Sir Walter Scott's novel, Ivanhoe, is about a "Saxon" noble championing the cause of justice, nebulously represented by the absent King, Richard Coeur-de-Lion, against the machinations of the King's brother John and his wicked Norman barons. It is undoubtedly a great work of literature, and, in its romance and excitement, so well-suited to adaption to the screen that it has been done multiple times. The central historical theme of patriotic, so-called Saxons defying their oppression by the Normans is redolent of a peculiarly early modern, romantic and anachronistic view of English society in 1194 and Scott took considerable liberties with the known facts, avoiding anything that would have diminished the drama, such as John's flight to Normandy to avoid Richard. I merely point this out for those who might think they are being treated to a story that could have taken place, while realizing that if one is to criticize such a part of the British literary canon on these lines, one would have also to damn Shakespeare's Macbeth and Polanski's masterful film of it.Accepting, then, that this a great story crying out to become a great film, I was most excited to discover a version played by a cast of absolutely first-rate actors, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Olivia Hussey was especially good and moving as the beautiful Rebecca, better than I had ever seen her except in that greatest of all films, Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. The expected setting of castle and forest was all fine too.So what went wrong? I'm afraid I laughed during the opening scene when James Mason, playing Rebecca's viciously ill-treated Jewish father (whom one would have expected to keep a low profile while traveling through a lawless land), appeared wearing an absurdly exotic Burmese peasant's hat, which he never then took off. Thus harshly alerted to a costume designer who should never have been allowed near a children's pantomime, I could not avoid having my attention undermined throughout by the invariable cheap and tacky props, including jewelry, ornaments and weapons that looked and sounded much too obviously like cheap plastic, and the factory-made printed shields, one of which could be seen to bounce back into shape like rubber after being bent in half.Nor I'm afraid was the costume designer the only one at fault; the script writer should also have joined him on the dole. He was unsurprisingly fine when he stuck to Scott's fine words, but a disaster when left to use his imagination. The climactic battle scene consisted of a small band of men taking perhaps an hour to capture the castle, ultimately by knocking on the door with a ram. Had he never heard of moats or portcullises or that, without treachery, such a castle could only be captured by a large army after a siege of months? I cannot imagine what the producers were thinking to invest in such high-profile actors for an excellent story, only to wreck it through inept and stingy disbursement in other directions. The tacky props, when combined with the swashbuckling tone and slightly corny bombast, reminded me of some best-forgotten historical films from the fifties, so that I wondered whether it was unfair to blame the filmmakers for not having then had the technical means to produce anything faintly resembling Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones. Then I remembered that the other two films I have mentioned, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth were made a decade earlier than Ivanhoe without these faults, and realized there was no excuse.Edmund Marlowe, author of Alexander's Choice, a novel about Eton, amazon.com/dp/1481222112

It is hard not to compare modern films with their predecessors . On occasion the modern version is superior , but with this remake , the original is still the one to watch. Which is a pity because the cast of this 1982 effort is stuffed full of wonderful actors, from the main characters down to the smallest part. James Mason, Anthony Andrews, Michael Horden and Sam Neil, John Rhys Davies , Ronald Pickup , Julien Glover and Olivier Hussy are but a few of the accomplished actors who can carry a poor film on their own shoulders, but even together they fail to bring this movie above ' made for TV ' quality. All of the dialogue is spoken in the correct sequence, but there is no coming together of the cast as in Errol Flynns 'Robin Hood ' To be fair , the story line is varied, but the pace of the film is too slow, camera angles straight out of 1950s TV and poor production values . I read that this film is shown in one Nordic country every Christmas Day. The nights must be really long. So much talent produced a watchable but lifeless adventure yarn.

Why this isn't on DVD I'll never understand. This production is far superior to the joint A&E-BBC production that aired in the 90s. And as far as made-for-TV movies go, this one has some pretty lavish production values going for it. Rivaled only by the version starring Elizabeth Taylor a couple decades before.They don't make TV like this anymore, and it's a real shame. This particular production axes a lot of the extraneous plot elements from Walter Scott's original tale, and cuts right to the dramatic heart of the matter by focusing on the love triangle.The sets and locations are pretty lavish for a TV production, but are not overblown. Story and budget sync perfectly together as the tale of Ivanhoe is presented with great medieval authenticity.There are some minor glitches here and there. The armor for the knights is that fake stage stuff instead of the real McCoy, but that's not a big deal. Some of the leads are wearing feathered hair which was in style during the early 80s, but again that's just a mild fashion thing.The acting in this film is far superior to other productions of this story. Solid performances are combined with good costuming and respectable locations for a production that should really be preserved on DVD. Many a familiar name from pre-80s film and television will be present, and these actors performances add great depth and dimension to their characters.Definitely a must watch. If you find yourself a copy, and are a fan of the story, then do yourself a favor and see this version at least once.Enjoy!DVD Review, May 18th 2009WOW! From a worn and faded VHS tape dupe to a crisp, clean, color corrected copy on DVD. Incredible stuff. Buy a copy now. :-)

Every new years day 14:10pm it's tradition that our whole family sits down in front of the TV and watch Ivanhoe. I just love this classic film of knights and virgins. The story is beautiful and the fights is great. it's a real treat if you are like me a fan of medieval story's. A fun scene i never will forget is when Robin Hoods priest Tuck punch king Richard the Lionheart right in the mouth, not knowing who he is. A great moment for me was when i in a Dungeuns and dragon game meeting stole Sam Neils Line after i was challenged by another knight. "Prepare your self then. Look the last upon the sun!" If you like Anthony Andrews as Wilfred of Ivanhoe i recommend his Other TV movie The Scarlet Pimpanel.