LadyRowenaIvanhoe

The only good thing about this film is the performance of Anthony Quayle. He gives his character some depth and humanity. No wonder he was soon off to great films such as Laurence of Arabia. If you want a truly great performance by this actor watch Anne of the Thousand Days. His role in that film earned him an Academy Award nomination. The good thing about THIS film is that the plot was a great idea and the flow was pretty quick and kept you interested. What was awful was the quality of the picture and the sound. The actors were blurry and the voices did not match the lip movements. Why was so much wasted on what could have been a really decent movie? Perhaps age and a lack of good DVD quality is the problem? The movie will only be bearable to Anthony Quayle fans, Jayne Mansfield fans, or crime drama fans.

I have been waiting for quite a while to see this film. I am a fan of English literature and history as well as classic film. I have often even requested on the Turner Classic Movies website that it be shown. I finally got the chance and it was not what I had hoped. The writing and part was awful for such a huge star as Olivia de Havilland. It is no wonder she rebelled against Warner Brothers for better roles. This mess after Gone With the Wind and The Adventures of Robin Hood? No wonder she was upset. To add fuel to the fire, her character was annoying and it is hard to understand why she was liked by men. The only performance with any depth was that of Ida Lupino and this was only because her character seemed to be the only one with any common sense or appeal. I am shocked Paul Henried didn't rebel with Olivia de Havilland. His character was a mess of a man who obviously had no taste or common sense. Watch it as it only seems to play on television once in a lifetime. Punishment should only happen so often. If you are a fan of classic film watch it for the experience and not for the quality value.