The story begins with an act of charity. Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Anthony Andrews), a knight returning from the Crusades, saves rich Jewish merchant Isaac (James Mason) from being waylaid by highwaymen. Out of gratitude, Isaac pays for the horse and armor that the penniless knight will need to compete in the grand tournament beginning the next day. The Norman Prince John (Ronald Pickup) is sponsoring the tournament, and there is a lot of Norman / Saxon resentment bubbling under the surface. At first, the Norman knights de Bracey, Front de Boeuf and Bois-Guilbert (played by Stuart Wilson, John Rhys-Davies and Sam Neill respectively) trounce all of their Saxon opponents, but then, at the last minute (as he strangely appears at everything) the Saxon Ivanhoe arrives incognito, and roundly defeats all three.

The plot from here on in quite involved, so a quick summary will suffice. Ivanhoe earns the enmity of the three Norman knights, who are loyal to Prince John, and not King Richard (Julian Glover) as Ivanhoe is. They gang up on Ivanhoe on the next day of the tournament and grievously wound him. He is taken away and nursed back to health by Isaac and his daughter Rebecca (Olivia Hussey), since his own father Cedric has disowned him. There follows kidnappings, sword fights, encounters with Robin Hood, storming of castles, meditations on anti-Semitism, witch trials, Templars and oddly muted love triangles. It is all only mildly exciting, but fun to watch in a sort of lazy Saturday afternoon way.

Neither the film itself nor writer John Gay are terribly interested in finely grained character development or nuanced (or even logical) plot development, but rather in creating an engaging spectacle. Nevertheless, some odd choices are made. First, to address the merely implausible actions of characters. At one point, in which a group of people is being held captive in Front de Boeuf's castle, King Richard and Robin Hood's men are laying siege. (Don't ask how these disparate fellows get together, but it works well enough in the film.) Front de Boeuf has asked that a priest be sent in to hear the last confessions of the prisoners, whom he is threatening to execute. Friar Tuck (Tony Haygarth), the actual priest in the group, refuses to go in some sort of fit of pique, and they instead send the fool Wamba (George Innes) with the instructions to simply say "pax vobiscum" to any priestly questions put to him by the captors. This does provide some mildly humorous moments, but at the same time makes no sense at all. Soon afterwards, when the besiegers begin storming the castle in earnest, King Richard and a large group of men make it over the wall on ladders. They fight for a bit, overcoming the defenders. Then, instead of continuing the fight from the inside and opening the gate, they leave. King Richard goes back over the wall and tells the men outside to bring forward a battering ram. The viewer is left shaking their head in confusion. The film is full of these small but perplexing character moments that seem to defy logic.

But these are relatively minor complaints, perhaps even unfair to bring up about a movie that is as silly as this one. There is, however, a deeper complaint that involves our hero, Ivanhoe. First, he spends the majority of the film's two plus hours too weak to stand, under the sweet ministrations of Rebecca, while others commit heroic deeds, declare their undying love and plan daring escapes. He is a decent enough chap, but somewhat wishy-washy as well. He is adamant in maintaining his love for Rowena (Lysette Anthony), but also falls for Rebecca, whom he even kisses at one point, though he says he cannot marry her because she is a Jewess. It is left to Rebecca to honorably leave the scene when Rowena and Ivanhoe eventually marry. All of this seems strangely non-heroic for a character whose name graces the title of the film. Even his climactic final battle with Guilbert is not concluded in a manner one might call inspiring. These seem like curious choices to make in what is essentially a non-serious, sword fight and maiden in distress picture.

Regardless of all that, the film looks good, not just the lush forests and ancient castles standing proudly on hillsides, but the cast as well. There is none of the grime and dirt of realism to sully the glowing faces and purest samite gowns on display. The sets look a bit creaky when compared to the exterior shots, and they are quite clearly sets, but this merely distracts the viewer for a moment. The production values are surprisingly high for a made for television movie. The cast, though they are often given silly dialogue to say, still give performances full of energy and fun. And fun is really what Ivanhoe is all about. The complex and confusing plot, the odd character choices, and the overbroad humor are not really that important in the grand scheme. This is a film in which the best course is to ignore all that, turn off the brain, and enjoy the cool swordplay and beautiful costumes filled out with beautiful people. There is nothing objectionable for children, and quite a lot that they might enjoy. Keep the expectations low, and this can provide a fun couple of hours with the family.

The DVD

Video:
The image is in 1.33:1 full screen, but looks pretty good regardless. The colors are lush and deep, with dark blacks as well. The film is bright and clear, not murky. The action is always visible, and the image is free of artifacts.

Sound:
The sound is Dolby digital 2 channel, and fairly unremarkable. The sound is crisp, and the dialogue is always clearly audible, but not much else can be said. Subtitles are available in English, and English is the only available audio track.

Extras:
The only extras available on the Ivanhoe disc are a few unrelated trailers, which is disappointing. Some behind the scenes footage or a commentary track could have been quite interesting, considering all of the big names that were involved, often at the beginning of their careers.

Final Thoughts:
Ivanhoe is not a film to be taken too seriously. There are a lot of great actors here, giving at least good performances and apparently having fun doing it. The best course to take is to ignore the plot holes and often inexplicable behavior of the characters, and enjoy the jousts, sword fights and sieges. This is an inoffensive film that can be a lot of fun to watch if not viewed too critically. Enjoy it with the family.