The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Available on Blu-ray Disc (Region B)USA 1938 English (Colour); Adventure/Romance (Warner Bros.); 102 minutes (12 certificate)Crew includes: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley (Directors); Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller (Screenwriters); Hal B. Wallis (Producer) (uncredited); Tony Gaudio, Sol Polito (Cinematographers); Carl Jules Weyl (Art Director); Ralph Dawson (Editor); Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Composer)Cast includes: Errol Flynn (Robin Hood), Olivia de Havilland (Maid Marian), Basil Rathbone (Sir Guy of Gisbourne), Claude Rains (Prince John), Patric Knowles (Will Scarlett), Eugene Pallette (Friar Tuck), Alan Hale (Little John), Melville Cooper (High Sheriff of Nottingham), Ian Hunter (King Richard the Lion-Heart), Una O'Connor (Bess), Herbert Mundin (Much), Montagu Love (Bishop of the Black Canons)Academy Awards (3): Art Direction, Film Editing, Original Score; Academy Award nomination: Picture"Only the rainbow can duplicate its brilliance!"Fighting for the oppressed Saxons, dashing English outlaw Robin Hood (Flynn) leads an uprising against the absent king's usurping brother (Rains) and traitorous nobleman (Rathbone), while falling for his sovereign's royal ward (a lovely de Havilland).This rousing Technicolor production (costing a then-exorbitant $2 million) contains Flynn's most famous role - though James Cagney was to have starred, while Will Scarlett could have been played by David Niven.Directing duties were shared, when Curtiz was brought in to spice up the action; and Jewish Korngold (whose splendid score cannot be overpraised) credited ROBIN HOOD with saving his life, as it got him out of Austria just as the Nazis were invading.Blu-ray Extras: Commentary, Documentaries, Featurettes, Music-only Track, Stills Galleries, Outtakes, Bloopers, Short Films, Cartoons, Newsreel, Radio Broadcast, Audio Clips, Trailers, Postcards. **** (8/10)

Wow, for star power, it's hard to beat Errol Flynn as Robin Hood and Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marion. Flynn had the perfect devil may care attitude for the part of Robin, and his impudence towards the pretender to the English throne is fantastic. de Havilland is absolutely stunning and plays her part well as the noble who is offended by Robin at first, but is then slowly won over to his humanity and righteousness. The movie features all of the standard sorts of things we've come to expect in productions of Robin Hood - camaraderie, swordplay, honor, and daring escapes, among other things. I loved the stunts, including Flynn cutting the rope to a gate, and then being pulled upwards by its pulley in order to get over it while leaving his pursuers trapped on the other side. The cast is strong throughout, from the main villains (Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains) to charming characters like Marion's old nurse, played by Una O'Connor, who has a little romance of her own.The film is in color and quite a production for 1938, really showing how far movies came over the course of the 1930's. I loved the costumes from Milo Anderson, particularly those for the 22-year-old de Havilland, who directors Curtiz and Keighley wisely took every opportunity to shoot close up, allowing her beauty to shine, and her eyes to display fear, annoyance, anger, and love. Her scenes with Flynn are magical. The only thing I fault the film for is the soundtrack, which I found too jaunty and intrusive, even for scenes which had a lot of action in them, but that's a bit of a quibble. The only reason I don't rate it higher is because the story itself has been done so often that it's lost its shine for me personally, but if classic adventure stories with romance in them are your thing, I think you'll love this film.

This film is one of my all-time favorites. When my grandparents were dating in the late 1930s- early 1940s, they saw several of Flynn's films in theaters. This is one they spoke most fondly about seeing. As a result, I have seen it many times. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland simply have some of the best screen chemistry ever. Robin Hood is definitely the role Errol Flynn was born to play, and here he is at his most handsome, athletic, and charming. Additionally, the supporting cast is just superb. Claude Rains manages to come off as both charming and diabolical at the same time, and Basil Rathbone is also great as Sir Guy. A must-see, especially for members of my family!

I have seen this film so many times over the years, having been introduced to it when I was about 10 by my grandfather, who was a true classic movie fan and grew up watching Errol Flynn on screen.I have also seen the Kevin Costner version, which although entertaining in its own way mostly thanks to the amazing Alan Rickman, pales in comparison to this version. Heck, the Fox in the Disney version of "Robin Hood" and Cary Elwes as "Robin Hood Men in Tights" were better Robin Hoods than Costner! No, Flynn was meant to play this role.The supporting cast is also incredible. Claude Rains as Prince John was priceless, and charming in his own malevolent way. Basil Rathbone, Alan Hale, Patric Knowles, and Eugene Palette were also memorable for me in the film.And, of course, you can't write a review of this film without mentioning the chemistry of Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Past or present, very few on-screen couples possess the natural chemistry those two had. They just looked at each other and you could tell there were unresolved feelings there (and there were, both admitted later on). They were just magic on screen together.There is really something for everyone in this film, and I recommend seeing it.