Ivanhoe
Director: Richard Thorpe
Year Released: 1952
Rating: 2.0
Stodgy adaptation of the classic Sir Walter Scott novel in which the actors appear to be constrained by the terminology and mannerisms of the Middle Ages - it only picks up when there's castle raids and sword fighting and fire. The majority of the plot exposition and banter is kept to the first forty-five minutes, so once you pass that point it picks up considerably. George Sanders has a way of appearing menacing without doing much - it has to be his voice and stare - but Robert Taylor is especially wooden as Ivanhoe.
