The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Simply put, lightning in a bottle. There have been many film adaptations of the Robin Hood story, going back to the silent movies all the way up to the recent Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe misfire, but none have come close to equaling 1938's Adventures of Robin Hood (with the possible exception of the Disney film, which was pretty spectacular!).

The film represents the Warner Brothers studio teams at their peak, with superb costumes, sets, cinematography (blinding bright Technicolor!), superior directing from Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) and featuring actors who still best represent the characters even today. Basil Rathbone as Guy of Gisbourne, Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck, Oliver DeHavilland as Maid Marian, and of course, Errol Flynn as Robin Hood are all terrific. The movie is an old-fashioned, rabble-rousing adventure and needs to be seen.

I do have quibbles with the movie, but they are mostly small. It is certainly dated - especially when Robin Hood and his Merry Man all clasp their fists to their hips and laugh uproariously to the heavens - maybe in the 30s, audiences were laughing with the Merry Men. Nowadays, I am just a little embarrassed for them and my wife was actually scared for their sanity.

The movie is also very episodic, one little mini-story after another after another, and like most movies of this nature, some episodes are better than others. For example, I could live without Robin's first encounter with Guy of Gisbourne; I just don't buy it. But for every one that doesn't work, there are three that are good fun.

And what terrific moments we have in this movie - Robin meeting Friar Tuck, the archery contest, Robin's first visit to Nottingham Castle, and even the Robin and Maid Marian loves scenes!  Usually in movies like this, the love scenes are a chore to sit through, while we wait for the next fight scene, but they never overstay their welcome here. The film's age actually serves to the love scenes' benefit, as the old school chivalry and tenderness capture the romanticism of the legend perfectly. This is knightly love; we don't need realism, damn it. And props to the lovely DeHavilland, who proves again that she was the perfect foil for Flynn's boyish charm.

I have to give special props to the sword fight, too. The climactic Guy vs. Robin duel is terrific and is still as thrilling today as it was then. It is the grandfather of awesome sword fights, and needs to be respected as such!

One last note. While watching Robin Hood, I think I realized where the other adaptations have gone wrong. If you want to try and make a realistic adaptation, I'm all for the attempt. It could be an interesting experiment. But just because you are being realistic doesn't mean you can forget one important fact about Robin Hood, perhaps the most important fact in terms of how he should be played: Robin Hood loves being an outlaw. Sure, he robs from the rich, gives to the poor, fights for England, yada yada, but you can't shake the feeling that to Flynn, Robin Hood's adventures are all a grand lark. This is FUN. And that joy is as integral to Robin's character as his bow and arrow. The fox in the Disney Robin Hood understood that. I don't think Connery, Bergen, Costner, or Crowe did. And ultimately, that is probably why their Robin Hoods don't work, and why Flynn's will never be equaled.

MVP: For all those reasons stated above, it has to be Errol Flynn. His presence is what turns the film from entertainment into an iconic classic.

TRIVIA: So with Flynn locked in everyone's mind, can you imagine that he almost didn't get the role? Originally James Cagney was supposed to play Robin Hood. Huh? I can't see it. As cool as Cagney is, can you see this guy as Robin Hood? Yikes.









BEST LINE: Maid Marian: "You speak treason!!" Robin Hood: "Fluently."

OSCARS: Art Direction, Editing, and Score.

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Best Picture (lost to You Can't Take it With You)

Robin Hood (2010)

Robin Hood

To be fair, I was not expecting much from the new Robin Hood. Constant delays and continuous script rewrites were among the rumors coming down the pipeline. But what concerned me more was that every time word came of a script rewrite, the entire concept of the film sounded different. First, it was supposed to be the Robin Hood story from the Sheriff of Nottingham's point-of-view, then it was supposed to be some sort of Scarlet Pimpernel situation where Robin Hood and the Sheriff were the same person, and then it turned into this "realistic" prequel that the Sheriff is hardly even in. To me this just sounded like director Ridley Scott wasn't sure what story he wanted to tell. And that is a bad sign.

So it is no surprise that the story of how lowly English archer Robin Longstride became a national hero and then infamous outlaw is deeply flawed at the conceptual level. This is a movie in search of itself.

Which is not to say it is all bad. There is too much talent involved, and they strive valiantly to make the film work. The acting along the board is terrific. Russell Crowe is brooding, and a bit in Gladiator mode, but he carries the film admirably on his shoulders. He isn't Errol Flynn, but he certainly isn't Kevin Costner, either. And Crowe and Blanchett, as Maid Marian, have an easy and realistic chemistry. Mark Strong as the villainous Godfrey, Oscar Isaac as King John, and William Hurt as loyal English baron William Marshall, all deliver terrific performances. The art direction and cinematography are all great; once again Ridley Scott's greatest success is in creating another world that is entirely believeable and not 'Hollywood.'

So it really is a shame that the film does not gel together. The first 30 minutes is all over the place, terribly edited and paced. And then the moment at the end where (not a big spoiler here) Robin Hood actually becomes an outlaw seems entirely arbitrary and silly. Inbetween, there are a legion of half formed ideas, from the weird wild children living in the woods who look like extras from Zardoz to a major plot point about a certain character's father that appears for five minutes, says its really important, and then vanishes without any other mention.

It is possible that there is a director's cut lurking out there, just like Ridley Scott's previous epic Kingdom of Heaven. With the extra footage, that film went from mediocre to superb. But I don't know if the extra footage would help Robin Hood. The problems run too deep. Like I said in the beginning, I wasn't expecting much from the film. And unfortunately, I got exactly what I expected...

MVP: I have to give it to the production designers, art directors, and costume team. From the castles to the armor to the look and feel of the villages, this is a world that lives and breaths and feels real. Kudos.

BEST LINE: Can I pick a line so bad it's good? "I declare him to be an outLAWWWWWW!!!!!"

TRIVIA: Russell Crowe at 45 is the oldest actor to play Robin Hood. Which surprises me because Connery looked pretty darn old in Robin and Marion.