Ivanhoe (1952)

This rousing adaptation of the Walter Scott novel might possibly be the best of the "knights in shining armor" movies that came out of Hollywood. In a divided England as Saxons and Normans fight each other, a Saxon knight (Robert Taylor) attempts to raise the ransom for King Richard (Norman Wooland) held captive in Austria while Richard's dastardly brother Prince John (Guy Rolfe) attempts to usurp the throne in Richard's absence. The battle and fight scenes are exciting and director Richard Thorpe smartly doesn't let the plot slow down between the action scenes. The rich Technicolor look is handled by that ace cinematographer Freddie Young (LAWRENCE OF ARABIA) and the stirring score is by Miklos Rozsa. The lucky Robert Taylor must choose between the dark and stunning Elizabeth Taylor at the height of her legendary beauty and the soft, pale luminescent Joan Fontaine. George Sanders is almost touching as the treacherous De Bois-Guilbert, hopelessly in love with the Jewess Rebecca (Taylor), a woman he can never have and whose obsession to possess her leads to his downfall. With Robert Douglas, Emlyn Williams (too precious by half), Finlay Currie, Felix Aylmer, Sebastian Cabot, Basil Sydney and Megs Jenkins.