*Spoiler Reflections* On Ivanhoe

This post contains spoilers for the 1982 movie Ivanhoe, based on the book by Sir Walter Scott.

Ivanhoe is a story of prejudice. As it was written during the fight for Jewish emancipation in England, the book was obviously intended to be an eloquent defense of Jews. But in the 1982 movie, the story of Brian de Bois-Guilbert's love for Rebecca, the lovely Jewess, takes precedence over the story of prejudice. This love begins as lust but deepens into true love as the story progresses, ultimately giving him the chance to redeem himself.

In Brian's first encounter with Rebecca, he is only interested in her beauty and cares nothing for her religion, reputation, or sensibilities. He removes her veil; a breach of decorum according to her faith. His disregard for everything but her beauty continues when she becomes his prisoner. First Brian tries to convince her to become his mistress, warning her that he could rape her if she refused. But when Rebecca responds by threatening to kill herself, he backs down. His concern for her life is the first hint that his lust is beginning to turn to love.

When Rebecca is accused of bewitching him by the leader of a Templar Preceptory and condemned to be burned at the stake, Brian makes a half-hearted attempt to rescue her while still preserving his rank and reputation. He tells her to demand a champion to fight for her - if a knight designated as her champion can kill a member of the Knights Templar in combat, she will be declared innocent of all charges. Brian plans to be her champion himself, but the Grand Master names him as the knight who must fight against her champion. Although Brian does nothing to change the man's mind, his attempt to save her life at the risk of his own - albeit while still preserving his rank and reputation - shows that his love for her has deepened more.

Brian then goes to Rebecca and tries to talk her into converting to Christianity and admitting that she's a witch. He also offers to break his vows and give up everything he holds dear if she, without converting, will flee with him to the continent. (Whether he should have offered to break his vows and run away with her or not is not the point.) Rebecca, of course, refuses both. When she is tied to the stake, about to be burned for crimes she did not commit, he pleas with her one last time to run away with him. Again she refuses. However, his willingness to sacrifice his rank and reputation to save her is proof that his love has progressed yet another step.

Finally, when he is about to kill Ivanhoe, who fights as Rebecca's champion but is not yet healed enough to be very good in combat, Brian glances up and catches Rebecca's eye. In that moment, his journey from lust to true love is completed. He gives up his life for Rebecca, allowing Ivanhoe to pierce him in what should have been a futile stab. Ivanhoe's victory, according to the laws of the Knights Templar (or, at least, that particular section of the Knights Templar), is proof of Rebecca's innocence, and she is allowed to go free.

Lust is when a person (man or woman) uses another as a sex toy. True love is when a person gives him or herself completely to or for another. When Brian first meets Rebecca, he cares only about her beauty and the potential pleasure she could give him. But as the story progresses, God's grace transforms him from a selfish, lustful man with no concern for Rebecca's religious beliefs, feelings, or honor into a man who is willing to give his life for the woman he loves.