- Actors: Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams
- Directors: Richard Thorpe
- Writers: Marguerite Roberts, Noel Langley, Sir Walter Scott, Æneas MacKenzie
- Producers: Pandro S. Berman
- Classification: U
- Studio: Warner
- VHS Release Date: 22 April 2002
- Run Time: 106 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005LW3X
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 6,270 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Ivanhoe is easily the most glorious of MGM's British swashbucklers made with blocked funds designed to beat a short-lived embargo on US films being shown in the UK. It's also one of many roles intended for Stewart Granger that instead ended up revitalizing Robert Taylor's career by default. He's not exactly the perfect choice for the part, but he does well enough even if he is outshone by George Sanders' de Bois Guilbert, hopelessly in unrequited love with nice Jewish girl Elizabeth Taylor who is herself hopelessly in unrequited love with Ivanhoe. Indeed, Sanders manages to make him both ruthless and still worthy of pity. That he does is as much down to the quality of Aeneas MacKenzie's adaptation and Noel Langley and Marguerite Roberts' fine script, which strips away Scott's often inaccessible wordiness to find the human story at its heart, adding an intelligent portrait of anti-Semitism along the way.
Richard Thorpe's vivid direction and Freddie Young's gorgeous Technicolor photography ensure the film always looks a treat, while Miklos Rozsa's score is one of his very best, equally at home with both the swashbuckling spectacle and the tragic love story. Although Emlyn Williams `Squire' Wamba is a pain, most of the supporting cast - Joan Fontaine, Felix Aylmer, Finlay Currie, Robert Douglas, Guy Rolfe - acquit themselves well. Grand entertainment.
WHV's NTSC DVD transfer is for the most part excellent, though the ambush of Cedric's party seems a little faded and lacking in depth. Sadly the only film-related extra is a teaser trailer (there was a much better 4-minute trailer for the film), but at least they've made an effort to pad it out with Tom and Jerry's Oscar winning cartoon The Two Mouseleteers and trailers for Scaramouche, Knights of the Round Table and The Aviator.
Richard Thorpe's vivid direction and Freddie Young's gorgeous Technicolor photography ensure the film always looks a treat, while Miklos Rozsa's score is one of his very best, equally at home with both the swashbuckling spectacle and the tragic love story. Although Emlyn Williams `Squire' Wamba is a pain, most of the supporting cast - Joan Fontaine, Felix Aylmer, Finlay Currie, Robert Douglas, Guy Rolfe - acquit themselves well. Grand entertainment.
WHV's NTSC DVD transfer is for the most part excellent, though the ambush of Cedric's party seems a little faded and lacking in depth. Sadly the only film-related extra is a teaser trailer (there was a much better 4-minute trailer for the film), but at least they've made an effort to pad it out with Tom and Jerry's Oscar winning cartoon The Two Mouseleteers and trailers for Scaramouche, Knights of the Round Table and The Aviator.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In common with most young boys of my generation, I grew up reading the novels of Walter Scott, RL Stevenson and Alexandre Dumas, but Scott's Ivanhoe and The Talisman were by far and away my favourite books which I re-visited time again throughout junior and senior school years.
The 1952 MGM film of Ivanhoe was filmed in Britain during the Hollywood 'exile' of the communist witch hunts. The film itself suffers from the usual Hollywood abridgements from the original novel and deviates from the storyline to make the film enjoyable to a wider audience. it suceeeded, being the highest grossing film ever made in Britain at that time.
Robert Taylor replaced Stewart Grainger as the first choice for the lead character as the producers felt that Taylor would have a greater appeal to the US audience, and the strong mostly British supporting cast is topped off by the incomparable George Sanders, and two of the three most beautiful ladies in Hollywood, Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor (the third being Olivia De Haviland of course). Taylor plays his part well but all of the best lines go to Felix Aylmer and George Sanders.
An enjoyable, colourful and charming Hollywood swashbuckling romp, which I never tire of watching.
I have two versions of this DVD, the US Region 1 which is marginly better than the Region Free Far East Import.
The 1952 MGM film of Ivanhoe was filmed in Britain during the Hollywood 'exile' of the communist witch hunts. The film itself suffers from the usual Hollywood abridgements from the original novel and deviates from the storyline to make the film enjoyable to a wider audience. it suceeeded, being the highest grossing film ever made in Britain at that time.
Robert Taylor replaced Stewart Grainger as the first choice for the lead character as the producers felt that Taylor would have a greater appeal to the US audience, and the strong mostly British supporting cast is topped off by the incomparable George Sanders, and two of the three most beautiful ladies in Hollywood, Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor (the third being Olivia De Haviland of course). Taylor plays his part well but all of the best lines go to Felix Aylmer and George Sanders.
An enjoyable, colourful and charming Hollywood swashbuckling romp, which I never tire of watching.
I have two versions of this DVD, the US Region 1 which is marginly better than the Region Free Far East Import.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A special treat by any standards, with the natural and youthful beauty of Taylor eclipsing that of even Joan Fontaine. Guy Rolfe (as the deliciously sinister Prince John), George Sanders (who grandly plays the templar with a strange mixture of obession and honour), Finlay Currie (as ever), Felix Almer (with some good lines), and Robert Douglas (a baddie). Beautifully photographed in colour and fast moving. What more could you ask for!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Recieved DVD was Region free
They're still releasing this official DVD from Warner Home Video from the USA " Region 1 " actually Region Code free I'm pleased to say . Read more
Published 29 days ago by Richie
Before me kneels a nation divided - rise as one man, and that one, for...
Out of MGM, Ivanhoe was spared no expense and became the costliest epic produced in England at the time. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Spike Owen
Region free
This may be of interest to anyone with a region 2 player. A few years ago I purchased the advertised imported dvd 0f Ivanhoe. Read more
Published 21 months ago by T. A. Goodall
Good Classic movie
One of my favourites and it was good to finally get a copy. Although we have been spoilt by movies like Kingdom of Heaven and Arn the Templar that have high production values and... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Ridgegrove
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