What makes it different from others?

Let's be realistic.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exiled King of Sandia, whose throne was usurped by force, is given refuge by King Arthur at a secret location; now, the troubled King's green son is anxious to make matters right, leaving the family's hideout and eventually tangling with the elusive Black Knight of the forest. Simpleton epic based upon the King Features comic strip by Harold Foster is beautifully photographed by the esteemed Lucien Ballard, who manages to get a sheen from just about every location chosen. The costumes and castles are terrifically splendid, yet the film's miscasting quickly negates interest in the action. Robert Wagner isn't quite right for the energetic leading role; his perpetually blank look, callow manner, and wooden line readings are often embarrassing...and certainly the black wig does him no favors. Prince Valiant is chosen as squire to Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden, in an even worse performance than Wagner's) and the two have romantic complications with a pair of sisters (Janet Leigh and Debra Paget, both lovely). James Mason is the mysterious Sir Brack, who may be after King Arthur's throne, but Mason doesn't exude much mystery--with his arch delivery and decadent manner, we know right away he's up to no good, which kills any suspense the plot might have had. The ladies are fun, and the presentation is certainly colorful; otherwise, this "Prince" is a pallid player in the Medieval adventure genre. ** from ****

Henry Hathaway's 'Prince Valiant' is an epic adventure story set in the Golden Age of Chivalry... It is the story of a Viking Prince who pledges to go to Camelot and there strive with honor and diligence to become a Knight at King Arthur's Round Table...'Prince Valiant' is about a ghost who plots treason, a black-armored knight who appears and vanishes at will... It is about a deadly Black Knight, who uses his disguise to make a pact with a Viking traitor to overthrow a great king...'Prince Valiant' is about a desperate squire who dares to wear the armor and identity of a chivalrous Knight of the Round Table... And about a loyal squire who crowns a mighty knight with a rock, and tries to win a beautiful princess for himself...'Prince Valiant' is about the son of an exiled king who seeks King Arthur's help against the usurper, and becomes involved in a court plot... It is about a courageous lad who faces the treachery of a mysterious black knight, who is scheming betrayal and murder...James Mason portrays the shining knight Sir Brack who suffers the indignity of being challenged on the field of honor by a squire in the guise of a knight...Janet Leigh plays the lovely damsel with one purpose, to answer love fully...Robert Wagner plays the young hothead with one vow to fulfill before he can think of anything else...Debra Paget plays the shy and charming dark-haired princess with a secret wish...Sterling Hayden plays Sir Gawain, the perfect knight who knows that his duty is to find the Black Knight and destroy him before his treason ripens...Victor McLaglen plays the Christian Viking hiding behind a red curtain with a long knife in his hand...Donald Crisp plays the exiled King of Scandia who was overthrown by a Viking traitor and escapes with his wife and son across the North Sea to Britain...Brian Aherne plays Arthur, King of the Britons, who assures Valiant that 'knighthood cannot be had for the asking...' It must be won! Barry Jones plays the father of two lovely princesses who suffers to get the best knight for one of his daughters...Well... I just love this movie! Its good old magic moves me to some of the most cherished memories stored in my mind... It is an agreeable historical piece that has prowess, romance, and grace, and a breathtaking duel, one of the best you will ever see...

This film is one of those inane market deals. In the tradition of today's teenage driven film market this movie preceded today's SFX B-flick bonanzas with the same formula to grab young people's money.One of Robert Wagner's early roles sees him miscast (and in this way appropriately cast) as a civilized pagan Norseman, with altruistic ideals, but little experience to back up his high minded values.Comically over-sized swords are counterweighted by some of the battle scenes, but nearly no research went into this film, which isn't too surprising as its sights were aimed all that high in the first place.It's an interesting window at what 1950s Hollywood considered fluff action drama, and it's worth a look for that alone. Otherwise give it a pass.

Wagner took a lot of heat over the years for his pageboy wig in this film (something that was completely beyond his control and also true to the comic strip, even though other aspects of the film weren't!) and he does look ridiculous at times. However, men's period wigs in the cinema from the earliest days on up to about the mid-seventies were rather icky. Think Errol Flynn in "The Sea Hawk", Gene Kelly in "The Three Musketeers" or even Max Von Sydow in "The Greatest Story Ever Told." A lot of guys had to endure cruddy hair and hope for the best. Remember, too, that smooth hair was the rule until the late sixties. Bob can breathe easy that his proposed film with Joan Collins "Lord Vanity", in which he'd have worn a white powdered wig, never saw fruition! Here he plays the title character, a young lad of Viking descent who's living in exile with his parents in Britain. When old Viking enemy Carnera threatens to strike again, Wagner heads off to see King Arthur (Aherne) to become a knight and reclaim his father's kingdom for him. He's waylaid on the way by the dreaded and almost mystical Black Knight and by Sir Gawain (Hayden) who he winds up working for as a squire at Camelot. On a mission gone wrong, Wagner ends up in the home of lovely sisters Leigh and Paget and assorted romantic complications and misunderstandings follow between him and the young ladies and Hayden. Adding to his troubles is are the machinations of Mason, who wishes for a higher position in Britain and who also covets Leigh's hand. It all comes to a head in a heated battle at Wagner's family castle and later at Camelot, where Wagner and Mason square off in a lively sword fight. Wagner displays (ever so briefly) a very fit physique near the start of this film and he appears to be doing a fair number of his own stunts. His enthusiasm in the role goes a long way in making up for his terrible posture and his agonizingly flat accent (emphasized even more so by the wondrous tones of Mason's and other excellent British character actors' voices.) Even Wagner's voice is more suited to the proceedings than Hayden's, though. The film was in dire need of a dialect coach with Wagner spouting out "yuh" instead of "you" and Hayden saying "nuthin'" instead of "nothing" among many other ear-stabbers. Mason is his usual reliable self, providing a nicely menacing touch to his role. Hayden is a big, strapping lug; likable, but not particularly authentic. Leigh doesn't have a great deal to do besides look pretty, which she does, in an almost white, long wig. She's fussed over and fought over a great deal even though Paget is at least as attractive, if not more so! Aherne would get a more fulfilling shot at playing Arthur in the later film "Lancelot and Guinevere". None of the performers, with the possible exception of Wagner, is ever seen in much of a close-up, making it hard to see everyone well on a normal size TV in widescreen. This would not have been the case, obviously, during the film's Cinemascope release, however. The film features a large array of characters, some of them famous, and a lot of them barely registering at all (Lancelot and Guinevere, for example, are used as virtual extras.) There's a lot of pretty scenery, lovely backgrounds and medieval pageantry. The film is enhanced tremendously by an effervescent and rousing score by Waxman. It's got a sort of pat, comic book-style story, yet occasionally reaches an more mature level of violence (still quite tame by today's standards.) In other words, some characters state the obvious in order to make the film clearer to children. It's not a bad time-killer and is worth viewing in order to hear the music and see the lovely Ballard cinematography. And there is no truth to the rumor that Natalie Wood served at Wagner's stand-in during the filming despite his wearing what could have been one of her old wigs!