Ivanhoe [VHS]

The quintessential novel about chivalry, "Ivanhoe" is set about a century after the Battle of Hastings, so that there is still conflict between the ruling Normans and the defeated Saxons in England. King Richard (Rory Edwards) is taken prisoner on his way back from the Crusades and is being held for ransom and his younger brother, Prince John (Ralph Brown) is beginning to enjoy being the de facto monarch of England. The story told throughout England is that it was Ivanhoe (Waddington) who betrayed Richard, which is why Ivanhoe's father, Cedric (James Cosmo) refuses to allow his son's name to be uttered in his castle. Cedric is a Saxon noble who had thrown out his son for falling in love with the Lady Rowena (Victoria Smurfit), Cedric's ward. Now Cedric hopes to marry Rowena to Athelstane (Chris Walker), another powerful Saxon Lord.

Ivanhoe returns to England, disguised as a pilgrim, where he befriends a couple of Jews, Isaac of York (David Horovitch), and his daughter Rebecca (Susan Lynch). When Ivanhoe sees how the Normans are treating the Saxons he challenges Prince John's best knights in a jousting tournament: Maurice De Bracy (Valentine Pelka), Front-de-Boeuf (Nick Brimble), and Brian de Bois-Guilbert (Ciarán Hinds). Of course, Ivanhoe wins the tournament, but is wounded in the process and has to be cared for by Rebecca, who is a healer. At this point, things start to become very complicated.

Because this is a mini-series we are able to enjoy every one of Scott's plots complications in "Ivanhoe." We have Ivanhoe trying to get in his father's good graces once again, determined to clear his name, and trying to win back the Lady Rowena. There is the entire political question of John trying to take over the throne and whether the Saxons will start a civil war. Meanwhile, De Bracy is interested in Rowena and Bois-Guilbert becomes fixated on Rebecca. Then Lucard de Beaumanoir (Christopher Lee), the head of the Knights Templar shows up to wreck havoc. All of this is without talking about King Richard meeting up with Robin of Loxley (Aden Gillett), Friar Tuck (Ron Donachie), Little John (David Nicholls) and the rest of the men of Sherwood Forest, who have a few bones to pick with their monarch for abandoning the nation to go off crusading. By the time Elinor of Aquitaine (Siân Phillips) shows up as a regina ex machina, you will be surprised that everything has ended up being resolved one way or another.

The production values for this version of "Ivanhoe" do not allow for a lot of bodies walking around as background figures, but production designers Adele Marolf and Michael Trevor make sure this is a grimy, gritty, dirty world and not one in which knights wear shiny armor. But beyond the look of this "Ivanhoe" there are literally well over a dozen great performances. For once Prince John looks like he could pull off his coup and this Ivanhoe actually gets angry and physical when he finally confronts his father. Then you have Wamba (Jimmy Chisholm) and Gurth (Trevor Cooper), stealing pretty much every scene either one of them is in from start to finish, although the same can be said for Christopher Lee. But the standout performance belongs to Ciarán Hinds who transforms the troubled Brian de Bois-Guilbert into a tragic figure and the most interesting character in the bunch, especially since his character is the capstone to the resolution of the story.

It also is an accurate rendition of the book by Sir Walter Scott, with only few liberties taken with the plot which retain realism and artistic integrity.

IVANHOE apparently was the first novel in english to have dealt with ethnicity and inter-ethnic love. The interplay between the saxons and normans, and jews and christians are fascinating and are developed in original and realistic ways.

The marvellous thing about IVANHOE, is that there are several layers of deepening complexity in the tale, which are also developed in the film. At first glance, with Ivanhoe as the hero; it a gratuitous medieaval action-adventure fairytale.

In the character of Sir Brian Du Bois-Guilbert, Ivanhoes' arch-enemy and nemesis, it is also a tale of personal exploration, rebellion, transcedesence and sacrifice. His character developes as in a grecian tragedy. But, I fear I might have given too much of the plot away, when I only meant to pique your interest.

After seeing the film, it remained in my system for about 48 hours straight; particularily in regards to Du Bois-Guilberts' character and Rebecca.

IVANHOE reads like a Shakespearean play, in regards to the parallel comparison/contrast between the hero and anti-hero and the two women.

To date, I remain so stirred by the film and the tale, that I am keen on discussing it with anyone who has any thoughts or impressions to share. My email follows.