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. Whereas 7th Voyage was a racehorse, this is a mere carthorse. Firstly the good points. The acting was reasonable, Kerwin is "efficient" as the farmer-turned-hero. Torin is passable as a villain but not as evil here as he was as Sokurah in 7th Voyage. Judi Andrews portrayed the good.bad duality very well and the "bad" makeup made her somewhat more appealing than did the ordinary. Now it's onto the bad points - of which there are a number.
Firstly the animation. Unquestionably not up to Harryhausen's standard, even to the extent of being very "rubbery" looking and less than believable. Take Cormoran for example, the giant at the beginning of the film. Clearly a take off of Harryhausen's cyclops from 7th Voyage (complete with cloven hooves, two horns and knobbly back), with a face that looked as if it had been modelled on Torin Thatcher's. Wah Chung, Jim Danforth and David Pal were the animators (tho IMDb only lists Jim Danforth).
The sets were reasonable, Pendragon's castle obviously being the focus of the film. Even the spiral staircase in the middle had carved letters round the inside lip - one clearly read "solaris". The iron knights, were of course, men in suits, and the ruined temple was a location shot with backdrop behind but reasonably well executed. Tho the demise of the castle was poorly done - stone built towers do not explode in the way shown at the end of the movie - and when we see the remains it is a very poorly built model we see.
The "blue screen" effects (back projection) are clearly not as good as those of Harryhausen and are obvious throughout the film.
Well plot. Let me see, farmer rescues girl from cyclops, not realising she's the princess (d'uh? - She's just been crowned as such, you would think there would be posters depicting a likeness of her - as the whole of Cornwall seems to be enjoying some festivities), gets knighted, escorts princess (disguised as peasants) to France, gets captured by witches ("glowing" actors in costumes), gets cast adrift by the ship's crew (along with the dead captain's son), gets rescued by a Viking, goes to Pendragon's island to rescue princess (who has meanwhile been turned into "Voluptua"), gets given genie in bottle & 3 wishes, fights the bad guy, rescues the princess, gets attacked by monsters, kills monsters, thus destroying castle, sails off into distance.
Hmmm...well it's no Lord of the Rings (book, not movie), but it does have an eclectic mix of mythology in there somewhere.
Cormoran, for example, is based on a "real" fable (if it can be called such a thing), tho in this instance Jack did not strangle the giant and slay him with a scythe.
Brewer's "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" says of Cormoran: The Cornish giant who fell into a pit twenty feet deep dug by Jack the Giant Killer, and filled over with grass and gravel. The name means cormorant or great eater. For this doughty achievement Jack received a belt from King Arthur with this inscription - "This is the valiant Cornis man That slew the giant Cormoran" Cormoran is the brother of Blunderbone.
Of Jack the Giant Killer, Brewer says this: owed much of his success to four marvellous possessions - an invisible coat, a cap of wisdom, shoes of swiftness and a resistant-less sword.
Tho there is also this (from a Cornish Legends website): According to Cornish legend, Jack was a farmer's son who lived near Land's End in the days of King Arthur. The folk of the area were being terrorised by Cormoran, the Giant of St. Michael's Mount, who stole cattle and carried them away either on his back or dangling from his belt. A reward was offered to anyone who would slay the fearsome giant, and Jack took up the challenge. He dug a huge pit near Morvah and covered it with sticks and straw. Then he lured the Giant away from the Mount by blowing his horn. The angry Giant rushed down the Mount and fell into the pit. Jack then struck him a mortal blow with his pick-axe and filled the pit with earth. For his brave deed he was given a magnificent sword and belt, embroidered "Who slew the Giant Cormoran".
Famed for his bravery Jack The Giant Killer became something of a super hero, killing wolves and breaking the skulls of pirates in addition to being on hand to deal with other troublesome giants. Later he travelled on to Wales to slay more of them and further embroidered his legend, and, to mark his slaying of Cormoran there stands to this day near Morvah Church a huge stone which is said to mark the Giant's Grave. It is also said that sometimes voices can be heard coming from beneath it! Oendragon, of course being partially based on Arthur's father Uther Pendragon (of Tintagel Castle), the similarities between the castle in the film and St. Michael's Mount cannot be determined, tho it is likely.
