The Adventures of Robin Hood

This article is about the 1938 film. For other uses, see The Adventures of Robin Hood (disambiguation).
The Adventures of Robin Hood

DVD cover
Directed by
Produced by
Screenplay by
Starring
Music by Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Cinematography
Edited by Ralph Dawson
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates
  • May 14, 1938 (USA)
Running time
 102 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $2.033 million[1]
Box office $3.981 million[1]

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains. Written by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller, the film is about a Saxon knight who, in King Richard's absence in the Holy Land during the Crusades, fights back as the outlaw leader of a rebel guerrilla army against Prince John and the Norman lords oppressing the Saxon commoners. The Adventures of Robin Hood was filmed in Technicolor.

In 1995, The Adventures of Robin Hood was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.[2]

Plot

In 1191, Richard the Lionheart (Ian Hunter), the King of England, is taken captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria while returning from the Third Crusade. Richard’s treacherous brother Prince John (Claude Rains) usurps the throne and proceeds to oppress the Saxons, raises taxes, supposedly to raise Richard's ransom, but in reality to secure his own position.

The only nobleman who opposes him is the Saxon knight Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn). Robin acquires a loyal follower when he saves Much the Miller's Son (Herbert Mundin) from being arrested by Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) for poaching in Sherwood Forest. At Gisbourne's castle, Robin boldly tells Prince John, John's supporters and a contemptuous Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Olivia DeHavilland) that he will do all in his power to oppose John and restore Richard to the throne. Robin then escapes, despite the attempts of John's men.

Robin and his friend Will Scarlet (Patric Knowles) take refuge in Sherwood Forest and recruit Little John (Alan Hale, Sr.), after John trounces Robin in a bruising quarterstaff bout. Men join their growing band, the Merry Men. Robin meets and provokes the rotund Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) into a sword-fight. Then Robin persuades him to join his band of outlaws to provide them with spiritual guidance.

Now known as the outlaw Robin Hood, he binds his men by an oath, to fight for a free England until King Richard returns. They are to rob the rich only to give to the poor, and to treat all women with courtesy, "rich or poor, Norman or Saxon." In a short time, Prince John's cronies find themselves harassed and robbed.

One day, Robin and his men capture a large party of Normans transporting tax proceeds through Sherwood. Among Robin's "guests" are Gisbourne, the cowardly Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper), and Lady Marian. Marian is at first disdainful of Robin, but becomes convinced of his good intentions and begins to see the reality of the Norman brutality. Eventually Robin allows the humiliated Gisbourne and sheriff to depart Sherwood on foot, dressed in rags, telling them that they have Marian's presence to thank for his sparing their lives.

Incensed, Prince John furiously accuses the Sheriff and Sir Guy of incompetence. The Sheriff comes up with a cunning scheme to capture Robin by announcing an archery tournament. The Sheriff is sure that Robin will be unable to resist the challenge. All goes as planned: Robin wins, is taken prisoner, and is sentenced to be hanged.

Marian helps the Merry Men to rescue Robin. Later, the outlaw sneaks into the castle to thank her. She and Robin pledge their love for each other, but Marian declines to come away with him because she believes she can help the rebellion better where she is.

King Richard and a few of his knights return to England disguised as pilgrims. At an inn, the Bishop of the Black Canons (Montague Love) overhears one of Richard's men call him "sire" and hurries to alert Prince John. John and Gisbourne plot to dispose of Richard before he can raise an army. Dickon Malbete (Harry Cording), a degraded former knight, is given the task in return for the restoration of his rank and Robin's manor and estate.

Marian overhears them and writes a note warning Robin, but Gisbourne finds it and has her arrested. Marian's nurse, Bess (Una O'Connor), has been romantically involved with Much. She sends him to warn Robin. On his way, Much encounters and kills Dickon after a desperate struggle.

Seeking Robin’s help, King Richard and his escort disguise themselves as wealthy monks and journey to Sherwood Forest. They are quickly accosted by Robin. When Richard assures him that he is traveling on the King's business, Robin happily invites him to dine. Will finds the injured Much. Much tells Robin of Marian's peril and that Richard is in England. Robin orders a search. Certain now of Robin's loyalty, Richard reveals his identity.

Robin devises a plan to sneak his men into the castle. He forces the Bishop of the Black Canons to include his men (disguised as monks) in his entourage. The plan succeeds. During the coronation, a melee breaks out. Robin and Gisbourne engage in a prolonged sword fight, ending with Gisbourne's death. Robin then rescues Marian from her cell.

John begs for forgiveness, but Richard exiles him and his followers for the remainder of his lifetime (At least, until John becomes king.). He then pardons the outlaws, ennobles Robin as Baron of Locksley and Earl of Sherwood and Nottingham, and 'orders' Robin to marry the Lady Marian.

Cast

Errol Flynn as Robin Hood at the banquet
Uncredited:

Production

The Adventures of Robin Hood was filmed on location in various areas of California and in Union, Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. Don Beckman, the set director, built a replica of the set in Union, Washington. Today two[3] of five original cottages are still in use.

Bidwell Park in Chico stood in for Sherwood Forest,[4] although one major scene was filmed at the California locations "Lake Sherwood" and "Sherwood Forest", so named because they were the location sites for the 1922 Douglas Fairbanks production of Robin Hood. Several scenes were shot at the Warner Bros. Burbank Studios and the Warner Ranch in Calabasas. The archery tournament was filmed at Lower Arroyo Park [5] in Pasadena.

