Still image from the 1952 film Ivanhoe.

Ivanhoe

Directed by Richard Thorpe

Sir Walter Scott's classic tale of the noble knight torn between his fair lady and a beautiful Jew.

1952 1h 46m Epic TV-G

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CAST
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0

Richard Thorpe, Director
191735|130458
Richard Thorpe
Director

1

Robert Taylor, Ivanhoe
1472132|132730
Robert Taylor
Ivanhoe

2

Elizabeth Taylor, Rebecca
189524|46617
Elizabeth Taylor
Rebecca

3

Joan Fontaine, Rowena
63647|83603
Joan Fontaine
Rowena

4

George Sanders, De Bois-Guilbert
169430|59366
George Sanders
De Bois-Guilbert

5

Emlyn Williams, Wamba
206605|47664
Emlyn Williams
Wamba

FULL SYNOPSIS

In late twelfth century England, Saxons and Normans retain lingering hatred of one another. Unpopular Norman Prince John has ruled England since his brother, King Richard, left for the Holy Land to lead the Third Crusade, and many assume that Richard is now dead. During Saxon Ivanhoe's long journey back to England, however, he finds Richard in an Austrian prison, languishing because John will not pay his ransom. Once back in England, Ivanhoe disguises himself as a minstrel and goes to the castle of his father Cedric, with whom he became estranged when he left for the Holy Land. While Cedric offers hospitality in his banquet hall to both Norman and Saxon travelers, Ivanhoe is recognized only by his faithful servant, Wamba. Wamba takes him to see Rowena, Cedric's ward, whom Ivanhoe has loved since childhood. Ivanhoe returns to the banquet hall just as another traveler, a Jew named Isaac, seeks refuge for the night. Although the Normans present, including De Bois-Guilbert and Sir Hugh De Bracy, protest, Cedric offers hospitality to Isaac, insisting that everyone is welcome at his table. As they dine, the Normans discuss a tournament that will soon take place in Ashby, prompting Guilbert to recall a past tournament during which a masked Saxon knight named Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe bested him, then disappeared. Cedric then bitterly says that Ivanhoe was his son, but is now dead to him. Ivanhoe later reveals himself to Cedric and asks for money to save Richard, but Cedric is ...


VIDEOS
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Dave Karger Intro
Hosted Intro
Ben Mankiewicz Intro...
Hosted Intro
Tiffany Vazquez Intro...
Hosted Intro
Ben Mankiewicz Intro...
Hosted Intro
Whom Do You Hold Most Dear?...
Movie Clip
Original Trailer
Trailer

ARTICLES
In the early 1950s, Hollywood was in a most interesting quandary. Television was rapidly becoming a popular source of entertainment in the country and was 'public enemy number one' to the film industry. Movie attendance began a steady and rapid decline forcing many Hollywood executives to find ways to compete with the popularity of the small screen. One executive, Dore Schary (who was head of MGM Production at the time) came up with one solution - make the big screen even bigger. With a large budget, lavish set pieces, period costumes, top stars, and the advent of Cinemascope, Schary struck gold in 1951 with Quo Vadis?, the top grossing film of that year (raking in over $11.9 million, a phenomenal sum in its day). Schary wasted no time in preparing for his next spectacle. He decided to do a film adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's historical adventure Ivanhoe - a fanciful tale of knights, swordplay, chivalry and kingdoms. The story begins with the kidnapping of King Richard the Lionhearted. Ivanhoe, (Robert Taylor, whose stoic embodiment of virile integrity redefined his image for the rest of his career), a Saxon knight who fought for King Richard in the Crusades, makes an effort to raise the ransom to free his King. Isaac of York (Sir Felix Aylmer), and his daughter Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) help Ivanhoe raise the ransom. They are taken prisoner by De Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), leader of the Normans. Although deeply in love with Rebecca, De Bois-Guilbert ...

ARCHIVES
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 Elizabeth Taylor from the movie 'Ivanhoe'
Ivanhoe
Elizabeth Taylor
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 Movie Posters from the movie 'Ivanhoe'
Ivanhoe
Movie Posters
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 Publicity Stills from the movie 'Ivanhoe'
Ivanhoe
Publicity Stills

NOTES
The film's opening title card reads: "Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer presents Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe." Hollywood Reporter news items and other contemporary sources offer the following additional information about the production: M-G-M had planned to adapt Scott's novel to the screen as early as 1937. At that time, the production was to be shot at M-G-M's British studios, with Robert Taylor announced as the star. Various news items in 1937 and 1938 also mentioned M-G-M stars Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer, Lionel Barrymore and Wallace Beery as possible co-stars with Taylor. Following the outbreak of war in 1939, pre-production on the film was halted.
       According to a New York Times article, in 1947, when producer Dore Schary was at RKO, he became interested in adapting Scott's novel for the screen. When he left RKO to become head of production at M-G-M, he brought the property with him, then in 1949, producer Pandro S. ...

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