It’s hard to believe there was a time when films set during medieval times were bright and colorful as opposed to dark and gloomy, yet that was the default in a pre-Game of Thronesworld. Stories of kings, queens, knights, and squires were reliable moneymakers duringHollywood’s Golden Age, providing escapest entertainment for eager audiences. A film likeIvanhoe, released in 1952, feels almost quaint by today’s standards, but its splashy Technicolor trappings remain a necessary antidote to troubled times, in much the same way it was back then. And like most movies released duringthe Hollywood Blacklist, there’s a surprisingly political undercurrent to this swashbuckling yarn.
‘Ivanhoe’ Was Bright Entertainment During One of Hollywood’s Darkest Periods
Adapted from the 1819 historical novel bySir Walter Scott,IvanhoestarsRobert Tayloras Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a wandering knight on a quest to return the missing Norman King of England,Richard the Lionheart(Norman Wooland), to the throne. As Richard is being held for ransom, his treacherous brother,Prince John(Guy Rolfe), rules over the country with the help of his loyal knight, Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert (George Sanders). Ivanhoe pleads with his estranged father, Cedric (Finlay Curie), to pay Richard’s ransom, but as a proud Saxon, he refuses to aid a rival Norman. Ivanhoe, meanwhile, romances his father’s ward, Lady Rowena (Joan Fontaine), and frees his jester, Wamba (Emlyn Williams). When he is wounded during a jousting contest with five of Prince John’s knights, Ivanhoe is hidden byRobin Hood(Harold Warrender) and his merry band of thieves. He’s healed by Rebecca (Elizabeth Taylor), the beautiful daughter of the Jewish Isaac of York (Felix Aylmer), who’s accused of being a witch for possessing “magic powers.” After leading the Saxons to victory, Ivanhoe duels De Bois-Guilbert to save Rebecca from burning at the stake.
Although its screenplay was solely credited toNoel LangleyandAeneas MacKenzie,Ivanhoehad a third screenwriter,Marguerite Roberts, who originally went un-credited. That’s because Roberts, a steady handat Metro-Goldwyn-Mayerwho had written such titles asDragon SeedandZiegfeld Girl, was blacklisted after she and her husband, fellow screenwriterJohn Sanford,refused to name namesto theHouse Un-American Activities Committee. Taking a principled stand cost Roberts not just her credit onIvanhoe,but also her contract at MGM. It took nine years for Roberts to land another credited screenwriting job on the socially-conscious dramaDiamond Head,and she later wrote theJohn WayneWesternTrue Grit.
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Hollywood’s troubled epic still struggles to emerge from the cloud of its own reputation.
The lingering effects of the red scareputIvanhoein a special category with another 1952 release: the Western dramaHigh Noon.As written byblacklisted screenwriterCarl Foreman, the story of a marshal (Gary Cooper) who’s forced to stand alone when a gang of bandits rides into town was an overt allegory to the dangers of HUAC, and the importance of doing the right thing in the face of certain doom. Although it’s far from a left-wing screed,Ivanhoenevertheless reflects a similar point of view, asthe hero fights backagainst powerful forces to save the downtrodden. Ivanhoe’s quest to return Richard to the throne has less to do with loyalty to the monarchy and more to do with helping those who are being oppressed by Prince John: the Saxons, the poor, and the Jews.
‘Ivanhoe’ Is a Rousing Tale of Adventure
When it was released in 1952,Ivanhoewasa box office hit, spawning two unofficial sequels that reunited star Taylor, directorRichard Thorpe, and producerPandro S. Berman: 1953’sKnights of the Round Tableand 1955’sThe Adventures of Quentin Durward. Yet none could match the original, whichNew York TimescriticBosley Crowthercalled a “brilliantly colored tapestry of drama and spectacle.” The film was such a success that it earnedOscar nominationsfor Best Score, Best Cinematography, and Best Picture, where it competed againstHigh Noon(both lost toThe Greatest Show on Earth, long regarded as one ofthe worst winners in history).
PerhapsIvanhoestruck such a chord with critics and audiences because, like theErrol Flynnadventures of yore, it brightened the country’s mood when it needed it the most. While Flynn’s films (The Adventures of Robin Hoodamong them) delighted audiences duringthe Great DepressionandWorld War II,Ivanhoelifted spirits asthe Cold Warcontinued to escalate. At a time when our national disposition is once again at an all-time low, it’s perhaps needed now more than ever.
