Starring Kerwin Mathews, Judi Meredith, Torin Thatcher, Walter Burke, Don Beddoe
Directed by Nathan Juran
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young farmer comes to the rescue of a princess abducted by a giant, but after he dispatches the beast, finds she is under constant threat of capture by a powerful evil wizard.
It's hard not to think of this production as a retread of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, utilizing that film's hero (Kerwin Mathews), it's villain (Torin Thatcher), it's director (Nathan Juran), and stop-motion creatures closely resembling Ray Harryhausen's from the Sinbad film. Jim Danforth, Gene Warren, and Wah Chang, talented effects artists in their own right, provide the animation in this film, but the creature design and execution is clearly a notch below Harryhausen's excellent work. Nevertheless, the film is not without its charms and an element of fun, and the wide variety of creature makeups for the human actors are beguiling and memorable. Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter provide an entertaining music score, there are several likable characters, and it's well-paced with plenty of action. Apparently, a musical version of the film also exists with characters breaking into song.
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