[5]

The disgraced Ivanhoe returns from the Crusades to learn King Richard the Lionheart is imprisoned in Austria. He goes to the court of King John to plea for Richard’s ransom, but King John is pretty keen to keep the throne for himself. So Ivanhoe teams with Robin of Locksley to raise the ransom and restore Richard to the throne. As Ivanhoe, Robert Taylor leaves much to be desired. He’s wooden and lacking any charisma. The supporting cast, including George Sanders, Elizabeth Taylor, and Joan Fontaine, are also oddly subdued — no one seems to be having any fun being in this movie, dammit. But the film does manage to capture a frenzied Saturday Matinee feeling shortly after the mid-point, especially during the lengthy castle siege sequence which includes sword fights on burning floors and stunt men falling off the parapets into the moat. Miklós Rózsa adds oomph to the soundtrack with an Oscar-nominated score.

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Score