“The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938)

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Brief Description:

When Prince John and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence in 1190s England, a Saxon lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a resistance movement.

(from IMDb)

Date: 1938

Genre: Technicolor epic swashbuckler

Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes 

Cast: 

Errol Flynn (Robin)

Olivia de Havilland (Marian)

Basil Rathbone (Guy of Gisbourne)

Claude Rains (Prince John)

Patric Knowles (Will Scarlet)

Eugene Pallette (Friar Tuck)

Alan Hale, Sr. (Little John)

Melville Cooper (Sheriff)

Ian Hunter (King Richard)

Una O'Connor (Bess)

Herbert Mundin (Much)

Montagu Love (Bishop)

Leonard Willey (Sir Essex)

Robert Noble (Sir Ralf)

Kenneth Hunter (Sir Mortimer)

Robert Warwick (Sir Geoffrey)

Colin Kenny (Sir Baldwin)

Lester Matthews (Sir Ivor)

Harry Cording (Dickon)

Howard Hill (Captain of Archers)

Ivan F. Simpson (Kent Road Tavern owner)

Lionel Belmore (Humility Prin)

Director: Michael Curtiz

Production company: Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on: the Robin Hood legends

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(#41, in case it doesn’t show up right) 

Setting/Aesthetic/Feel: 5/5

This really got into the medieval feel of things!! I loved all the castles and decorations. The villages and forest were cool too but I’m really happy it focussed so much on the castle’s interior and all :) 

Characters: 5/5

Robin Hood felt pretty accurate, being portrayed as somewhat proud/imperious, fight-picking, bold & impudent, and a little bit brutal in how much he humiliated his enemies. Reminded me of Howard Pyle’s Merry Adventures of Robin Hood and Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe, although the parts of resisting and protecting were more like Henry Gilbert’s Robin Hood. Friar Tuck and Little John and the other Merry Men were also pretty rough and tough, again more along the lines of Ivanhoe’s portrayal of things. Will Scarlet was a mix of Alan-a-Dale, which was fun. Marian was the soft, sweet, sassy Marian most works portray—brave, loving, but a Norman lady through and through. John felt very accurate—he was quite sinister. So was Guy of Gisbourne. The Sheriff seemed more like a comedic relief than anything, which was more along the lines of The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. I really liked Bess and her storyline with Much! She was quite cute. 

Plot: 5/5

The plot opens with John and his men plotting against Richard and the Saxon. Then Much kills a deer and is almost taken in for execution, but Robin protects him by claiming he killed the deer, therefore being outlawed. Sir Guy of Guisbourne throws a party for John, in which Marian is basically promised to said Sir Guy; Robin interrupts the party and defies John, after getting some insults from Marian. Subsequently, Sir Guy, the Sheriff, and Marian are ambushed and taken by the Merry Men, where the two men are humiliated for their outrages against the peasants and Marian discovers why Robin does what he does. Cue the love birds! The archery tournament follows, and then some high stakes wooing, danger, and excitement, winding up with a grand swordfight battle in the castle. Oh, and King Richard returning in disguise, of course.

Romance: 4/5

Hollywoodish—all the swoonyness and cuteness. Who am I to complain? Love how Marian risks her life for him, and Robin being willing to not risk his life because she asks him to :) 

Theme/Message/Topics: 5/5

Not terribly deep, but I love the theme of it’s nor Norman vs. Saxon, it’s evil vs. good… while at the same time you can’t just align with a party like you and believe they’re right and refuse to see the side of the other party. 

Content: 4/5 (low)

Kisses between Marian & Robin (like, 4?). In a brief scene a soldier grabs a girl and bends her over to kiss her but is killed. A few instances of guys slapping other guys’ butts with the flat of their sword. 2-3 uses of language (d*nm, d**il).

Violence: 4/5 (low)

Mild violence—fighting, hitting, killing, slapping, knocking around, etc. A few shots of men with slightly bloody/bruised faces or hands. 

Overall: 5/5

This was a pretty great Robin Hood film adaption!! I really, really enjoyed it, actually. It feels pretty accurate and it’s heart-satisfying without being too cloying.