The Adventures of Robin Hood

Simply put, this film is the best version of Robin Hood and one of the best adventure films ever made. It's the golden age of Hollywood at it's best. Errol Flynn is Robin Hood for me, dashing, roughish, athletic and Olivia deHavilland the most beautiful and charming Marian. Add to that Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains as Sir Guy and Prince John, two of Hollywood's best character actors. 102 minutes of pure fantasy from a creative team totally on top of it's game, not forgetting the marvellous Korngold score!

OK, all well and good, but the HD DVD version I bought this week was restored using a process invented by someone at Warners called Ultra Resolution that digitally re-aligns the three strip Technicolor film to the original state it was in when shot in 1938. The result is amazing, the detail is such that you can count the chain mail rings and see the embroidery on the costumes. As for the colour you can see why they used to call it Glorious Technicolor, it's like a painting brought to life. Stunning. Even my gf, who normally won't watch anything made before about 1980, came in when the film was just starting and ended up watching the whole movie with me and enjoyed it!

What an amazing experience to see The Adventures Of Robin Hood 80 years after its original release. How can one explain the longevity of its relevance. Relevant in every department. Acting to start with. Errol Flynn was not considered a great actor, never an Oscar nomination or anything like that. Bette Davis was always frustrated for having to work opposite him rather that Laurence Olivier. But, look at him now, 80 years later - Erroll Flynn' s performance is as fresh today as the day he filmed it. Compare that with Oscar winner Russell Crowe's Robin Hood (2010) - Russell Crowe even had the impertinence of mocking Erroll Flynn's version. This bit of tribia kuind of depressed me after the high of seeing again this Michael Curtiz's masterpiece. Here, everything works. Other than Erroll Flynn - even if when's he is on the screen is difficult to pay attention to anyone else - we do. Mostly because Claude Rains, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and the rest of the sensational cast. This adventure film will continue to captivate audiences for years, decades, centuries to come.

I am almost ashamed to say it,but I only recently saw this film for the first time at the ripe old age of 36.After it was over, I thought,"Why on earth did I wait so long?".This is really a fun movie full of adventure,romance,with a healthy dose of laughs. Errol Flynn,by far gives the most credible performance of the Robin Hood character.He oozes charm and wit,here.This film is a great trip back to a special time in movie making when we didn't need extreme sex and violence to entertain us.Now that I have seen it,this movie definitely goes on my video shelf.If you have children,or if you love to feel like one,as I do,I highly suggest you give this a look.Great film.

This is still the best movie about the legendary outlaw, it's swashbuckling adventure defined! it shows almost all the most important and famous pats of the legend and does so with happy optimism and wonderful fight scenes. Robin Hood is one of those characters who's story was made to be told this way, no "updating" needed, no dark and brooding Robin of Locksley needed! It's upbeat and colorful, it's a fun adventure flick that has stood the test of time. Errol Flynn will always be the best Robin Hood!

The first big budget 100% color film, The Adventures of Robin Hood is a rousing, sweet-tempered and big, fun film.

To be candid, many things about the movie have suffered in the 70 years since its release. History, uh, no, there's none of that here. It's all very mythic and fairy tale. The continuity errors shouldn't even be called errors; they are pretty much continuous (so when I found out it won Best Editing at the Oscars I laughed). The score, made much of on the DVD case, and an Oscar winner at the 11th Oscars, is bombastic, repetitive and completely at odds with the scenery at least 80% of the time, IMNSHO.

That said, the dialog still crackles, the costumes are UNBELIEVABLE and gracefully shot, Olivia de Havilland is stunningly gorgeous, Basil Rathbone is young and evil, Claude Rains plays John as gayer than a go go dancer on Pride day, and Errol Flynn takes effortless het masculinity and a beautiful smile further than it should legally be allowed to go. All the bit parts are well cast, and while it's not possible to know for sure, the whole production looks like everyone in it had a scenery chewing bang up good time. The bit parts are SO well cast, that Roy Rogers bought Trigger, the horse that Olivia de Havilland rides, and Trigger then rode out into history.

And when Olivia exclaims "You speak treason!" and Errol replies, purringly, "Fluently!" you'll smile. Recommended; a great movie for the whole family.