Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

Ivanhoe Blu-ray Movie Review

12th century life in Technicolor.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 10, 2021

Based on the three-volume 1819 novel by Sir Walter Scott, Richard Thorpe's Ivanhoe is a lavish Technicolor historical drama starring Robert Taylor and the first part of an unofficial trilogy that also includes Knights of the Round Table and The Adventures of Quentin Durward. Scott's source novel has been adapted many times since, including two different TV mini-series, an underrated 1982 feature film, and even a few comic books. While it's not without a few minor speed bumps along the way, this 1952 version remains a largely smooth and enjoyable Technicolor epic that was nominated for four Academy Awards -- including Best Picture -- and stands as MGM's biggest earner for that year.

The core story largely follows charismatic knight Wilfred of Ivanhoe (Taylor), a lute-playing Saxon searching for King Richard the Lionheart (Norman Wooland) after he disappears on a return trip from The Crusades. The deposed King's brother, Norman Prince John (Guy Rolfe), rules in his absence despite knowing Richard's whereabouts... but soon enough, Ivanhoe finds Richard imprisoned by Leopold of Austria, who demands a literal king's ransom for his release. Disguising himself as a minstrel, Ivanhoe returns to English and visits his estranged father Cedric (Finlay Currie) where he reunites with lovely Rowena (Joan Fontaine) after Cedric refuses to pay Richard's ransom. Leaving with Cedric's jester Wamba (Emlyn Williams) as his new squire, Ivanhoe rescues the Jewish Isaac of York (Felix Aylmer) and is aided by Isaac's beautiful daughter Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor) in his latest venture: to enter a jousting tournament attended by Prince John, Cedric, Rowena, and countless others... including Robin Hood (Harold Warrender) himself.

Perhaps a bit too dense for its surprisingly slim 107-minute running time, Ivanhoe is still an entertaining adaptation of celebrated source material. It's nothing if not accessible to outsiders: first-time viewers of this iteration should feel immediately at home if they're at all familiar with any variant of the Robin Hood legend, from several early silent films to Warner Bros.' classic 1938 film starring Errol Flynn and even Disney's animated spin on the franchise (a childhood favorite of yours truly). This is obviously more of a straight-laced take and one that easily skates by on pure pedigree alone, yet it still manages to inject a good amount of humor and swashbuckling adventure to the classic story with plenty of fine performances to back it up. Although this version omits several major and supporting characters from Scott's original novel and slightly hardens the character of Ivanhoe himself (who is traditionally "perfectly chivalrous", almost to a fault), it remains mostly true to the source and holds up well enough seven decades later.

Released only a year before Hollywood's sudden shift to Cinemascope, Ivanhoe nonetheless retains an epic atmosphere despite its narrow 1.37:1 aspect ratio. Sporting impeccable production and costume design bolstered by a suitably rich Technicolor palette, it also features a memorable score by prolific composer Miklós Rózsa (Double Indemnity, Ben-Hur). Both are showcased perfectly on Warner Archive's new Blu-ray, which is sourced from a recent 4K scan of the original Technicolor negative and sparkles like new. It's a solid leap beyond previous DVD releases, including Warner Archive's own 2019 offering, although a triple feature with its two unofficial sequels would have been nice to see.

Ivanhoe Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I could just link to all 25 of these screenshots rather than do another verbose visual write-up, but it's worth detailing out of respect: this 1080p transfer of Ivanhoe ranks among the boutique label's best efforts... which, considering their near-spotless track record, is quite an achievement. Sourced from an exclusive 4K scan of the original Technicolor negatives, this beautifully-saturated picture carries with it an exceptional amount of fine detail, texture, and clarity that greatly supports the film's terrific production and costume design. It's a very clean image thanks to the studio's usual amount of careful manual cleanup, which allows Ivanhoe to retain its original film-like texture without the heavy hand of excessive noise reduction. Density and stability are excellent as well, highlighting the picturesque landscapes and mostly warm interiors that are probably much cleaner than real 12th century locales... plus we don't have to smell any chamber pots. Even a few seams, such as questionable matte lines spotted in screenshot #9, are thankfully retained rather than being "corrected". Without question, this is yet another purist-friendly transfer from the reliably great boutique label, and one that probably even bumped up my opinion of the film a good half-star.

Ivanhoe Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Though limited to DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono, this one-channel mix dutifully preserves the modest roots of its source material with no major hiccups along the way. Dialogue is prioritized and remains clean and clear throughout, although a few stray European accents may be deciphered more easily with the optional English (SDH) subtitles. Background effects are handled nicely, from quiet moments to those captured in wide-open landscapes and, of course, sporadic swashbuckling moments of epic action and adventure. Composer Miklós Rózsa's memorable score (read more here) gets plenty of support as well, sounding forceful but nuanced with a surprisingly well-rendered high end and mixing that doesn't drown-out the on-screen action. Like most films in their catalog, Warner Archive has one again treated Ivanhoe to a purist-friendly presentation that likely sounds as good as original theatrical showings.

Ivanhoe Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with attractive one-sheet cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. On-disc extras are minimal but mirror those from earlier DVDs, chiefly Warner Archive's own 2019 offering.

• Classic Cartoon: Tom and Jerry in "The Two Mouseketeers" (7:26) - I know it might be heresy to speak out against this Oscar-winning 1952 theatrical short, but Jerry's sidekick Nibbles is the worst. It's still a fun short with great animation and sight gags, though, and the version here looks to be on par with most of the content from Warner Bros.' Golden Collection Volume 1... which will hopefully get a sequel one of these years.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:52) - This appropriately rousing promotional piece can also be seen here.

Ivanhoe Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A dutiful and entertaining adaptation of celebrated source material, Richard Thorpe's Ivanhoe is a lavish Technicolor adventure that still has the capacity to thrill audiences whether or not they're familiar with its characters. Featuring solid performances, terrific production and costume design, and a great original score, it's a bit thick for a 107-minute film but still plays well enough 70 years after its theatrical release. Warner Archive's Blu-ray offers loads of support, but mostly in the A/V department: its sterling 1080p transfer rivals the image of a 4K disc and the lossless audio is great too, but don't expect any real bonus features. Any way you slice it, though, Ivanhoe is solid entertainment and a disc worth picking up. Recommended... and maybe well get the two unofficial sequels in the near future too.