Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman Ivanhoe, the Norman Swordsman () is a 1971 peplum film directed by Roberto Mauri. After the death of King Henry I in 12th-century England, the throne is taken by Stephen Cunningham who claims to possess the mythical "Sword of Normandy." A man named Ivanhoe returns from years in the Holy Land knowing that Henry I's son, the rightful heir to the throne, died in the Crusades, and that Cunningham's sword is a fake. After forging alliances with a group of highwaymen and a band of traveling thespians, Ivanhoe reclaims the real sword that will topple Cunningham.
I Served the King of England between different producers, and at one point the story was under development to be turned into a television soap opera. In the early 2000s, a film was under development by the writer-director duo Petr Jarchovský and Jan Hřebejk. In the end Menzel did direct the film. A co-production between Czech, Slovak, German and Hungarian companies, "I Served the King of England" premiered in the Czech Republic on 21 December 2006. I Served the King of England I Served the King of England () is a novel by the Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal. The story is set in Prague in the