Ivanhoe (1952)

Academy Awards, USA 1953

Nominee Oscar	Best Picture Pandro S. Berman
	Best Cinematography, Color Freddie Young
	Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture Miklós Rózsa

MGM
Directed by Richard Thorpe
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, Warner Bros.)

Robert Taylor is a knight in medieval England. He is devoted to his king, Richard the Lionheart, held prisoner in Austria. Taylor returns to England hoping to raise the ransom money to free him. England is divided between Saxons and Normans and ruled by Richard's brother. Taylor goes to his estranged father hoping to get money, but encounters a group of unfriendly Norman knights. He also secretly meets with Rowena, played by Joan Fontaine. His father refuses, but when he rescues an old Jewish man who was also staying at his father's castle, he agrees to help raise the ransom money. Taylor enters a lively jousting competition incognito where he defeats all but one of the Norman knights. He comes under the protection of none other than Robin Hood, who also help him in the final climactic battle with King John and his men. Taylor gets to choose between Fontaine and Elizabeth Taylor, poor guy, in the romantic subplot. Dated adventure nonsense that somehow garnered a Best Picture nomination, but it is fun.