James Cagney was originally cast as Robin Hood, but walked out on his contract with Warner Bros., paving the way for Flynn,[6] although filming was postponed three years.[7]

It was produced at an estimated cost of $2 million, and was Warner Bros first color film utilizing three-strip Technicolor process.[Note 2][6] It was an unusually extravagant production for the Warner Bros. studio, which had made a name for itself in producing socially conscious low-budget gangster films,[8] but their adventure movies starring Flynn had generated hefty revenue and Robin Hood was created to capitalize on this.

Stunt men and bit players, padded with balsa wood on metal plates, were paid $150 per arrow for being shot by professional archer Howard Hill. Hill, although listed as the archer captain defeated by Robin, was cast as Elwen the Welshman, an archer seen shooting at Robin in his escape from Nottingham castle and, later, defeated by Robin at the archery tournament. To win, Robin splits the arrow of Philip of Arras, a captain of the guard under Gisbourne, who had struck the bullseye. An examination of the film images in slow motion led to speculation that the arrow split may have been made of bamboo and had been previously split, the parts being held together with small rings. Buster Wiles – a stuntman and close friend of Errol Flynn – maintains that the arrow splitting stunt was carried out using an extra large arrow (for the target) and that the second arrow had a wide, flat arrowhead and was fired along a wire. Wiles discusses the scene in his autobiography, My Days With Errol Flynn.

Reception

The film was well-reviewed and became the highest-grossing film of the year, with just over $4 million in revenues, at a time when the average ticket price was less than 25 cents.[9] Warner Bros. was so pleased with the results that the studio cast Flynn in two more color epics before the decade was over: Dodge City and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.

Review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 100% of critics gave the film a positive review based on 44 reviews, with an average score of 8.9/10. The film is currently No. 12 on Rotten Tomatoes' list of best rated films.[10] Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, "Errol Flynn thrills as the legendary title character, and the film embodies the type of imaginative family adventure tailor-made for the silver screen."[11]

A sequel, Sir Robin of Locksley was announced but never developed.[7]

Awards and nominations

The film won three Academy Awards at the 11th Academy Awards and was nominated for one more:

Won: Best Art Direction - Color (Carl Jules Weyl)
Won: Best Film Editing (Ralph Dawson)
Won: Best Original Score (Erich Wolfgang Korngold) - The love theme of Robin and Marian went on to become a celebrated concert piece.
Nominated: Best Picture (Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke)

Legacy

Due to the movie's popularity, Errol Flynn's name and image became inextricably linked with that of Robin Hood in the public eye, even more so than Douglas Fairbanks, who had played the role previously in 1922.[12]

This was the third film to pair Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (after Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade). They would ultimately star together in eight films.

Scenes and costumes worn by the characters have been imitated and spoofed endlessly. For instance, in the Bugs Bunny animated short film, Rabbit Hood, Bugs is continually told by a dim-witted Little John that "Robin Hood will soon be here." When Bugs finally meets Robin at the end of the film, he is stunned to find that it is Errol Flynn, in a spliced-in clip from this film (he subsequently shakes his head and declares, "It couldn't be him!"). Other parodies were Daffy Duck and Porky Pig in Robin Hood Daffy and Goofy and Black Pete in Goof Troop's Goofin' Hood & His Melancholy Men.

A fragment of one of the film's sword fighting scenes was converted to sprites by Jordan Mechner and used for his 1989 platform game Prince of Persia.[13]

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Roy Rogers admired the then-named Golden Cloud so much that he bought Trigger to use in his own films. This eventually made Trigger one of the most famous animals in show business.
  2. ↑ The first, preceding it by a few months, was Gold is Where You Find It, which tested the process as a run-up to The Adventures of Robin Hood.
Citations
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Glancy, H. Mark. "Warner Bros film grosses, 1921-51." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television. March 1995
  2. ↑ Timesstaff (December 28, 1995). "25 old films honored". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved July 22, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Escape to Our Merry Band of Cottages". Robin Hood Village Resort. 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  4. ↑ The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations by Tony Reeves. The Titan Publishing Group. Pg.14
  5. ↑ "Archery club, hikers clash over Lower Arroyo Park trail in Pasadena". ABC Inc. May 25, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ebert, Roger (August 17, 2003). "Roger Ebert's review of "The Adventures of Robin Hood"". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 30, 2007.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Thomas, Tony; Behlmer, Rudy; McCarty, Clifford (June 1969). The Films of Errol Flynn. Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press. p. 62-67. ISBN 978-0806502373.
  8. ↑ "The mobster and the movies". CNN. August 24, 2004. Retrieved July 9, 2008.
  9. ↑ Weitzman, Elizabeth (February 6, 2009). "The Depression-era gems at 1930s prices". NY Daily News (New York). Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Movies Of All Time". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  11. ↑ "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 31, 2014.
  12. ↑ King, Susan (May 12, 2010). "Classic Hollywood: 100 years of Robin Hood movies". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  13. ↑ Mechner, Jordan (2011). Classic Game Postmortem: PRINCE OF PERSIA (Speech). Game Developers Conference. San Francisco, California. Event occurs at 38:35. Retrieved 30 May 2013.

External links

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