Film Review
One of the most expensive films made in the silent era, Douglas
Fairbanks' lavish production of
Robin
Hood not only cemented the legendary actor's reputation as the
most iconic of swashbuckling screen heroes but also raised the bar
massively for all subsequent Hollywood adventure films of this
kind.
Robin Hood was
the
Star Wars of its day, and
easily one of the best screen accounts of the exploits of the
green-stockinged bandit and his merry men, matched only by Michael
Curtiz's
The Adventures of Robin Hood
(1938). The film cost around 1.4 million dollars to make (an
astronomical sum at the time), most of which seems to have been spent
on one of the grandest sets ever constructed for a film, that of King
Richard's imposing medieval castle. At one point Fairbanks was so
concerned about the expense of this set that he considered pulling the
plug on the whole project.
Yet it is the expense and care that has gone into the Cathedral-sized
sets that make this such a visually stunning piece of cinema, not just
a static backdrop but an essential part of the fabric of the
film. The towering castle sets and equally impressive recreation
of Sherwood Forest give Fairbanks ample space to show off his
unrivalled athleticism, leaping in and out of trees one minute,
abseiling up a rising drawbridge the next. With his elastic heels and
seemingly boundless energy Fairbanks brings an astonishing pace and
dynamism to the film, so that watching it is actually quite an
exhausting experience, albeit pleasurably so.
After a relatively slow first half, which develops the hero's back
story in far greater depth than most
Robin
Hood films, the pace picks up with a vengeance in the second
half as Robin and his motley crew go to war against Prince John and the
even more despicably evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne. Fairbanks
dominates the proceedings from start to finish, portraying Robin less
as a man and more as a human whirlwind that demolishes everything in
its path. Although the characters are far less fleshed out than
in later
Robin Hood films,
this one triumphs over all the others in at least one respect: its
sheer non-stop entertainment value.
© James Travers 2014
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Film Synopsis
In late 12th century England, King Richard sets out for the Crusades
with his devoted knight champion, Robert, Earl of Huntingdon. The
king's younger brother John wastes no time usurping the throne and
becomes a tyrannical despot, bringing a plague of misery and suffering
to a once contented land. When he hears of this, Huntingdon begs
the king to let him return to England but Richard refuses and has him
imprisoned for cowardice. Undeterred, Huntingdon escapes and is
soon back in Nottingham where, under the name Robin Hood, he fights
back against John's evil regime. With a band of merry outlaws
living in Sherwood Forest, Robin steals from the rich and gives to the
poor, but after rescuing his beloved Marian from John's castle he is
himself captured and sentenced to death...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.