hair of Gold: Peter.
- Kid Sidekick: Peter.
- Meaningful Name: Pendragon. In the final battle, he turns into a dragon.
- Re Cut: It was recut as a Rankin Bass-like Musical, with predictable results.