Ivanhoe (1952)

A knight seeks to free the captive King Richard and put him back on the throne.

Director:

Richard Thorpe

Writers:

Noel Langley (screenplay), Æneas MacKenzie (adaptation)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 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
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 center of this Walter Scott classic fiction inspired movie the chivalrousness and the daring stand. Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor), the disowned knight join to the bravehearted and high-minded Robin of Locksley (Harold Warrender), the valiant of Sherwood Forest. They want King Richard (Norman Wooland) to rule the kingdom instead of evil Prince John (Guy Rolfe).

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Plot Keywords:

title same as book | character name as title | ivanhoe character | dog | yorkshire england | 

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Taglines:

At last on the screen ! Biggest spectacle since Quo Vadis.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dame Elizabeth Taylor was much younger than her character, Rebecca, would've been and Robert Taylor was much older than his character, Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, would've been.

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Goofs

The opening credits feature a coat of arms of England supported on the dexter by a lion and an unicorn on the sinister. The unicorn from the arms of Scotland did not appear as a supporter of the arms of England until 1603, when the kingdoms of England and Scotland were united under King James I of England and VI of Scotland.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: In the 12th century, at the close of the third crusade to free the Holy Land, the Saxon knight called Wilfred of Ivanhoe undertook a private crusade of his own. England's warrior king Richard the Lionhearted had disappeared during his homeward march, vanishing without trace. His disappearance dealt a cruel blow to his unhappy country, already in turmoil from the bitter conflict between Saxons and Normans. And in time, most of his subjects came to mourn him as dead. But Ivanhoe's ...

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Connections

Referenced in MGM Parade: Episode #1.6 (1955)

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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

Haven't Seen nothing Better on Walter Scott's Classic Novel

In his return from the crusades king Richard of England is captured and held for ransom by Austrian king Leopold. His loyal knight Wifred of Ivanhoe tries to collect the amount for his liberation but Prince John (Richard's brother) sits now in the throne and will do anything to stay there with the aid of some Normand knights.

This is a real good action and adventure medieval film with knights, maidens, castles, tournaments, battles, duels and else. Richard Thorpe direction is excellent (perhaps his best work ever); you'll find also good color photography, well made settings and an interesting plot. Costumes and armours -though perhaps too "hollywoodish" perfect- are also a plus.

Robert Taylor (Ivanhoe) was in his peak and does well as the reliable and faithful knight who fights for his captive king. George Sanders is very well casted as Brian de Bois Gilbert the Templar warrior-monk that would give up his honor for the love of the Jewish maiden Rebbeca (Elizabeth Taylor) but will rather see her death when he is rejected. Joan Fontaine is Lady Rowena Ivanhoe's bride. The rest of the cast includes some all time favourites as Felix Aylmer (Rebbeca's father), Finlay Currie (Cedric the Saxon), Robert Douglas (as Sanders's sidekick Sir Hugh de Bracy) and in a typical role for him Guy Rolfe as the treacherous and ambitious Prince John (this guy was born to play villains).

The tournament in which Ivanhoe challenges the five top Saxon knights and the assault on Front de Beuf's castle by Robin of Locksley and his men are very well achieved action scenes and even more if you consider it was the early 50's. And the final duel between Taylor and Sanders is a great climax for the film (notice they chose war axe and iron ball and chain instead of the usual swords).

A most enjoyable film in its genre.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$3,842,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1