Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

Lawbolisted Powerful

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

hwg1957-102-265704 The story of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott has been filmed a few times and this version is good though not exceptional. Part of the problem is that Ivanhoe is inactive from his wounds for the middle part and so the narrative is carried by others such as the Brian de Bois- Guilbert/Rebecca story and the King Richard/Robin Hood story with Prince John thrown into the mix. Ultimately the real heroic person is not Ivanhoe but Rebecca. In the end King Richard opts for unity between Norman and Saxon and there is forgiveness between Ivanhoe and his father but also in the end Ivanhoe sticks to Rowena rather than Rebecca. There isn't room in the new England for the Jewish people so Rebecca and her father choose to leave the country. Rebecca is brave and caring and firm in her loyalty to her father and her faith despite falling in love with Ivanhoe though she is not comfortable with his ideas of honour and glory. Rebecca is played extremely well by Olivia Hussey and is the moral centre of the film. How anyone can prefer the simpering Rowena (played blandly by Lysette Anthony) to Rebecca is a mystery! With the other characters there is good acting all round from the mainly British actors and the settings and costumes are adequate. The jousting scenes are well staged and good use is made of real castles in England. The climax of the last duel is not quite how the novel depicts it, that is the death of Bois De Guilbert, but that is only a minor quibble. Anyway it is a good version and worth watching.

David Tierney Yes, it does "period" in the same broad sweeping comic-book gestures as the Hollywood of yesteryear. Yes, saying Sam Neil is over-acting in this one is like calling Lassie merely a good dog. Yes, we've so done the hero-who-actually-IS-a-good-guy bit. Yes, the overly French-Horned theme reminds me of the satirically self-important music from Young Frankenstein. It is cheesy, yes! But you start out with a classic romp of a tale that happens to (as a little bonus) dig a little deeper and discuss some pretty important stuff. And – my god – Olivia Hussey was a babe.And what is really great is that as this book was written, your interest doesn't have to be maintained by the titular character because there are supporting folks heavy-laden with their own fascinating tales – and that's the way this movie was cast; the most interesting actors are playing the most interesting characters.And Robin Hood is in it. That just rocks.

generalmusic I guess all countries have a few strange traditions and this film is connected to one of ours in Sweden. Every New Year´s Day the last twenty years public service television have showned this movie in the afternoon, the perfect time for dragging yourself up, buying a pizza and maybe forget your extreme hangover for a while. Everyone knows the film inside out but are still watching it year after year; fills in on every funny line (like when de Boeuf shouts "Striiip him!"), laughs once again over great characters like Athelstone and Tuck and gets annoyed over how Ivanhoe can choose the boring Lady Rowena before foxy Olivia Hussey. I can´t really say anymore if it´s a good movie or not but I guess it´s perfect for a day after...

Caledonia Twin #1 Pride and prejudice, betrayal and revenge, lust and purity, kidnappings, tournaments, and ransoms... what better ingredients could be assembled in one film? This retelling of Ivanhoe has many exceptional qualities, including first-rate cinematography and chivalric music. But the quality of this Ivanhoe lies in the casting. James Mason plays an excellent Isaac of York, and Olivia Hussey's Rebecca is every bit as passionate as Elizabeth Taylor's. Lysette Anthony has all the ingenue quality of a Saxon princess; yet one wonders whom Ivanhoe would have chosen to marry if race and religious prejudices had not been the order of the day. One of the strengths of this film was, to my mind, the triumvirate of villains Bois-Guilbert, de Bracy, and Front de Boeuf. Sam Neill is brilliant as the knight torn between his order and his obsession with a "Jewess heathen", and Stuart Wilson shines in the supporting role of the besotted de Bracy. This film was released on video at one point, as I rented it from a video store. I highly recommend it.