If you like fantasy adventures from the 60s in the style of Harryhausen you will like this film, and despite the many flaws, is rather enjoyable.
Firstly the animation. Unquestionably not up to Harryhausen's standard, even to the extent of being very "rubbery" looking and less than believable. Take Cormoran for example, the giant at the beginning of the film. Clearly a take off of Harryhausen's cyclops from 7th Voyage (complete with cloven hooves, two horns and knobbly back), with a face that looked as if it had been modelled on Torin Thatcher's. Wah Chung, Jim Danforth and David Pal were the animators (tho IMDb only lists Jim Danforth).
The sets were reasonable, Pendragon's castle obviously being the focus of the film. Even the spiral staircase in the middle had carved letters round the inside lip - one clearly read "solaris". The iron knights, were of course, men in suits, and the ruined temple was a location shot with backdrop behind but reasonably well executed. Tho the demise of the castle was poorly done - stone built towers do not explode in the way shown at the end of the movie - and when we see the remains it is a very poorly built model we see.
The "blue screen" effects (back projection) are clearly not as good as those of Harryhausen and are obvious throughout the film.
Well plot. Let me see, farmer rescues girl from cyclops, not realising she's the princess (d'uh? - She's just been crowned as such, you would think there would be posters depicting a likeness of her - as the whole of Cornwall seems to be enjoying some festivities), gets knighted, escorts princess (disguised as peasants) to France, gets captured by witches ("glowing" actors in costumes), gets cast adrift by the ship's crew (along with the dead captain's son), gets rescued by a Viking, goes to Pendragon's island to rescue princess (who has meanwhile been turned into "Voluptua"), gets given genie in bottle & 3 wishes, fights the bad guy, rescues the princess, gets attacked by monsters, kills monsters, thus destroying castle, sails off into distance.
Hmmm...well it's no Lord of the Rings (book, not movie), but it does have an eclectic mix of mythology in there somewhere.
Cormoran, for example, is based on a "real" fable (if it can be called such a thing), tho in this instance Jack did not strangle the giant and slay him with a scythe.
Brewer's "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" says of Cormoran: The Cornish giant who fell into a pit twenty feet deep dug by Jack the Giant Killer, and filled over with grass and gravel. The name means cormorant or great eater. For this doughty achievement Jack received a belt from King Arthur with this inscription - "This is the valiant Cornis man That slew the giant Cormoran" Cormoran is the brother of Blunderbone.
Of Jack the Giant Killer, Brewer says this: owed much of his success to four marvellous possessions - an invisible coat, a cap of wisdom, shoes of swiftness and a resistant-less sword.
Tho there is also this (from a Cornish Legends website): According to Cornish legend, Jack was a farmer's son who lived near Land's End in the days of King Arthur. The folk of the area were being terrorised by Cormoran, the Giant of St. Michael's Mount, who stole cattle and carried them away either on his back or dangling from his belt. A reward was offered to anyone who would slay the fearsome giant, and Jack took up the challenge. He dug a huge pit near Morvah and covered it with sticks and straw. Then he lured the Giant away from the Mount by blowing his horn. The angry Giant rushed down the Mount and fell into the pit. Jack then struck him a mortal blow with his pick-axe and filled the pit with earth. For his brave deed he was given a magnificent sword and belt, embroidered "Who slew the Giant Cormoran".
Famed for his bravery Jack The Giant Killer became something of a super hero, killing wolves and breaking the skulls of pirates in addition to being on hand to deal with other troublesome giants. Later he travelled on to Wales to slay more of them and further embroidered his legend, and, to mark his slaying of Cormoran there stands to this day near Morvah Church a huge stone which is said to mark the Giant's Grave. It is also said that sometimes voices can be heard coming from beneath it! Oendragon, of course being partially based on Arthur's father Uther Pendragon (of Tintagel Castle), the similarities between the castle in the film and St. Michael's Mount cannot be determined, tho it is likely.
If you like fantasy adventures from the 60s in the style of Harryhausen you will like this film, and despite the many flaws, is rather enjoyable.