Movie Stats:
Released 1938 (USA)
American, in English
Directors - Michael Curtiz & William Keighley
Stars - Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains
Plot Summary:
While the rightful king is being held prisoner during the Crusades, his brother Prince John (Rains) takes over the throne with the help of lackey Guy of Gisbourne (Rathbone) and terrorizes the lower classes. Only Robin of Locksley (Flynn) is man enough to stand up to him. De Havilland co-stars as Robin’s love interest, Lady Marian.
Warnings:
Violence; sexual assault.
Bad Stuff:
It’s pretty cheesy. The laughing is so over the top!
It’s very gaudy. I think it’s one of the earliest films shot in Technicolor. It’s like they wanted to put every color in every scene because they could.
The sound mixing isn’t great. Some of the dialogue is muffled.
Good Stuff:
It’s quite funny, although I could’ve done without all the fat jokes.
The fight/action scenes are awesome! Very thrilling.
I like how cheerful & good-natured it is.
About the Performance:
This is literally the only film of Flynn’s I’ve seen. I have the impression that he’s kind of the same in everything but I can’t say for sure without any other performances for comparison. I thought he did well in this. He’s handsome & charming. This is not your modern-day Robin Hood and I think Flynn had the right sort of “feel" for this more light-hearted version. However, I wasn’t blow away.
Other performances of Flynn’s I’ve reviewed: none.
The Verdict:
I like this film. It’s fun and sweet. Nowadays, this story is given the “gritty” treatment. There’s something I really appreciated about it being told from an upbeat perspective. It lacks drama, which I mean in a good way. Robin Hood is, I think, universally appealing. We all like the idea of a man who stands up for the downtrodden. That’s probably why this story has been filmed so many times. This particular movie has a lot of Hollywood heavy hitters, all of whom do a fine job. If you choose to watch this, I think you’ll be very entertained.
I give it 4 stars.
1 comment:
I can remember watching this with my family and friends of the family when I was little--maybe eight or so? I remember laughing a lot and really liking it.
I wonder how the kids today would receive it?
You've planted a seed of maybe a Robin Hood marathon. It would be interesting to compare the various Robin Hoods through the decades. I'm not sure if I like the story that much, but maybe.
This is also my only Errol Flynn film. That montage in Singing in the Rain where Gene Kelly is filming his silent films? That's kind of what I think of Errol Flynn's movie montage would be, but with only swashbuckling.
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