Too much of everything

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

I never thought I'd see the day when the best part of a movie would be Franz Waxman's musical score. That speaks very highly of his surprising music in Prince Valiant, and also very poorly of the rest of the movie. It was as if everyone in the film was a rapper, and then when James Mason opened his mouth, an opera aria came out. He just didn't belong in this movie. It was beneath his talent. Everyone else acted like they were dubbed by foreign actors who didn't know how to construct proper English sentences and were forced to speak in monotone. This was so incredibly painful to sit through, and I thoroughly recommend that no one ever do it. My mom and I rented it together, because she's crazy about James Mason, too. We didn't turn it off, because whenever James Mason opened his mouth, we wanted to hear it. Instead, while everyone else was talking, we talked, too. We spent the entire running time of Prince Valiant pouring generous glasses of apricot brandy and writing out a cast list of the Harry Potter films, if they were made in the 1960s-inspired by how amazing James Mason would have been as Professor Snape. Then, since Prince Valiant still had half an hour left, we made another cast list, if Harry Potter was made in the 1940s.So, my instructions, in case you're ever invited to a party where someone has rented Prince Valiant are as follows: bring a bottle or two of apricot brandy and a notepad. Pick a decade and plan out a cast list of an alternate Harry Potter film franchise, only pausing to look up when James Mason is talking. Enjoy your evening!

Years ago, when vinyl still ruled, I brought the record of Charles Gerhardt's "The Classic Scores of Franz Waxman". The opening track was music from "Prince Valiant". I hadn't seen the movie, but was surprised that the music seemed so light for an historical epic - almost a send-up of epic scores.When I finally saw the film, I realised that Waxman had caught the tone of the film perfectly. It is an adventure film that doesn't take itself too seriously although it is based on Hal Foster's beautifully drawn comic strip, which took itself very seriously indeed - "Peanuts" it was not.Robert Wagner's character, Prince Valiant (Val to his friends), belongs to a royal family of Christian Vikings. When Val's father is dethroned by Sligon, leader of pagan worshiping Vikings, the lad is sent with his pageboy haircut to Camelot to join King Arthur's Round Table as a way of helping his father regain the throne. However he discovers a plot against Arthur, which also involves Sligon. Along the way he gains friends, makes enemies, and finds romance with the tightly bodiced Princess Aleta.That's roughly the plot; the romantic elements probably wouldn't have been sophisticated enough for an episode of Andy Hardy, however the whole thing is handled with such flair that clichés, overly obvious plotting and the mishmash of American and British accents are brushed away by engaging stars, great locations and brilliant special effects.Prince Valiant was made shortly after the introduction of Cinemascope and if ever a movie was a showcase for the process it's this one; pan and scan on TV just doesn't do it justice.Whenever the great cinematic sword fights are listed, the one between Robert Wagner and James Mason in "Prince Valiant", is hardly ever mentioned, but it is one of the best blade-on-blade encounters ever.The film seems influenced as much by Robert Taylor's "Ivanhoe" as by Hal Foster, especially with all the jousting, and a beautiful blonde heroine contrasted with a beautiful raven-haired one: Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor in the former, Janet Leigh and Debra Paget in the latter.The production is lavish even if the Vikings in the film look more like a herd than a horde with ridiculous out-sized horns on their helmets - you would think the biggest danger they faced when raping and pillaging would have been poking each other's eyes out.Nevertheless "Prince Valiant" is simply good old-fashioned movie making; it's a full-blooded adventure, but given a light touch - it still delivers value for money.

Fifty years ago moviegoers found that Fox's PRINCE VALIENT was much better than expected, thanks to Henry Hathaway's fine direction and a wealth of good sense from 20th Century-Fox. Fox was still well-taken with their new CinemaScope process that just begged for action and beautiful, colorful settings. This movie excels at all, but it's mostly the rock-solid story of King Arthur and the Vikings that makes it.Screen beauties Janet Leigh and Debra Paget almost never showed any leg in any movie, and herein (sorry) are fully covered as usual. Anyway, it's the men who dominate this story. Robert Wagner is perfect as Valient, and Sterling Hayden is at the top of his form, as is James Mason.Truth is that in the age of comic book movies (2000-2008) Hollywood's cocaine sniffers have no clue how to craft this genre with any classic quality. The secret is to focus on (1) story, (2) character development, (3) spectacular sets and scenery, (4) challenge, redemption, faith, patriotism. The religion and honor in Prince Valient would make today's godless movie industry cringe.These days the focus (if any) would be on animation, choppy editing, almost no dialog, and the usual/identical musical score: vim, vim, vim, vim on a violin while a chorus belts out wordless chants. Boring! Thus films like Jerry Bruckheimer's "King Arthur" -- to name just one, is no longer even a memory, let alone a classic.Treat yourself! Rent "Prince Valient" on DVD.

The biggest problem that Prince Valiant has is that it takes itself too seriously. It is still entertaining on many levels, but I wish it had been done in a lighter vein. A good example to follow would have been Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy had the studio been able to see into the future.The Arthurian legends place Camelot to be a generation or three after the fall of the Roman Empire. At that point Christianity was unheard of in Scandinavia where the Vikings were from. In fact Christianity was in heavy competition with the Druid religions of the ancient Britons. So the whole film has no basis in fact.I do have to say that the film made oodles of money for 20th Century Fox and gave Robert Wagner a career role that he would be identified with for the period of his bobby sox popularity. Wagner certainly had a good a group of supporting players as you could get to help this film. James Mason is a fabulous villain and his duel with Wagner is a classic. Brian Aherne would get to do King Arthur again in Cornel Wilde's Lancelot and Guinevere and he fits my conception of what the mature Arthur was like.One thing though. I have to believe that with Arthur's Excalibur and Valiant's singing sword sooner or later these guys would have tangled. Two magic swords in one kingdom, unheard of.