Le Défi de Robin des Bois

I like many others remember seeing this on HBO in the early 80s many times. I was able to procure a copy at a later date (You can get this title from Amazon.com for those looking for a copy) and found it just as enjoyable as I did when I was younger.

Like most Robin Hood movies you have to take it with a grain of salt. In some places the acting is a little over the top, some of the combat feats are unbelievable and everything is very black and white but this is what Robin Hood is all about. I honestly enjoy this version much more than any others that come to mind. I thought that all the actors were very well cast and I like that they are all Englishmen so no bad accents to be found. The settings are perfect and one of the best things about the film as is the costuming. What I think I love most about this film is the scale. This story's take on the myth is Robin as the adopted son of a minor Norman lord who is in conflict w/ his cousin who wrongly inherits his father's title and lands and is in league w/ the evil Sheriff of Nottingham. Prince John is nowhere to be found though he is mentioned. In all truth I think that a minor lord w/ the help of the Sheriff is more than enough for any group of outlaws to face.

If you are a fan of the Robin Hood mythos I think you could do far worse than checking out this excellent take on this popular tale.

Interesting Hammer Films production of the oft told Robin Hood story. Similar to what they did with their adaptations of Dracula, they added some additional grit to their version, which makes it stand apart from prior film adaptations. However, this is still a family film and not filled with the blood and heaving bosoms of the Hammer Horror pictures, which left the film not gritty enough and instead rather dull at times.

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.

This is probably one of the first incarnations of Robin Hood I remember seeing aside from the Disney animated version. Its most likely nostalgia that I remember it fondly for I saw it many times in the early 80's on HBO when i was a kid. I loved this version.

I thought it was a great retelling of the tale, and loved how it showed everyone getting together. I think this is a must see for all Robin Hood lovers. As i remember there isn't much action in it by todays standards, its more of a feel good movie.

I have also been searching for a copy of this movie for years as well. If any knows where i might be able to obtain one please let me know.

A Challenge for Robin Hood is directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and written by Peter Bryan. It stars Barrie Ingham, Peter Blythe, James Hayter, John Arnatt, Gay Hamilton, John Gugolka, Eric Flynn, Leon Greene and Douglas Mitchell. Music is by Gary Hughes and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

A Seven Arts-Hammer production in De Luxe Color, this is another variant on the Robin Hood legend. Very much operating from the Norman and the Saxon feud, pic has all the requisite swashbuckling shenanigans to entertain the family. It's very colourful, both in camera lensing and costuming, robust with the action scenes, and thrives on the good olde goodies versus baddies nature of the origin story.

The Masked Monk!

It's all very fanciful of course, with derring-do and machismo the order of the day, which unfortunately renders the Maid Marian (Hamilton) character as being an outsider looking in. Yet the camaraderie of the merry men, the earning of trusts and surrogate kinship's, ensures there's nary a dull moment in the tale.

The pies have it.

Whilst the choreography is not high end, the standard of the buckling of the swashes is better than average, while there is some fun sequences that can't fail to raise a smile. Pennington-Richards and his team have managed to not let the modest budget bog the picture down; modern day car glimpsed in the background of one shot not withstanding!

Mr. Kipling makes exceedingly good cakes.

The cast is made up of mostly unknowns, but that is absolutely fine as the likes of Ingham and Blythe are attacking their roles with such relish, with a glint in their eyes, it's hard not to just buy into the frothy fun of it all. The standout is Hayter as Friar Tuck, the voice of a major cake advertising campaign in Britain, he steals every scene he is in here and he actually on his own makes this well worth watching.

There are far better Robin Hood movies out there, for sure this one feels at times like it's clinging on to the swashbuckling coat tails that had long since gone as the 70s approached. Yet sometimes all you need from this type of film to entertain is guts and frivolity, and this has it in spades. 7/10