Miss Robin Hood

Anyone who likes this film needs their bumps felt. The huge cast can't save it. Corny,arch ,incoherent and the cartoon japes unfunny.

The children mug it up and shout out like they have Tourettes Syndrome and we are meant to be amused .Mr Pastry who though hilarious when you are 6, plays it straight and the rest of a large cast fail to bring any spark to the screen. It would have been kinder to let it stay where it belonged as a staple of Saturday morning pictures. As i expect it was along with all the hundreds of Enid Blyton ,Lord Snooty and the gang, comics.

An Ealing reject and it looks it.

Miss Robin Hood is directed by John Guillermin and co-written by Val Valentine, Patrick Campbell, and Geoffrey Orme; from the story written by Reed De Rouen. It stars Margaret Rutherford and Richard Hearne. Music is orchestrated by Temple Abady (John Hollingsworth directing) and photography is by Arthur Grant. Plot finds Hearne as amiable newspaper columnist Henry Wrigley, who gets roped in to robbery by eccentric old dear Miss Honey (Rutherford). All for a good cause you understand.......

Out of Group 3 productions, Miss Robin Hood sadly doesn't play out as worthy of the cast assembled for it. I would go so far as to say it's easily the weakest of the films that were found and received a DVD release under the Hollywood Classics Ltd banner of Long Lost Comedy Classics. Story is sweet enough, cast are fine, particularly Rutherford (more energy than actresses' half her age back then), Sid James, James Robertson Justice and Dora Bryan, but the film seems caught between trying to be screwball, farce or a cunningly crafted fantasy. The odd moment of hilarity does surface (car chase, a drunk Hearne), but these quickly get lost in the mix as director Guillermin (The Blue Max/Death on the Nile) fires a blunderbuss and hopes all the pellets land in the same place to form a cohesive circle. They don't.

Still, it's not a total wash out, the cast ensure it's at least watchable, and it's always fun to play spot the future star of British TV and cinema in these 50s Brit Coms. Look out for the likes of Reg Varney and Kenneth Connor here. While the music score is very pleasant and chipper, and Grant's photography is lean and at times purposely off kilter. Core essence of plot, too, is worthy of a hearty bravo shouted from the back of the theatre, but execution behind the camera and translation from the written page leaves it too messy for its own good. 5/10

Curiously Richard Hearndall's wife gets no credit, but the lady looks extremely similar to Thora Hird. Most odd...Apparently an actress called Fanny Rowe. Were they related?

It has its moments, but 'Miss Robin Hood' is mostly underwhelming.

Margaret Rutherford (Miss Honey) and Richard Hearne (Henry) are both good, while it's cool to see James Robertson Justice and Reg Varney, pre-'On The Buses' of course, involved in their respective roles; albeit very minorly in Varney's case.

The cinematography is impressive given the year this was released, but I just don't feel like the plot meshes all that well - it feels forcibly thrown together, without much logic. I guess they focused more on the comedy, which I can respect.

Despite the short run time, I was happy to see the film end. Not for me.

Miss Robin Hood serves as a cheerful, heart warming, zany British movie. It's not what you'd class as laugh out loud humour, it's more amiable, cheerful viewing. Worth watching solely for Margaret Rutherford, an on screen gem, she is wonderfully eccentric, I would imagine kids watching this at the time would have adored a dotty Great Au t like her. The film represents escapism for youngsters, it must be pointed out that times were hard for people in 1952 Britain, the fantasy world is charming. Richard Hearne does a good job, very straight laced and serious, a good balance for Rutherford's boldness, Sid James is solid, he's not given much to do, but he's always great to watch.

Zany, innocent fun, a snapshot of a time gone by.