Ivanhoe (1997 TV series)

Last updated

Ivanhoe
Story byDeborah Cook’s adaptation of Sir Walter Scott’s novel.
Directed byStuart Orme
Starring Steven Waddington
Susan Lynch
Ciarán Hinds
Jimmy Chisholm
Composer Colin Towns
Country of originUK, US
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers Chris Parr (BBC)
Delia Fine (A&E)
ProducerJeremy Gwilt
Running time60 minutes
Production company BBC Productions in association with A&E Network production
Original release
Network BBC1
Release12 January (1997-01-12) 
16 February 1997 (1997-02-16)

Ivanhoe is a 1997 American/British television mini-series based on the 1819 novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. [1] It was produced by the BBC and A&E Network [2] and consisted of six 50 minute episodes.

Contents

Plot

This adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's novel is set in 1192 AD and depicts a disinherited knight who is accused of treachery. He returns anonymously to his home in England, to clear his name and win his lady love. Richard I of England had been a prisoner in an Austrian dungeon, but is now returning to an England ruled by Prince John. The production claims realism, [3] mainly through a depiction of a very rough and poverty stricken time; the producers claim this is in contrast to earlier, "sanitized" versions. People wear layers of often old, sometimes ragged clothing to keep the cold out, are sometimes dirty, and have long shaggy hair and beards.

TV episodes

Episode 1: The knight and crusader Ivanhoe is released from an Austrian prison after refusing to betray King Richard. He returns to England, where it is rumored that he did betray the King. Ivanhoe must clear his name and save his beloved Rowena from a loveless marriage to Prince Athelstane. Disguised as a pilgrim, he comes to the aid of a stranger, Isaac of York, who offers Ivanhoe a chance to compete in Prince John's tournament.

Episode 2: At the tournament, Ivanhoe defeats the Norman knights and earns the enmity of Prince John. In the second day of tournament, the Prince champions a group of his Norman henchmen, including the former crusader Bois-Guilbert, against Ivanhoe and the Saxons. Ivanhoe is joined by the mysterious Black Knight, and Bois-Guilbert and the Normans are defeated.

Episode 3: Wounded in the tournament against the Normans, Ivanhoe is tended to by the beautiful healer Rebecca, daughter of Isaac of York. Meanwhile, Bois-Guilbert schemes to steal Rowena for one of his cohorts. Disguised as outlaws, the Normans storm the Saxon camp, kidnapping Rowena, Ivanhoe, his father, Rebecca and Isaac.

Episode 4: Robin Hood and his allies, along with the Black Knight, prepare to attack the castle where Ivanhoe and his companions are held. Inside, Rebecca and Ivanhoe discover their love for one another. When the castle is stormed, the Saxons save Rowena from Bois-Guilbert. He then kidnaps Rebecca, whom he secretly loves, and they flee as the castle burns.

Episode 5: An attempt is made on the Black Knight's life, and he reveals himself as King Richard to his outlaw comrades. Meanwhile, John sentences Rebecca to burn as a witch, and her only chance for survival is to demand a trial by combat. Bois-Guilbert will act as the court's champion—but who will defend the honor of Rebecca?

Episode 6: King Richard assures his supporters that Ivanhoe never betrayed him, clearing the way for Ivanhoe's marriage to Rowena. Ivanhoe then learns of Rebecca's fate, and a devastated Rowena begs him not to ride to her defense. But Ivanhoe will not miss the chance to fight Bois-Guilbert—and finally right old wrongs.

Cast

Experts behind the series

Production

Parts of the series were shot at Doune Castle [ citation needed ], Hermitage Castle in the Scottish Borders and at Craigmillar Castle and Blackness Castle near Edinburgh. [4]

Home media

The series was released on a set of 6 VHS tapes and also on a 2 DVD set.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Ivanhoe</i> 1820 novel by Walter Scott

Ivanhoe: A Romance by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. It marked a shift away from Scott's prior practice of setting stories in Scotland and in the more recent past. It became one of Scott's best-known and most influential novels.

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> 1938 film by Michael Curtiz

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American Technicolor epic swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, and Alan Hale. The film is particularly noted for its Academy Award-winning score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

<i>The Adventures of Robin Hood</i> (TV series) British television series

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a British television series comprising 143 half-hour, black and white episodes broadcast weekly between 1955 and 1959 on ITV. It starred Richard Greene as the outlaw Robin Hood, and Alan Wheatley as his nemesis, the Sheriff of Nottingham. The show followed the legendary character Robin Hood and his band of merry men in Sherwood Forest and the surrounding vicinity. While some episodes dramatised the traditional Robin Hood tales, most were original dramas created by the show's writers and producers.

<i>Arthur of the Britons</i> British TV series or programme

Arthur of the Britons is a British television show about the historical King Arthur. Produced by the HTV regional franchise, it consisted of two series, released between 1972 and 1973. ITV had already a reputation for entertaining historical TV shows that would display adventure and swordplay, such as The Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel (1956), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1955), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1956), Ivanhoe (1958) and Sir Francis Drake (1961). Like Richard Lionheart in the TV shows about Robin Hood and Ivanhoe this King Arthur shows greatness by making peace between the two foremost peoples in the England of his era. The looks of King Arthur and his brother-in-arms Kai resemble contemporary rockstars. Arthur of the Britons was broadcast repeatedly on numerous local ITV stations during the 1970s and 1980s.

