The story of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott has been filmed a few times and this version is good though not exceptional. Part of the problem is that Ivanhoe is inactive from his wounds for the middle part and so the narrative is carried by others such as the Brian de Bois- Guilbert/Rebecca story and the King Richard/Robin Hood story with Prince John thrown into the mix. Ultimately the real heroic person is not Ivanhoe but Rebecca. In the end King Richard opts for unity between Norman and Saxon and there is forgiveness between Ivanhoe and his father but also in the end Ivanhoe sticks to Rowena rather than Rebecca. There isn't room in the new England for the Jewish people so Rebecca and her father choose to leave the country.
Rebecca is brave and caring and firm in her loyalty to her father and her faith despite falling in love with Ivanhoe though she is not comfortable with his ideas of honour and glory. Rebecca is played extremely well by Olivia Hussey and is the moral centre of the film. How anyone can prefer the simpering Rowena (played blandly by Lysette Anthony) to Rebecca is a mystery!
With the other characters there is good acting all round from the mainly British actors and the settings and costumes are adequate. The jousting scenes are well staged and good use is made of real castles in England. The climax of the last duel is not quite how the novel depicts it, that is the death of Bois De Guilbert, but that is only a minor quibble. Anyway it is a good version and worth watching.
Rebecca is brave and caring and firm in her loyalty to her father and her faith despite falling in love with Ivanhoe though she is not comfortable with his ideas of honour and glory. Rebecca is played extremely well by Olivia Hussey and is the moral centre of the film. How anyone can prefer the simpering Rowena (played blandly by Lysette Anthony) to Rebecca is a mystery!
With the other characters there is good acting all round from the mainly British actors and the settings and costumes are adequate. The jousting scenes are well staged and good use is made of real castles in England. The climax of the last duel is not quite how the novel depicts it, that is the death of Bois De Guilbert, but that is only a minor quibble. Anyway it is a good version and worth watching.