Ivanhoe 

After returning from the Third Crusade in the Holy Land, Ivanhoe discovers that England is under the rule of the corrupt Prince John.

Stars:

David Barrass, Ralph Brown, Jimmy Chisholm

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
David Barrass	...	Hubert 6 episodes, 1997
Ralph Brown	...	Prince John 6 episodes, 1997
Jimmy Chisholm	...	Wamba 6 episodes, 1997
Trevor Cooper	...	Gurth 6 episodes, 1997
Ciarán Hinds	...	Brian de Bois-Guilbert 6 episodes, 1997
David Horovitch	...	Isaac 6 episodes, 1997
Susan Lynch	...	Rebecca 6 episodes, 1997
Victoria Smurfit	...	Lady Rowena 6 episodes, 1997
Steven Waddington	...	Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe 6 episodes, 1997
James Cosmo	...	Cedric 5 episodes, 1997
Simon Donald	...	Louis Winkelbrand 5 episodes, 1997
Rory Edwards	...	King Richard 5 episodes, 1997
Aden Gillett	...	Robin of Locksley 5 episodes, 1997
Jack Klaff	...	Malvoisin 5 episodes, 1997
David J. Nicholls	...	Little John 5 episodes, 1997
Ronald Pickup	...	Waldemar Fitzurse 5 episodes, 1997
Chris Walker	...	Athelstane 5 episodes, 1997
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	...	Prior Aymer 4 episodes, 1997
Peter Guinness	...	Montfitchet 4 episodes, 1997
Christopher Lee	...	Lucas de Beaumanoir 4 episodes, 1997
Valentine Pelka	...	Maurice de Bracy 4 episodes, 1997
Niven Boyd	...	Oswald 3 episodes, 1997
Nick Brimble	...	Reginald Front de Boeuf 3 episodes, 1997
Ron Donachie	...	Friar Tuck 3 episodes, 1997
Dermot Keaney	...	Brother Ambrose 3 episodes, 1997
Renny Krupinski	...	Bardon 3 episodes, 1997
Peter Needham	...	Abbot 3 episodes, 1997
Chris Barnes	...	Priest 2 episodes, 1997
Cynthia Grenville	...	Elgitha 2 episodes, 1997
Ciaran Madden	...	Urfried 2 episodes, 1997
Siân Phillips	...	Queen Eleanor 2 episodes, 1997
Martin Walsh	...	Young guard 2 episodes, 1997

Storyline

After returning from the Third Crusade in the Holy Land, Ivanhoe discovers that England is under the rule of the corrupt Prince John.

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Plot Keywords:

prince john | england | tv mini series | knights templar | anti hero | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 1997 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ivanhoe

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh Beach, Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

270 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Lee's first acting role for the BBC since 1947.

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Goofs

Ivanhoe's shield is punctured by Bois-Guilbert's lance in the joust. In subsequent scenes the hole disappears, then reappears.

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Quotes

Queen Eleanor: It matters not to me if all the nations of Christendom know that Queen Eleanor's sons are curdle-brained ninnies, so incapable of settling their differences that they have to send for their mother to do it for them!

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Connections

Version of Ivanhoe (1913)

User Reviews

Fun, but don't use it as a history text

The biggest problem with adapting Ivanhoe for the big screen is

that the original book had some massive plotholes in it, and the

titular hero was completely overshadowed by the main villain. One

certainly shouldn't take any of it as historical fact. You've got a

Saxon woman from a culture Christianised for centuries calling on

Scandinavian deities that even her pagan ancestors never

worshipped. The portrayal of the Templars is slanderously

inaccurate and reflects Scott's antifreemasonry far more than any

historical fact. Nor would they have tried Rebecca for witchcraft; it

would have been for heresy. And since Jews weren't really recast

as heretics until the Fourth Lateran Council, even that is pushing it

by about two decades. Also, the antisemitism in the book is pretty

intense, and hard to read these days. You can derive a whole lot of

amusement from the contortions of the book's apologists who try

to explain away all the "fun" that the hero's sidekicks have at poor

Isaac's expense. Scott, by his own admission, wasn't even

remotely interested in historical accuracy. He once said that if he

thought the story would work better if the heroine was blue, he'd

make her blue.

This version tries, with some serious story revision, to rise above

all of this. It doesn't completely succeed but you know, I sure had

fun watching it try. I'd say this is probably the best of the three

versions, though I enjoyed Sam Neill's turn as Bois-Guilbert in the

'82 version. The story is still chaotic, but the elevation of Bois- Guilbert from villain to anti-hero helps a lot. What helps even more

is Ciaran Hinds' blistering portrayal of Bois-Guilbert and his

unsurpassable chemistry with Susan Lynch as Rebecca. They

blast Ivanhoe and Rowena right off the screen, though granted,

that's not hard to do. I can guarantee that by the final fight it won't

be Ivanhoe you're rooting for Rebecca to run off with!

Even better, the movie is chock full of excellent actors chewing

scenery as villains with whom Alan Rickman's Sheriff of

Nottingham would happily have shared company. Unfortunately,

this means that as the movie progresses and bad guys are offed,

or otherwise neutralised, things get rather less fun (the good guys

are really, really dull). The middle third, when the unholy trio of

Bois-Guilbert, Front de Boeuf and De Bracy is in full plot-and- pillage mode, is probably the best. The last twenty minutes,

however, are a snore.

Overall, it's definitely worth a look--not perfect, but still a hard act to

follow for any future adaptations.