Robin Hood

The definitive version of Robin Hood will always be the Errol Flynn version to me. There are shortcomings to this 1922 film, it does take too long to get going and Wallace Beery for personal tastes plays Richard too broadly with the laughter overdone, but it is the second best of a mostly entertaining bunch of Robin Hood films. The film looks big and grand as well as lavish and detailed, one of the best-looking Douglas Fairbanks films, even without Technicolor it looks absolutely great. The music is appropriately rousing and really enhances the action, if admittedly not in the same league as Korngold's for the Errol Flynn film, which is one of the greatest films scores of all time as far as I'm concerned. The story is a lot of fun on the whole, the first 45 minutes or so are rather ponderous but once we get to Sherwood the pace really picks up without a single complaint really to be had. That we know more than any other version of how Robin Hood came to be is one of the film's biggest interest points. The action, while none as classic as the climatic sword-fight in the Flynn version, is hugely exciting and sometimes nail-biting, just love the game of conkers using the noblemen on ropes, and the stunts are just as dazzling. Douglas Fairbanks is as gallant and athletic as ever, showing a huge amount of charisma and bravado and an infectious smile. Enid Bennett is both charming and affecting as Maid Marion though with not a lot to do. Alan Hale's Little John here and in the Flynn film is unmatched, his imposing height(very true to character) helps while being hearty and loyal. Paul Dickey is appropriately loathsome as Guy of Gisborne, if not as much as Basil Rathbone, and William Lowery enjoys himself as the Sheriff of Nottingham. But other than Fairbanks the best performance comes from Sam de Grasse, whose snide and despicable nature as Prince John makes him a worthy predecessor to Claude Rains. Allan Dwan's direction has little fault as well. In conclusion, a terrific amount of fun and compares very favourably to the Robin Hood films out there, much of the Sherwood scenes are very imaginatively handled. 9/10 Bethany Cox

The Douglas Fairbanks version of "Robin Hood" is still good entertainment despite showing its age at times. The role gives Fairbanks a perfect chance to display his energy and charisma, and he is helped by lavish sets and scenery that recreate the world of medieval England. Wallace Beery as King Richard also is a nice complement to Fairbanks. Later versions, such as the Errol Flynn version which is still the best of all the Robin Hood movies, had many resources available to them that this one didn't, but this older version works well and is more enjoyable than most of the more recent movies based on the legend.

The story and characters are familiar from many other books and movies. But it includes some interesting scenes that cover or add parts of the legend that are not in a lot of other versions - for example, about the first half of this movie takes place before any of the events in the Flynn movie. It makes it interesting to watch even if you've already seen plenty of other "Robin Hoods", and amongst other things it gives Beery as Richard a lot more screen time. It is acted in the somewhat exaggerated style of many of the silent melodramas of the era, but in this case that tone, while perhaps providing an occasional unintentional chuckle, fits rather well with the subject matter. It's also worth paying attention to the grand sets that were constructed for the film. They were apparently rather renowned in their day, and they still do a good job of evoking the right background. Overall, it was a very good film for its time and one worth watching today.

I have seen many Robin Hood-films and this is definitely one of the better ones. It has lavish production values and some great acting, notably by Wallace Beery (King Richard) and Douglas Fairbanks (Robin). I also liked Enid Bennett as Maid Marian. The one weak point is the plot, or rather, part of the plot. The film consists of two distinct parts of about equal length. The first concerns what most other Robin Hood picture treat at best in passing: the backstory that explains how the earl of Huntingdon becomes the eponymous outlaw. The second part is about the exploits of Robin and his merry men up to the return of King Richard. This part is excellent; it is fun and fast-paced. By contrast, the first half drags and fails to generate much suspense (on the upside, it offers Beery more screen time, and he is definitely worth watching). Still, I am rating this part 6 stars. The second half gets 8 stars, which gives me an average of 7. Good film, all in all, and definitely worth watching 100 years after it came out!

This early silent epic was actually the sixth version of the classic English fable to reach the screen, and it remains, even today, by far the biggest. Every shot is framed to highlight the extraordinary production design, which included a full-scale medieval castle built just off Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles, reportedly the largest set ever constructed for a motion picture. The film draws heavily on the romantic heritage of chivalry, and favors the origins of the character over his legendary exploits, following the Earl of Huntingdon (not Locksley, as in later films) into the Crusades, where he and King Richard are marked for death by the treacherous Sir Guy of Gisbourne. It isn't until the fourth (or fifth) reel that Douglas Fairbanks (in one of his definitive roles) finally exchanges his suit of armor for Robin's trademark feathered cap, and goes (literally) skipping through Sherwood Forest. Viewers more accustomed to the Errol Flynn archetype may find it an odd interpretation of the role, depicting Robin Hood as a girl-shy, over-age adolescent, liberated when he turns outlaw. And Fairbanks, always more acrobat than actor, all but dances through the part.

This is probably the most complete of the cinematic tales of this hero of 13th Century English folklore. Douglas Fairbanks assumes the role of the fabled Earl of Huntingdon before King Richard (Wallace Beery) heads off on the Third Crusade. It is only whilst on that holy mission that he discovers the brutality being carried out at home by the King's errant brother Prince John (the superbly ferret-like Sam de Grasse). He feigns an excuse to the King to return home without explaining why, but falls foul of one of John's spies and is left, injured and betrayed, to rot in a foreign tower. Luckily, "Little John" (Alan Hale) is also left and soon they are free, home and rallying the people against their would-be-usurper and his fiendishly horrid sidekicks "Guy of Gisbourne" (Paul Dickey) and the High Sheriff (William Lowery). The former of these two glorified hoodlums takes a shine to the "Lady Marion" (Enid Bennett) but can Huntingdon - now adopting the moniker "Robin Hood" save her from his evil machinations, and thwart the power hungry ambitions of Prince John in time? The biggest budget of the time ($1.5m) went into this and it is easy to see how - the sets, especially around Nottingham castle, are superb; the cast plentiful and the end to end action scenes really are a joy to watch. Fairbanks thinks nothing of scaling an hundred foot wall or fighting off dozens of the Prince's (admittedly pretty hopeless) soldiers as he determines to free his land from oppression and return it to true government. Bennett is beautiful as "Marion"; she has a feistiness that you don't always see in the frequently soporific heroines of the 1920s where the eyes were the prize. The star is at the top of his swashbuckling game, indulged totally by Allan Dwan and Arthur Edeson's grand scale - sometimes intimate - but certainly rousing photography. Fabulous entertainment, this....