"Ivanhoe," filmed in bright techicolor was nominated for best picture in 1952.
Miklos Rosza again provides us with a major musical score. I always felt that his scores, so rich in textures, would be a prelude to his Oscar-winning score in "Ben-Hur." (1959)
The film deals with the ongoing fight between the Anglo-Saxons and Normans, the latter having ruled England since the infamous Battle of Hastings in 1066. While fighting in the crusades, Richard the Lionhearted has been kidnapped and held captive in Austria. This has been done with the help of the Austrian emperor Leopold and Prince John, Richard's evil brother, who assumes the throne in his brother's absence.
I laughed at the beginning of the film when Robert Taylor, who plays Ivanhoe, loyal to Richard, asks someone for a translation as he doesn't read Austrian. Didn't they mean German? While it is true that Germany did not become a unified country until 1871 following the Franco-Prussian war, the dialect spoken in the entire region was German.
Taylor rallies to the aid of his people. Hurt, he is given refuge by the Jewess Rebecca, played with warmth and skill by Elizabeth Taylor. Her father, Isaac the Jew, played by the always serious Felix Aylmer, promises to help pay the ransom for Richard so that his people can have religious toleration in England. Naturally, Rebecca loves Ivanhoe but so does Lady Rowena played by a much reserved Joan Fontaine. Her guardian, the father of Ivanhoe in the film, is portrayed by Finlay Currie, who played in numerous bible films.
The Technicolor and cinematography are breathtaking in the film.
A story of love and devotion, especially that of George Sanders, who sacrifices all for Rebecca.
