Prince Valiant (1954)

A young Viking prince strives to become a knight in King Arthur's Court and restore his exiled father to his rightful throne.

Director:

Henry Hathaway

Writers:

Dudley Nichols (screenplay), Hal Foster (based on King Features Syndicate's "Prince Valiant" by) (as Harold Foster)

Stars:

James Mason, Janet Leigh, Robert Wagner

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Mason	...	Sir Brack
Janet Leigh	...	Princess Aleta
Robert Wagner	...	Prince Valiant
Debra Paget	...	Ilene
Sterling Hayden	...	Sir Gawain
Victor McLaglen	...	Boltar
Donald Crisp	...	King Aguar
Brian Aherne	...	King Arthur
Barry Jones	...	King Luke
Mary Philips	...	Queen of Thule
Howard Wendell	...	Morgan Todd
Tom Conway	...	Sir Kay

Storyline

Young Prince Valiant, son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes to help his father reclaim his throne from the pagan Viking usurper Sligon and restore the Christian faith to their homeland. On his journey he stumbles upon a mysterious Black Knight plotting with Sligon's representatives to overthrow Arthur. Barely escaping with his life, Valiant encounters Sir Gawain, one of the most illustrious knights of the Round Table, and an old friend of his father's, who tutors the young Viking in the skills needed to be a knight. Valiant and Gawain's pupil-mentor relationship is complicated by their romantic involvement with Princess Aleta and her sister Ilene, daughters of the King of Ord. If Valiant is to restore his father's throne and prevent the coup d'etat against Arthur, he must uncover the true identity of the Black Knight.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | viking | king arthur | based on comic strip | pageboy hair cut | 

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Taglines:

From the land of the Vikings ... into the hearts of millions ...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prins Valiant

Filming Locations:

Arroyo Sequit Park, Ventura County, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,970,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since Prince Valiant's years-in-the-telling story line in the comics was so sprawling and complex, the property is said to have languished at MGM, where no writer could get a handle on it. When MGM eventually allowed its option to lapse, it was picked up by Fox. There, Oscar-winning screenwriter, Dudley Nichols, devised a script by selecting panels from the comic strip to create a much more concise storyboard from which to work.

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Goofs

As Valiant leaves his castle to meet Boltar at the beginning of the movie, he jumps from several heights to the ground. As Valiant jumps off a small hill next to the castle, you can clearly see mats falling down from the hill after he jumps.

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Quotes

Unnamed Viking: [Boltar is trying to convince his men to rescue Val and his family] But Boltar, we'd die before we'd get through the gates!
Boltar: At least we'd die fighting.
Unnamed Viking: Would you lead the attack?
Boltar: You will. I'll be inside. I'm the only one here they'll pass through the gates. And I'll take Gorlock. When I get him inside, he'll make his way to the tower. You gather every man. Be armed and ready. And when you see Gorlock wave the torch, attack!
Unnamed Viking: A torch waved from the top of the tower? What will it mean?
Boltar: That I've ...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in 20th Century-Fox: The First 50 Years (1997)

User Reviews

A colorful and entertaining film

The Sunday comic strip character gets the CinemaScope treatment in a fine film with marquee names to attract more than passing interest. Robert Wagner is just right as the young Viking prince who seeks to restore his father's throne. Circumstances bring Valiant to King Arthur's court where an English knight becomes his mentor and trains him in the art of combat. James Mason is great as a shadowy figure who figures prominently in the picture. Janet Leigh is a lovely maiden who is smitten immediately with Valiant, and Debra Paget is on hand to be romanced by an English knight. The film has action, suspense and romance, tournaments and thrilling battles before the final confrontation between Valiant and the Black Knight. Great cinematography, beautiful scenery and Franz Waxman's brooding score round out a quality film production.