La revanche d'Ivanhoe

Returning from the Crusades, Ivanhoe discovers that his sweetheart, Lady Rowena, is being held as a virtual prisoner by the ambitious Lord Cedric of Hastings. Cedric plans to seize Rowena's fortune by arranging a marriage with one of his henchmen. When she resists, Cedric accuses Rowena of conspiring with Saxon dissidents and brings her to trial. If she's found guilty, she must forfeit her estate.

The jury is packed with the nobleman's cronies, and Cedric has toadied up to King John in the bargain, so the outcome is a foregone conclusion. But Rowena has a possible out. Under feudal law, she has the right to demand a trial by combat between Cedric's slimy son, Bertrand, and any knight who will champion her cause. If Bertrand is defeated, she goes free.

It seems unlikely that anyone will challenge Bertrand, who has a reputation as a ferocious man with a sword, but Ivanhoe learns of the announcement and shows up, incognito, to uphold truth and justice.

There's plenty of pencil-moustache twirling and maniacal laughter in this Italian take on Ivanhoe. Firstly, it's not going to give Ivanhoe (1953) a run for its money, but it's watchable enough with its cardboard cutout characters and heroism. There's a charm to it, despite being quite Run of the mill. The sword fighting is ok, though a little amateurish. The set-pieces, costumes and scenery are quite good.

This is one of the most run-of-the-mill movies in this genre I've seen. It has all the common tropes and plot-points you'd expect from a quasi-historical knights movie of the period. The Hero acts, look and feel like a typical hero would. The same can be said for the balding villain, the entrapped heroine, and the rest of the crew. Nothing about it's story really stands out in relation to it's peers. (save for perhaps an infiltration segment).

References to the Lionheart mythos is sprinkled throughout the film - so to connect it to the wider history these films take place in - but it doesn't really affect the plot in any tangible manner. Ivanhoe's Revenge is in no way a grim ordeal. It's sensibilities are perfectly in-line with the light-hearted, adventurous feel that most Knight movies from this time period exudes.

The Revenge of Ivanhoe, though, is not bad in any overly substantial way. The pacing, acting, directing, and the production values are all serviceable for the kind of matinée-type flick this is. It's just a bit trite, conventional and uninspired, that's all.

4/10

In the 12th century, knight Ivanhoe returns to England and finds his bride Rowena captured by the evil Hastings senior. The gallant knight wins a duel against Hastings junior, meets a band of outlaws in the forest and with their help attempts to free his beloved.

Mildly entertaining adventure flick starring Rik Van Nutter (billed as "Clyde Rogers"), directed by Tanio Boccia (as "Amerigo Anton"). The script holds no surprises, it is a Robin Hood style adventure by the numbers, but it's without major flaws. Furio Meniconi gets a good role as a hermit coming out of his retirement, so to speak.