Alternative Character Interpretation: Yes Bois-Guilbert is an attempted rapist and Stalker with a Crushbut he is also willing to give up everything he's worked for and ever wanted for Rebecca's sake. So by the end, at least, he does seem very sincere in his feelings for her.
Captain Obvious Reveal: "Locksley," a brilliant shot with a bow who leads a merry band of outlaws in Sherwood forest, is revealed to be the secret identity of none other than... Robin Hood! All right, maybe it wasn't originally quite as much of a Captain Obvious Reveal as it is today, because Scott invented and popularised several of the tropes that became stock parts of the Robin Hood legend. Still, any reader with even the tiniest familiarity with the genre must have seen it coming a mile away.
William Makepeace Thackeray: And must the Disinherited Knight ... sit down contented for life by the side of such a frigid piece of propriety as that icy, faultless, prim, niminy-piminy Rowena?
Fair for Its Day: Isaac of York, though a stereotypical Greedy Jew, is nevertheless depicted as grateful toward Ivanhoe and his adherents, and devoted to his daughter — while Rebecca is downright saintly. Scott even goes on at length about how badly the Jewish people were treated in Europe at this point in time, and how Isaac's greed is more a self-defense mechanism than a vice.
As Richard Armour put it, "Honestly, how could Ivanhoe have picked that Dumb Blonde, Rowena, over Rebecca?"
Sir Walter Scott: [in his 1830 Introduction] The character of the fair Jewess found so much favour in the eyes of some fair readers, that the writer was censured, because, when arranging the fates of the characters of the drama, he had not assigned the hand of Wilfred to Rebecca, rather than the less interesting Rowena.
In the Russian fandom, Brian/Rebecca reigns supreme (and its shippers are quite content with Wilfred/Rowena because Wilfred is often seen as not cool enough for Rebecca).
It Was His Sled: Today's readers aren't going to be fooled for a second when the mysterious Forest Ranger gives his name as "Locksley". However, Scott's readers would have been kept in the dark, considering Scott was the first author to link Robin Hood with the name "Locksley".
Nightmare Fuel: Front-de-Bœuf's threatened Cold-Blooded Torture of Isaac, his deathbed scene with Ulrica, and their subsequent burning alive, have been known to have this effect on readers.
Older Than They Think: Scott is sometimes credited with having transferred Robin Hood to the time of Richard The Lion Heart — but in reality he was adopting a tradition that dated back to Scottish historian John Major in early Tudor times and (perhaps more importantly) was firmly held by Joseph Ritson, Scott's friend and the author of the most influential study of the Robin Hood legend in Scott's own time. (Ritson, a Jacobin, also popularised the idea that Robin Hood didn't just rob from the rich, but also gave to the poor.)
Values Resonance: Both Rebecca and Isaac are treated sympathetically, and crucially Scott doesn't have Rebecca convert at the end so that she can marry Ivanhoe or stay in England, showing her Jewish faith is just as important and integral to her as the faith of the Christian characters.
What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Odd, that a novel written in such Purple Prose, dealing with dead-and-gone historical figures, with themes of racial and religious hatred, having such extremely disturbing scenes as the Attempted Rape of Rebecca, the threatened Cold-Blooded Torture of Isaac, and the immolations of the parricide Front-de-Bœuf and his treacherous cast-off mistress Ulrica should have been wildly popular for over two centuries with children.
The Woobie: Various characters at various points in the novel — but Isaac fulfils this role fairly consistently, being a moneylender who can do little to defend himself or his family against the Norman robber barons.
Early in the film there is a moment where Rowena enters the dining hall and Isaac is the only one to stand. Later when Bois-Guilbert has escaped Torquilstone with Rebecca, Rowena can be seen comforting a saddened Isaac.
Rowena and Rebecca's interactions. They confront each other over Ivanhoe (literally – they are standing right over him) at Ashby but quickly realize that they should be helping him instead of wasting time in arguments. They are nothing but friendly with each other later on. Later, Rowena tells Ivanhoe that she will respect his choice if he loves Rebecca.
Heartwarming in Hindsight: In addition to Scott's novel showing the main Jewish characters in a sympathetic light, not only does the movie take it a level further by toning down the stereotyping and having King Richard promise modern civil rights reforms for the Jews of England, Elizabeth Taylor gives a fantastic performance as Rebecca. Decades later she converted to Judaism.
Older Than They Think: The portrayal of a Robin Hood that does not look like the traditional Robin Hood (being an older man and not wearing green or the pointy hat, both of which Ivanhoe does instead) may begin with this film and its portrayal of Locksley (who is never called Robin Hood in it). This was likely done to differentiate itself from The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, which was released the same year. In contrast, other adaptations of Ivanhoe tend to play up the Robin Hood associations even harder, because of course he is the Hero of Another Story.
The 1982 Film
Fridge Brilliance: The Flynning that takes place in the climax makes sense from a storytelling perspective because neither knight is fighting at the top of their game: Ivanhoe is still recovering from his various wounds and Bois-Guilbert, who is conflicted over his feelings for Rebecca and his honor as a Templar, is trying to give Ivanhoe as many chances to win as he can.
Germans Love David Hasselhoff: For some reason, Ivanhoe has become the New Year's Day hangover movie of choice in Sweden, being shown on TV every year for over 30 years in a row. Much to the consternation of its stars.
, Scott's friend and the author of the most influential study of the Robin Hood legend in Scott's own time. (Ritson, a Jacobin, also popularised the idea that Robin Hood didn't just rob from the rich, but also gave to the poor.)