A new review of a rather old movie: Ivanhoe

I just received a collection of 'romance' DVDs as a gift and will be gradually watching them and perhaps, if so inclined, reviewing them.  It is a collection of some of my favorite books on film so I am hoping they portray them well.  The first on the list was Ivanhoe.  I've never actually seen the movie but I have read the book, and quite surprisingly, they did a pretty good job of sticking to the story though I'd hate to see a more modern remake.  The title character and Rebecca would run off to Spain or something, ugh!  Obviously the effects and cinematography are nothing compared to modern flicks, but unlike modern moviemakers, I know effects do not a movie make.  There is a lot of plot, some very good acting, the characters are truly who they were written to be, and overall I very much enjoyed it.  Strangely, one of my favorite characters was Christopher Lee's Master of the Templar, he makes an astonishingly good madman!  Prince John is a narcissistic sissy you love to hate and played to perfection.  I was very happy with the production.  They did get a little overly romantically dramatic between Ivanhoe and Rebecca as compared to the book, but nowhere near as bad as it might have been were it made now.  The final conflict was not resolved exactly as portrayed in the book, but in six hours of run time, that is a small change indeed!  Overall, if you like the book and can handle older movies with 'cheesy' effects (at least by modern standards) then this is a winner.  If you can't handle long, drawn out plots, lots of good characters, and just want stuff to blow up, then maybe stick with The Hobbit.