Edward Small saw the grosses for The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and thought "I'll have me some of that" so he hired that movie's star, head villain and director. He didn't hire Ray Harryhausen so the effects aren't as good but this is a sweet, fun movie, impossible to dislike if you've got a soft spot for this sort of film.
Kerwin Mathews is handsome and a bit bland but not bad as the hero; Judi Meredith has spunk and life as the heroine. Torin Thatcher plays the villain to the manor born and Anna Lee is great fun as a witch.
There's some repetition - Meredith is captured twice in the first half hour and some of the effects are wonky; but it hits a lot of the beats you want - there's a leprechaun who's a genie, and escapes and sword fighting and possession, and a surprisingly shocking moment where a boy's father is killed in front of the boy's eyes.
Cheerful and bright. Nathan Juran directed and co-wrote.
No comments:
Post a Comment