Prince Valiant
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Movie Reviews of Prince Valiant
Movie Review: Not horrible, but doesn't measure up to the comic strip...
Summary: 3 Stars
This 1954 movie has some good moments. The action sequences are exciting and well choreographed. The cinematography is excellent. The production values are first rate. There doesn't seem to be any obvious corner cutting. The plot is not outstanding but adequate.
The big problem is with the script. This film has a great cast but only James Mason seems capable of doing anything with his lines - but being the villain he had a huge advantage. The characters are woefully undeveloped. This is particularly striking if one compares the film to its comic strip origins. I'm not one to complain about a film taking liberties with its sources but what purpose is served by transforming Aleta from a complex and capable, but stunningly feminine woman to a one dimensional damsel in distress? A minor but not horribly distracting problem is that Robert Wagner and Janet Leigh were a little old for their parts.
Physically it seems that very little restoration was done with this film and there were places that could have used it. Extras are few. A Movietone news short, a theatrical trailer, and some promos for other Fox DVDs.
All in all, worth the price of the DVD but bound to disappoint Prince Valiant fans. Non fans might be more forgiving.
Movie Review: Great fun and very enjoyable. Not serious, but so what?
Summary: 3 Stars
I watched this movie fearing the worst, since it was derived from a comic strip character. Never fear--this is good entertainment. While this is not a film to take seriously, it is a fun excursion into the "King Arthur" theme and does avoid being straight slapstick. For those not familiar with it, "Prince Valiant" is the story of a Scandanavian prince whose father has been dethroned, who comes to King Arthur's court with the ambition of becoming a knight of the Round Table and restoring his father's kingship.
This film features an unusually good cast for a production of this type and caliber. Robert Wagner as Val, Sterling Hayden (of "Dr. Strangelove" fame) as Sir Gawain, James Mason as the Black Knight, and Janet Leigh as Princess Aleta all turn in very enjoyable performances. The swordfight at the end (no spoilers here) is great!
This is an excellent movie to watch with young kids, and adults will enjoy it too.
Movie Review: A mixed bag
Summary: 3 Stars
Prince Valiant is a reminder of movie making of the 1950s, both its strengths and (at least perceived) weaknesses. Filmed in rich color, the story is one a child of those times now in his sixties can understand why he enjoyed it enough then to go to the theater four times (a large number of visits back then) to watch Valiant succeed against the Black Knight. It still has the action and large-horn helmeted Vikings to enchant the child that remains in a person of those times. But the film also seems to indicate that its intent was also part of a message in favor of the blacklisting and witch hunts of those times, as it repeatedly makes reference to Christians against heathens. At the same time, such battles were going on in Europe around the time of King Arthur, certainly they were a part of the literature of the times of early Arthurian legend. Maybe that's all there is to it and nothing more.Movie Review: Prince Valiant
Summary: 3 Stars
Robert Wagner's performance in this story is very weak and forced, one could even say "sappy." This could have been a classic movie, but there's a reason you probably didn't know a movie version of this classic story existed--there are very poor elements to this movie. James Mason is strong as usual, but Janet Leigh's performance is also weaker than any film I've ever seen her in. The cinematography is good. I can only guess that it must have been a poor directing job to get such contrived performances from two of the main actors. If you like well acted classic movies, you'll probably be disappointed in this one. I was.Movie Review: Prince Valiant
Summary: 3 Stars
I have not seen this flick in over forty years, it was a buzz to watch and see the progress movies have made and casting of stars has taken. Certaily all the male leads in this movie were not the barbarian or hero stachure we have come to know today. the sets were quite good for its day . All in all a fun viewing and fun to talk about.