Ivanhoe (1952)

In the centre of this Walter Scott classic fiction inspired film the chivalrousness and the daring stand. Ivanhoe, the disowned knight join to the bravehearted and high-minded Robin Hood, ... See full summary »

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Noel Langley (screenplay), Æneas MacKenzie (adaptation),

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 of York
Francis De Wolff	...	Front De Boeuf (as Francis DeWolff)
Norman Wooland	...	King Richard
Basil Sydney	...	Waldemar Fitzurse
Harold Warrender	...	Locksley
Patrick Holt	...	Philip DeMalvoisin
Roderick Lovell	...	Ralph DeVipont
Sebastian Cabot	...	Clerk of Copmanhurst

Storyline

In the centre of this Walter Scott classic fiction inspired film the chivalrousness and the daring stand. Ivanhoe, the disowned knight join to the bravehearted and high-minded Robin Hood, the valiant of Forest Sherwood. They want King Richard to rule the kingdom instead of evil Prince John.

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Plot Keywords:

knight | robin hood | austria | ransom | inn | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ivanhoe - Der schwarze Ritter

Filming Locations:

Doune Castle, Doune, Stirling, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,842,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Loew's

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released in the summer of 1952, Ivanhoe was MGM's highest grossing film for the year and one of the top four moneymakers of 1952, grossing over $6.2 million. The film had taken in $1,310,590 at the box office in thirty-nine days of limited release, setting a record for an MGM film. According to the Motion Picture Almanac, the film was the second highest-grossing film of 1952, taking in more than $7,000,000 at the box office.

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Goofs

During the fire at the castle where Ivanhoe and his father and Squire are held captive, one of the soldiers runs to the fight and you can see his sword wobble and shake because it is made of rubber.

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Quotes

Ivanhoe: Hold my Lords!
Ivanhoe: I Wilfred of Ivanhoe, do challenge the judgment of this tribunal. In the name of the accused, I demand that her guilt or innocence be determined in the eyes of God by wager of battle.

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Connections

Referenced in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

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Soundtracks

"The Song of Ivanhoe"
(1952) (uncredited)
Music by Miklós Rózsa
Lyrics by Marguerite Roberts
Sung by Robert Taylor and Norman Wooland

User Reviews

Thoroughly enjoyable

This film is a respectable adaptation of Scott's Waverley novel, full of passion and pageantry, knights templar and damsels fair. George Sanders makes a delicious villain Bois Gilbert. Robert Taylor's Hollywood accent seems a bit out of place, but the film is primarily visual and succeeds on a cinematographic level. The dramatic Elizabeth Taylor plays a sweet Rebecca.

Icon Joan Fontaine, looking here much like her sister Olivia De Havilland (of "Gone with the Wind" and "Robin Hood" fame), is a stately, refined Rowena. Tournaments, courtly love, and hand to hand combat abound. This is classic 50's epic drama at its best.