Classic Movie Monday: The Adventures of Robin Hood

Welcome to Classic Movie Monday. Every Monday, I watch a film at least 25 years old that I have never seen before. I will then write my comments on the film, telling you what I thought of it. This is an attempt to beef up my classic film knowledge as well as highlight some forgotten gems of Hollywood's heyday. So without further ado...

The Adventures of Robin Hood

Released: April 25, 1938

Directed by: Michael Curtiz & William Keighley

Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, & Claude Rains

Plot in a Nutshell:

When King Richard leaves his land to fight in the crusades, his brother, Prince John jumps at the chance to seize control of the kingdom and begins oppressing the citizens with hefty taxes and harsh punishments. Then a local nobleman stands up for the people, setting off a resistance that inspires the people to fight against the oppressive ruler.

What I thought:

The classic tale comes to vivid life in this near pitch perfect telling of the classic fable of the man who robbed the rich and gave to the poor.

I think the first thing I must point out is the look of the film. For being filmed in the early days of color film, this film shines with striking color that you don't see too often anymore. It's almost as if the filmmakers purposefully exploited the capabilities of the technicolor simply because they could. Back in a day when color and black and white films existed equally together, I can imagine that you almost had to make your colors shine as brightly and vividly as you could simply to distinguish yourself from the black and white pictures. It is a shame we don't see colorful movies like this anymore (although I think last year's Speed Racer used color brilliantly).


Errol Flynn's performance of Robin Hood, perfectly blending an infectious charisma and charm, makes this movie so enjoyable to watch. Once you get past the somewhat cartoony aspect of the character (which doesn't take long) you begin to find yourself enjoying the simpleness of it all. The whole story is told straightforward, there really is no depth of character or motivation in the plot (besides the obvious oppression of the people), but it doesn't matter. It's just too much fun. Near the end of the film when the big battle breaks out in the castle, I couldn't keep myself from smiling. It was pure joy to watch this film unfold.


Which brings me to the ultimate strength of this film; it is absolute cartoon fluff, brought to life through fun characters, fantastic visuals, and breathtaking action and spectacle. This is old Hollywood picture-making at it's pinnacle. The Adventures of Robin Hood is well worth a watch if you've never seen it. I can't recommend this entertaining film enough, go see it.

Bottom Line:
A light and endlessly fun film, with a perfect blend of action, humor, and swashbuckling adventure, the Adventures of Robin Hood sits perfectly on the mantle of masterpieces.

A

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