The Ivanhoe films are based on the novel by Sir Walter Scott. The novel has been made into a film several times; starting with two adaptations in Ivanhoe in 1913.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (opera)

Ivanhoe is a romantic opera in three acts based on the 1819 novel by Sir Walter Scott, with music by Sir Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by Julian Sturgis. It premiered at the Royal English Opera House on 31 January 1891 for a consecutive run of 155 performances, a record for a grand opera. Later that year it was performed six more times, making a total of 161 performances. It was toured by Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1894–1895 but has rarely been performed since. The first complete, fully professional recording was released in 2010 on the Chandos Records label.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (1952 film) 1952 film by Richard Thorpe

Ivanhoe is a 1952 British-American historical adventure epic film directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was shot in Technicolor, with a cast featuring Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Finlay Currie, and Felix Aylmer. The screenplay is written by Æneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts, and Noel Langley, based on the 1819 historical novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott.

<i>Robin Hood</i> (1991 British film) 1991 British film

Robin Hood is a 1991 British adventure film directed by John Irvin, executive produced by John McTiernan, and starring Patrick Bergin, Uma Thurman, Jürgen Prochnow, Jeroen Krabbé, and Edward Fox. Although originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States and South America, the film instead premiered on television, on the Fox network in those territories a month before the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was released in cinemas in several countries in Europe and elsewhere, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

<i>The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood</i> 1984 film by Ray Austin

The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1984 American made-for-television action comedy film directed by Ray Austin and starring George Segal, Morgan Fairchild, Roddy McDowall, Janet Suzman and Tom Baker. It is a parody of the Robin Hood story.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of Richard I of England</span>

Richard I of England has been depicted many times in romantic fiction and popular culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural depictions of John, King of England</span>

John of England has been portrayed many times in fiction, generally reflecting the overwhelmingly negative view of his reputation.

<i>The Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe</i> 1982 film

Ballad of the Valiant Knight Ivanhoe is a 1983 Soviet adventure film, based on the 1819 novel Ivanhoe by Walter Scott. It reached the 9th place in Soviet box office distribution of 1983 with 28.4 million viewers.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (1982 film) 1982 film by Douglas Camfield

Ivanhoe is a 1982 British-American made-for-television historical romance film. An adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel of the same name, it stars Anthony Andrews in the title role. The film was directed by Douglas Camfield, with a screenplay written by John Gay. It depicts the noble knight Ivanhoe returning home from the Third Crusade and becoming involved in a power struggle for the throne of England.

<i>Der Templer und die Jüdin</i> Opera by Heinrich Marschner

Der Templer und die Jüdin is an opera in three acts by Heinrich Marschner. The German libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück was based on a number of intermediate works based in turn on Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe.

Ivanhoe is a British television adventure series first shown on ITV network in 1958–1959. The show features Roger Moore in his first starring role, as Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, in a series of adventures aimed at a children's audience. The characters were drawn loosely from Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (1913 American film) 1913 film by Herbert Brenon

Ivanhoe is a 1913 American silent adventure/drama film starring King Baggot, Leah Baird, Herbert Brenon, Evelyn Hope, and Walter Craven.

<i>Il templario</i> Opera by Otto Nicolai (1840)

Il templario is an Italian-language opera by the German composer Otto Nicolai from a libretto written by Girolamo Maria Marini based on Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe.

Dark Knight is a 2000 TV series, based on Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe. This joint New Zealand/England production attempted to capitalize on the same sword and sorcery market successfully mined by Xena: Warrior Princess.

<i>Ivanhoe</i> (1970 TV series) British TV series or programme

Ivanhoe was a BBC television series from 1970. The script was by Alexander Baron, based on Sir Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe. The director was David Maloney.

<i>The Hebrew</i> (play) 1820 play

The Hebrew is an 1820 historical play by the British author George Soane. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 2 March 1820. It is inspired by the 1819 novel Ivanhoe by Walter Scott, with a number of the characters and plot elements removed. The original cast included Edmund Kean as Isaac, Alexander Pope as Prince Aymer, Thomas S. Hamblin as Brian de Bois Guilbert, Charles Holland as Cedric, William Penley as Ivanhoe, William Oxberry as Friar Tuck, Margaret Carew as Miriam and Sarah West as Rebecca. He dedicated the published version of the play to his father the architect Sir John Soane. The rival Theatre Royal, Covent Garden put on its own version of the novel, Ivanhoe by Samuel Beazley, the same year.

References

  1. Scott, Walter (25 June 2008). Ivanhoe: A Romance.
  2. "'IVANHOE' MINISERIES INVADES A&E". Washington Post. 20 April 1997. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. Kulakivska, Veronika. "The analysis of "Ivanhoe" by Walter Skott".{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. (2015) Filmed here - 1997, Ivanhoe, Stuart Orme, BBC Archived 18 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine Film Edinburgh, Retrieved 20 February 2015