L'arciere di fuoco

Very entertaining Italian film adaptation of the Robin Hood story with some acrobatic showpieces!

When Henry of Nottingham (Giuliano GEMMA) returns home after several years in the Crusades, he finds that a lot has changed. The rightful King Richard the Lionheart (Lars BLOCH) is believed to be dead, and his younger brother Prince John (Daniele DUBLINO) rules England with a cruel hand. Henry happens to meet his childhood friend Allen (Mark DAMON) and later the group around Friar Tuck (Mario ADORF) hidden in the forest. There he decides to take up the fight against the hated Prince John as Robin Hood. Finally, his childhood sweetheart, Lady Marian (Silvia DIONISIO), is waiting for him, and she has to deal with Sir Robert of Nottingham (Luis DAVILA) and his jealous accomplice Mathilde (Helga LINE).

Numerous fight scenes with acrobatic jumps ensure entertaining entertainment. It was not for nothing that Giuliano GEMMA had blossomed from a cascader to a CINECITTA divo. The beautiful Silvia DIONISIO and Berlin-born Helga LINE are real feasts for the eyes in their colorful costumes. A few years later, the American actor Mark DAMON would become a successful producer of films such as 9 1/2 WEEKS with Kim BASINGER and MONSTER with Charlize THERON. And the German actor Mario ADORF convinces in his humorous role with perfect knowledge of Latin.

Very nice film by Giorgio FERRONI from the almost inexhaustible reservoir of the Roman film industry of CINECITTA!

Giuliano Gemma portrays Robin Hood obviously inspired by the swashbuckling tradition of Douglas Fairbanks, young Burt Lancaster and Errol Flynn, with a never disappearing broad grin against all odds. All characters in this movie either have an ugly beard or a ridiculous Prince Valiant haircut. That was 1970 for ya. "L'Arciere del fuoco", as it was retitled, is a jolly good B-movie with sense of humour, just the kind of thing you will be looking for when you get bored by stylish 100 million bucks productions.

ARCHER OF FIRE is a film with many names. It's also variously called THE SCALAWAG GANG and LONG LIVE ROBIN HOOD, and as you might have guessed it's a cheerful Italian spin on the Robin Hood legend, starring popular western star Giuliano Gemma as the titular hero, battling against the typically evil oppressors and doing some neat archery tricks along the way.

The costume adventure boom experienced a brief resurgence in popularity in the early 1970s in Italy, helped no doubt thanks to the popularity of the likes of Terence Spencer and Bud Hill. ARCHER OF FIRE is a sturdy entry in that sub-genre, getting by thanks to good charm, plenty of energy, and some low brow humour.

The plot is barely worth writing down and the characters are thinner than thin, suffice to say this is based on the usual action-adventure template in which the sneering villains get their just desserts and the rowdy heroes end up winning out against their foes. Supporting cast members include Mario Adorf (as Brother Tuck, no less!) and Mark Damon. Expect bad dubbing, cheesy acrobatics, and an anything-goes mentality.

This is an estimable version of the famous story ,with interesting variants.Giuliano Gemma is an all-smile Robin and he has plenty of go and dynamism;he has often played in costume adventures ,notably in the famous "Angélique " saga in which he played the heroine's childhood's friend ,Nicolas.

The screenplay is rather well constructed for a "spaghetti " Robin;the hero meets his celebrated mates after half an hour and Marian herself shortly afterward .Marian is not like the other ones,she refuses to be the damsel in distress,she dresses like a man and she takes part in the macho archers competition! Marian and Robin were engaged when they were 8 or 9 ,the hero knows it but she does not recognize him ("he's a yokel,crude and uneducated and I 'm a noble") :it gives some fine lines between them .Tuck,warning in Latin his mates danger is around the corner while pretending he is praying is also a good moment of humor .

Very much in the style of the Errol Flynn version of the Robin Hood tale from 1938, this is quite an enjoyable and entertaining historical romp with "Sir Henry" (Giuliano Gemma) as the wronged nobleman who leads his band of rebels against the tyranny of "Sir Robert" (Luis Dávila), his equally ruthless lady Helga Liné and of course, Prince John (Daniele Dublino). There are plenty of escapades, a bit of romance with the feisty "Lady Marianne" (Silvia Dionisio) and a cast of Hood regulars that ensure the well choreographed combat scenes keep coming thick and fast. It's been done on a small-ish budget, but luckily the sheer gusto of the ensemble as well as a good underpinning story and a jolly score from Gianni Ferrio make this at least as good as any of the British Hammer adventures from the late 1960s. As ever, the dubbing really does let it down - but with a story this well known, the quality of the dialogue is much less important and impacts less on what is really quite a watchable and colourful action-adventure film.