| Director | Richard Thorpe |
|---|---|
| Budget | $3.7 million |
| Box office | $9.7 million |
Richard the Lionheart, the Norman king of England, vanishes while returning from the Crusades. One of his knights, the Saxon Wilfred of Ivanhoe, searches for him, finally finding him held captive by Leopold of Austria for an enormous ransom. Richard's treacherous brother Prince John knows about it but does nothing, enjoying ruling in his absence.
Back in England, Ivanhoe, pretending to be a minstrel, meets Sir Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Sir Hugh de Bracy, two of Prince John's Norman supporters. When the party seeks shelter for the night, Ivanhoe leads them to Rotherwood, the home of his father, Cedric the Saxon, who welcomes the knights coldly while Ivanhoe sneaks into the chamber of the Lady Rowena, Cedric's ward, and they kiss. Later, in private, Ivanhoe pleads with Cedric to help raise the ransom of 150,000 marks of silver, but Cedric wants no part of assisting any Norman. When Ivanhoe leaves, Wamba, Cedric's jester, asks to accompany him and is made his squire. Later, they rescue the Jew Isaac of York, another of Cedric's guests, from two Norman soldiers. Shaken, Isaac returns home to Sheffield, and Ivanhoe escorts him.
Isaac's daughter Rebecca gives Ivanhoe her jewels without her father's knowledge to buy a horse and armor for an important jousting tournament intended to strengthen support for Prince John. Many nobles are at the tournament, including Prince John. The Norman knights Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Hugh de Bracy, Front de Boeuf, Philip de Malvoisin and Ralph de Vipont defeat all Saxon opponents. Then a mysterious Saxon knight appears, dressed in black, his face hidden behind his helm. He declines to provide his name but challenges all five Normans. He easily defeats Malvoisin, Vipont and Front de Boeuf in succession.
When Ivanhoe salutes Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert is immediately smitten by her beauty. While Ivanhoe bests Bracy, he is seriously wounded in the shoulder. By this point, his identity has been guessed by his father and Robin Hood. In the last bout against Bois-Guilbert, Ivanhoe falls from his horse and is taken to the woods under the protection of Robin Hood. The other Saxons, led by Cedric, head for the city of York but are captured and taken to the castle of Front de Boeuf. When Ivanhoe hears the news, he surrenders himself up in exchange for his father's freedom. Ivanhoe advises Cedric that Robin Hood and his men have the castle surrounded. However, Bois-Guilbert treacherously keeps them both. Robin Hood's men storm the castle. In the fighting, Front de Boeuf drives Wamba to his death in a burning part of the castle and is slain in turn by Ivanhoe. The defense crumbles, and Bois-Guilbert alone escapes, using Rebecca as a human shield. De Bracy is captured when he attempts to do the same with Rowena.
The huge ransom is finally amassed, but the Jews face a cruel choice: to free either Richard or Rebecca, for Prince John has set the price of her life at 100,000 marks, their contribution. Isaac chooses Richard, and Cedric takes the ransom to Leopold of Austria, while Ivanhoe promises Isaac that he will rescue Rebecca.
At Rebecca's trial, she is condemned to be burned at the stake as a witch, but Ivanhoe appears and challenges the verdict, invoking the right to wager of battle. Prince John chooses Bois-Guilbert as the court's champion. Bois-Guilbert makes a last plea to Rebecca, offering to forfeit the duel in return for her love, although it means that he will be forever disgraced, but she refuses.
In the duel, Ivanhoe is knocked from his horse but kills Bois-Guilbert with a battle axe. As he lies dying, Bois-Guilbert tells Rebecca that it is he who loves her, not Ivanhoe. Rebecca acknowledges this to Rowena.
King Richard and his knights arrive to reclaim his throne. Prince John grudgingly kneels before his brother. Richard then beseeches his kneeling subjects to rise, not as Normans or Saxons, but as Englishmen.