The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

The Adventures of Robin Hood is an American adventure film first released in 1938, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley.  The film stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains and Patric Knowles.  Our overall rating for this film is: excellent.


England, 1191.  With Richard the Lionheart, the rightful king, away fighting in the crusades, the country is governed by his younger brother, John.  When he learns that Richard has been taken prisoner by Leopold of Austria, John sees an opportunity to usurp the throne.  Instead of paying the ransom demanded for the release of his brother, John intends to use the taxes he raises for this purpose to make his position more secure.  The only nobleman who takes offence at this is Robin of Locksley, who promises John that he will thwart his scheme and do everything he can to ensure Richard’s return.   His lands and title forfeited, Robin takes refuge in Sherwood forest, where he gathers together a band of loyal followers, including Little John, Friar Tuck and Will Scarlett.   They steal with ease from any caravans which pass through the forest laden with riches destined for Prince John.   Sir Guy of Gisbourne, John’s most loyal supporter, vows that he will capture Robin and bring him to justice...

Providing you are not too bothered by its obvious historical inaccuracies (and a pretty alarming body count), The Adventures of Robin Hood is by far cinema’s finest and most entertaining depiction of the Robin Hood legend (better even than the Disney animated version).  Even today, it is hard not to be awe-struck by its scale, exuberance, richly coloured palate and magnificently choreographed action sequences (all realised without the aid of computer generated effects).  One of the first films to be made in glorious Technicolor, it had a colossal budget (estimated to be in the region of two million dollars), making it one of Warner Brothers’ most expensive pictures at the time.  

Once you have seen this film, it is impossible to imagine anyone other than Errol Flynn in the title role.  His Robin of Locksley is the real McCoy – charismatic, agile and witty, dispatching his enemies with the graceful ease of a benign avenging angel, rather than the sadistic relish of a quiver-happy psychopath.  By contrast, Basil Rathbone is the perfect villain, his humourless Sir Guy of Gisbourne being the antithesis of Flynn’s amiable Robin – a self-interested crawler who most definitely lacks the common touch (although he does have the better hairpiece).  Equally, Claude Rains’ Prince John makes an effective contrast with Ian Hunter’s King Richard – the effete nastiness of the former against the nobility of the latter (restating yet again the popular myth which runs contrary to known historical fact.  John was actually the good guy.).  Olivia de Havilland makes a delightful Maid Marian, Eugene Pallette is the definitive Friar Tuck and Una O’Connor provides plenty of comic relief as Marian’s histrionic lady-in-waiting, Bess.  In fact, all of the performances are commendable, making this a true ensemble piece.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was one of the great cinematic highlights of 1938.  It was nominated for four Oscars, winning in the categories of Best Editing, Best Score and Best Interior Decoration.  Errol Flynn’s popularity at the time almost guaranteed the film’s success.  The Australian-born actor had already earned his reputation as the swashbuckling hero in such films as Captain Blood (1936) and The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and from the mid-1930s to the mid-1940s he would be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, often imitated, but never surpassed.

© James Travers 2008

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