In 1954, Hal Foster’s comic Prince Valiant was adapted into a movie. This feature by Henry Hathaway is currently available on Netflix instant play.

WATCH: Prince Valiant (1954) – Rated PG

“The tale from the Sunday comics about a Viking prince under the reign of King Arthur is brought to life with Robert Wagner in the title role. A mentor to young Valiant is Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden), who has trained the young warrior for the Round Table. Also coloring the screen are Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh), Valiant’s love, and Sir Brack (James Mason), the ominous villain.”

First let me state that I’m not qualified to judge whether this is a faithful adaptation of Hal Foster’s iconic strip. It is fun to watch a very young Robert Wagner as Valiant, especially in his cute pageboy haircut. James Mason is wonderfully villainous as Sir Brack but Sterling Hayden is quite upright and stilted as the stalwart Sir Gawain. Janet Leigh and Debra Paget are equally lovely as Aleta and Ilene though clearly Gawain is bewitched by blond hair as he doesn’t even notice that Debra Paget is throwing herself at him.

The sets are quite colorful and design makes good use of the Cinemascope process. The castle shots are wonderful using both Alnwick and Warwick castles. There’s a wonderful shot as Valiant looks up from his bed at Aleta whose head is framed halo-like by the chandelier. Having listed all of that, the rest of the cast and production seem lifeless so I’m recommending this as a Watch but with reservations.

People Watch: Michael Rennie does the narration, Neville Brand plays a viking chief, and boxer Primo Carnera plays Sligon though none are listed in the credits.