Ivanhoe (1952)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers (WGA):

Noel Langley (screenplay) and
Æneas MacKenzie (adaptation)

Release Date:

31 July 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance

Plot:

In the centre of this Walter Scott classic fiction inspired film the chivalrousness and the daring stand...

Plot Keywords:

Knight | Ransom | Austria | Robin Hood | Narration

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 nominations

Cast

Robert Taylor	...	Ivanhoe
Elizabeth Taylor	...	Rebecca
Joan Fontaine	...	Rowena
George Sanders	...	De Bois-Guilbert
Emlyn Williams	...	Wamba
Robert Douglas	...	Sir Hugh De Bracy
Finlay Currie	...	Cedric
Felix Aylmer	...	Isaac
Francis De Wolff	...	Front De Boeuf (also as Francis DeWolff)
Norman Wooland	...	King Richard
Basil Sydney	...	Waldemar Fitzurse
Guy Rolfe	...	Prince John
Harold Warrender	...	Locksley
Patrick Holt	...	Philip DeMalvoisin
Roderick Lovell	...	Ralph DeVipont

Also Known As:

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:U | USA:Approved (#15505) | Finland:K-12 | Norway:11 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:Btl | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Doune Castle, Doune, Stirling, Scotland, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Scriptwriter Marguerite Roberts was a member of the American Communist Party and in 1951 she was ordered to appear before the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Roberts and her husband John Sanford refused to name fellow members of the party and were both blacklisted. M-G-M received permission from the SWG (Screen Writer's Guild) to remove Roberts' name from the film after she refused to testify before HUAC.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The real name of a "mace with chain" is a "Flail".

Quotes:

Rebecca: My heart is breaking, Father.
Isaac of York: My heart broke long ago. But it serves me still.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "De familie Knots: Enge dingen (#1.6)" (1981)

An entertaining fairy tale come to life

I can't comment on the film as an adaption but I did find that it was quite entertaining standing alone. Some have criticized Robert Taylor for being too stiff, but I found him to be suitably formal and chivalrous. Elizabeth Taylor and Joan Fontaine both provided ample glamour and grace to their roles. They are also both very photogenic to say the least. The performance of George Sanders intrigued me the most. Though a villain, he actually became more sympathetic to me as the movie progressed. The relationship of the four major characters was what kept me interested. Although I am sure it took careful planning and execution (and a lot of extras) to stage the fight scenes, I actually thought they were quite perfunctory. Solid if not spectacular, 7/10.