Review of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) by Eric P — 04 Feb 2008

After watching this movie, youâ??ll wonder why anyone would bother making another Robin Hood movie. This movie is hands down, the definitive film version of the legendary tale, and could quite possibly be considered the quintessential swashbuckler. Sometimes, movie critics talk about a movie having a "dream cast", meaning everybody plays their roles so well, youâ??d have trouble thinking of any other actors in the same roles. Certainly, that rule applies here. What other actor could personify the sly grin, acrobatic grace, smooth charm and devil-may-care attitude of Robin Hood better than Errol Flynn? And what other actress could embody the beauty and innocence of Maid Marian better than Olivia de Havilland? Of course, Flynn and de Havilland worked well together no matter what movie they were in (this was the third of eight movies they would make together).

And what two actors could create better, more evil and despicable villains for Robin and his men to deal with than Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone? Rains is of course, terrific in any film he's in (and with a resume that includes "The Invisible Man", "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington", "The Wolf Man" and "Casablanca", he's proven his considerable acting talents time and time again) and his Prince John is wicked, scheming and treacherous, in short, everything a good Prince John should be. It is ironic that Basil Rathbone, who will always be remembered for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, could play a dastardly villain so well, but give him a moustache, and a villain's role, and heâ??s magnificent. Indeed, he was just as good at playing mustached villains as he was at playing the Great Detective, and his Guy of Gisbourne could rank as one of the great movie villains. Rounding out the cast are such wonderful supporting actors as Alan Hale (playing the role of Little John for the second time; he would eventually play the role a total of three times), Patrick Knowles at Will Scarlet, the frog-voiced Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck, Una Oâ??Connor as Bess (Maid Marianâ??s lady-in-waiting), and Herbert Mundin as Much the Millerâ??s son.

Also first rate about this movie is its production. Warner Bros. spent $2 million on "Robin Hood" (a large sum in those days), and it shows. The action scenes are spectacularly filmed, and the California countryside does a nice job of standing in for England. The music is also a big plus. Erich Wolfgang Korngold was one of the best composers of his era, and his score for "Robin Hood" is unsurpassed. The music is thrilling and triumphant during the battle scenes, but also tender and romantic during the love scenes between Robin and Marian. And the movie has so many wonderful moments, like Robinâ??s debut at Prince Johnâ??s feats towards the beginning, Robin meeting Little John and Friar Tuck for the first time, the unveiling of King Richard, the climatic battle between the Merry Men and Prince Johnâ??s forces, and the final sword duel between Robin and Gisbourne (a scene that has to rank as one of the greatest sword duels ever). Hard as it may be to believe nowadays, Warner Bros. originally wanted James Cagney for the role of Robin Hood, but he left over a salary dispute. We should all be thankful that he did, for with this movie, Errol Flynn gave what is perhaps his greatest performance ever, in what is hands down one of the greatest adventure classics ever. All other Robin Hoods should stay out of the woods.