Le Défi de Robin des Bois

This is a surprisingly decent Robin Hood story. It quickly tells the story of how Robin Hood came to be. A wronged nobleman escapes to the forest and quickly gains a small army in order to gain revenge against his cousin.

The plot is thankfully easy to follow which isn't always the case with these films. It features the usual Robin Hood swordplay mixed with a good dose of humour. The fast pace and plenty of good sequences means that there are few dull spots and Barrie Ingham makes a good and charismatic Robin Hood and Peter Blythe is great as the evil and snivelling Roger de Courtenay.

As it's obviously not a big budget effort I thought this was a good effort and though no classic it's worth watching for old adventure film lovers.

Its simple story with a few old cliches. I liked the old character actors hayter and bass

Its a film my grandparents would've enjoyed on a wet afternoon

I agree with other reviewers who found this romp surprisingly good. There's a background realism to the fun - for instance, the lincoln green cloth has to be acquired and paid for, and without any comment being made on it, it's apparent that there isn't quite enough to go round. The forest settings are better than usual in such a low-budget film - they've used a conifer woodland with wide walks, rather than the sort of recent-growth scrub than one sometimes sees. As others have said, Barrie Ingham seems an odd choice for the hero - he's far from being the most handsome man in the picture - but he has a wonderful rich voice. And like all of the serious parts, he delivers the lines with great sincerity. The dialogue has a good period feel as well.

Hammer Studios, best known for a long string of excellent (and later, not-so-excellent) horror films, also produced adventure films. "A Challenge for Robin Hood" is one such example.

Robin de Courtenay (Ingham) is a Norman nobleman falsely accused by his cousin Roger (Blythe) of murdering his other cousin Henry. Forced to turn outlaw, Robin flees the castle, joins a band of Saxon outcasts, and is dubbed Robin Hood. The fight for justice begins.

This version of the Robin Hood legend features a number of twists, not the least of which is that Robin is a Norman and his close friends, Little John and Will Scarlet, are Norman retainers. Maid Marian (Hamilton) has a rather limited role when compared to most other adaptations. Most, but not all, of the characters generally associated with Robin Hood are present in this version.

This well-made film is well worth a look, particularly for those who enjoy the Robin Hood genre or classic adventures. The cast is solid though Barrie Ingham simply lacks the charisma of others who have played the role (notably Errol Flynn, Richard Todd, and Richard Greene). James Hayter is excellent as Friar Tuck, a role he had previously played in the wonderful "The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men" (1952).

A ropey version of the Robin Hood legend replete with stock medieval cliches. It's period acting 101 with fake hearty laughing, thigh slapping, people taking one bite out of a chicken leg before throwing it away, roughly handling serving boys, dodgy wrestling, cringeworthy ballads being sung by the Merry Men and improbable feats of archery (in one scene Robin, with a hood over his head...get it?...manages to fire an arrow into a red ribbon attatched to a pidgeon), and it has to be the only Robin Hood movie with a custard pie fight. But there's great bad dialogue to savour as well: "I'll savour those morsels intended for Sir Roger's table!", "Then we'll build a wall around this forest with thicket and thorn" and "You'll hear a lot more before you swing from a gibbet". This is one to watch with your friends, half drunk, and trying to spot the cliches.