Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

Ivanhoe

Play trailer Poster for Ivanhoe Released Jul 31, 1952 1h 46m Adventure Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
79% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Loyal British knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) sets out on a mission to free the kidnapped King of England, Richard the Lionheart (Norman Wooland), in this rousing adventure tale. The brave Ivanhoe must eventually confront the devious Prince John (Guy Rolfe) and the fierce Norman warrior Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), while also juggling the affections of the beautiful maidens Rowena (Joan Fontaine) and Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor).
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

Ivanhoe

Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety Ivanhoe is a great romantic adventure, mounted extravagantly, crammed with action, and emerges as a spectacular feast. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Time Out The dialogue and script are fatuously Americanised from Scott's original, but these chivalric Hollywood sagas still have a strange poetic quality about them. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times As Ivanhoe, Robert Taylor does a good, sturdy, manly job and George Sanders is intriguingly fluid as the emotionally torn De Bois-Guilbert. Rated: 4/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Mr. Harper Harper's Magazine Unconditionally recommended. Apr 14, 2022 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row Staid, humorless, and utterly lacking in dramatic weight - existing mostly to showcase its elaborate costume and set design and little else. Rated: 1.5/4 Mar 23, 2022 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Occasionally playing like an inferior version of 1938's The Adventures of Robin Hood but faring quite well on its own terms thankyouverymuch. Rated: 3/4 Dec 18, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (154) audience reviews
David S Not bad for what their trying to depict in the early 1950s, good defeating evil- the joust scene a highlight. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/28/24 Full Review Alec B Better than I expected. Yes its Americanized but that hardly matters when it still maintains some wit and moves briskly with lots of action. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/28/24 Full Review Connor S Large-scale film with elaborate sets that piques your interest throughout. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/06/24 Full Review C For its time this was an ambitious film. The storyline, acting, and action were very good. Dame Elizabeth Taylor stands out. They knew how to make films back then. Cheers. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/06/24 Full Review tom s Great old school medieval epic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Like most historical epics of the 1950s the film has aged badly, though it is not without its merits. There are two jousting scenes which still carry a great deal of tension. In fact the climactic duel between Robert Taylor and George Sanders feels similar to that in Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel'. The two main characters are fighting over the fate of Rowena, a Jewish woman accused of witchcraft. Because the stakes are so high for her, the extended fight scene carries real menace and threat. When the Knights choose their weapons, a mace and an axe, there is a real sense of how brutal the ensuing conflict will be. The theme of anti-semitism and the conflicted nature of George Sander's villain add unexpected texture and nuance to the film. Unfortunately, Joan Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor are given little opportunity to display their considerable acting talents, and Robert Taylor is even more wooden than usual. Richard Thorpe was a dependable though uninspired director and it seems he put little effort into drawing out the best performances of his actors. Taylor looks a little old for the role despite only being in his early 40s, though he displays considerable athleticism in the main battle scene. Despite this, the film is worth watching for the engrossing jousting scenes and Elizabeth Taylors shining presence. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ivanhoe

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Knights of the Round Table 67% 43% Knights of the Round Table Watchlist The Three Musketeers 75% 74% The Three Musketeers Watchlist Strange Cargo 75% 60% Strange Cargo Watchlist China Seas 80% 73% China Seas Watchlist Dark of the Sun 67% 75% Dark of the Sun Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Loyal British knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Robert Taylor) sets out on a mission to free the kidnapped King of England, Richard the Lionheart (Norman Wooland), in this rousing adventure tale. The brave Ivanhoe must eventually confront the devious Prince John (Guy Rolfe) and the fierce Norman warrior Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders), while also juggling the affections of the beautiful maidens Rowena (Joan Fontaine) and Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor).
Director
Richard Thorpe
Producer
Pandro S. Berman
Screenwriter
Noel Langley, Æneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Adventure
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 31, 1952, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2009
Runtime
1h 46m
Most Popular at Home Now