Robin Hoods Vergeltung

Just another adventure with sword fights,acrobatics and a new actor to replace Flynn but not as good as him.Nice music and Hale replays Little John,as hed id int he pervious two films.Watch it once with ow expectations.

Of course John Derek is not Errol Flynn and George Macready is not Basil Rathbone, but this Gordon Douglas' directing is more than worth watching. It is fun, fast paced, with a splendid production design, despite the obvious studios lots settings. Columbia pictures was rather good in those cheap medieval tales, not as much as Metro Goldwyn Mayer directed by the likes of Richard Thorpe; I will even prefer Columbia to Universal - BLACKSHIELD OF FALSWORTH was rather lame compared to this one. So, yes, this Gordon Douglas film is an exciting little programmer, perfect for a sunday afternoon time waster. I discovered it in 1975, precisely a sunday afternoon. And don't confound it with another Gordon Douglas' flick of this kind: THE BLACK ARROW.

no more no less a rehash, nay a photocopy of "Robin Hood":oddly the famous hero is dead ans it's his son (Derek)'s turn to fight the nasty prince helped by his old man's former companions,who,although older than Robin ,are still alive and kicking;they do not seem to have aged a bit. And what about Lady Marian?;i guess it's not the same woman ,although we're not told about the son's mom (must be Marian ).Isn't there something Freudian in the love affair,Derek and his darling being pale copies of Flynn and De Havilland ?

The prince is ruthless:pay your taxes or you'll rot in a dungeon !and they even take a little boy's pigeons !and they even cheat the nobles !and they hang you over the slightest thing!

Not a good film by the talented Gordon Douglas.

I think this could be the third time that I have seen Alan Hale playing "Little John" in a "Robin Hood" adventure and he always manages to do it with gusto and enthusiasm. That is really all there is to say about this otherwise pretty shameless rip off the Flynn/Rathbone version (1938). This time, the nasty King John (George Macready), with the help of his henchman "Sir Giles" (Paul Cavanagh) decides to tax his already poverty-stricken Saxon people and it falls to the second Earl of Huntingdon (John Derek - aka son of the legendary "Robin Hood") to thwart this dastardly plan and to find a way to bring this monarch to book. The adventures are all pretty formulaic, but there is a colourful zeal to the whole thing. Derek has a charming boyishness as he parades around in his spray-on Lincoln green, whilst Cavanagh and Macready make for quite effective baddie double-act and much of it looks as if it was filmed on the same sets as it's more illustrious earlier iteration. There is plenty of swordplay, just a soupçon of romance with Diana Lynn's rather static "Lady Marianne" and it's well worth eighty minutes of your time.

Personable John Derek makes a handsome Robin Hood, but he can't overcome a lifeless script and weak direction. What does steal the show are the costumes, scenery and brilliant Technicolor. Otherwise, this is a dull affair full of wooden acting and cardboard characters.

It looks magnificent and the sets are really striking, but the script is the main culprit. Even the villains are given little to do but strike angry poses, making one wish for Sir Guy of Gisbourne to show up in the person of Basil Rathbone.

It's a hodge-podge of Robin Hood elements, with Robin's son rounding up all of the "old guys" who helped his father in the past. Alan Hale is on hand to reprise his Little John role for the fourth and last time. He's a tired looking actor in this one, barely able to summon up enough gusto to get through the role.

Diana Lynn is the pretty spy at court who helps Derek with his fight against the palace stronghold. She's lovely but looks out of place in her period costumes since these kind of roles were never part of her past history as an ingénue. Lowell Gilmore has almost no flair as the man who wants to marry her and even George Macready lacks the dynamic spirit to play a nasty villain.

Gordon Douglas can't be commended for directing this one. Pace and flair are two of the missing ingredients, along with a lifeless script.

Not recommended, except for the kiddies who might enjoy the fights.