Review of Ivanhoe (1952) by Paul C — 23 Jan 2010

I love Elizabeth Taylor, and I also love a great medieval adventure film of knightly heroics. This film is based on the Sir Walter Scott classic about the chivalrousness and the daring stand.

Ivanhoe, the disowned knight joins the bravehearted and high-minded Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest to raise the ransom money for King Richard (who was captured by Emperor Leopald of Austria after the Crusades), and also thwart Prince John's nasty schemes. And also, Ivanhoe also wants to re-establish his relationship with his father who disowned him years previously...disown your own son because he went to war for king and country?! that's ridiculous! After watching a bunch of time (after taping it), this became one of my favorite literary films with action-adventure and romance. Filmed in England, and with a top-notch cast besides Elizabeth includes Robert Taylor as our hero, Joan Fontaine as the Saxon princess Rowena and the ever-reliable George Sanders (The Black Swan, Disney's The Jungle Book) is suitably menacing as Sir Brian de Bois Guilbert, but he leavens the villainy with just the right note of chivalry and even decency.

I love Elizabeth Taylor's and Joan Fontaine's costumes in the movie; especially the white dress Elizabeth wore in the ending of the film, and the golden one Rowena wore at the tournament scene. The one thing I do not like in the film after hearing all the time on screen, is the racism/bigotry (that's another word for prejudice) against Norman,Saxon and the Jewish people...I hate that now - racism and prejudice.