Director: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Top Billed Actors: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
Won 3 Oscars:
Best Original Score - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Best Art Direction - Carl Jules Weyl
Best Film Editing - Ralph Dawson
Nominated for 1 more:
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.-First National
Plot: Men in tights steal from the rich to give to the poor by way of swordplay, archery, vine swinging, and overall merrymaking.
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Top Billed Actors: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone
Won 3 Oscars:
Best Original Score - Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Best Art Direction - Carl Jules Weyl
Best Film Editing - Ralph Dawson
Nominated for 1 more:
Outstanding Production - Warner Bros.-First National
Plot: Men in tights steal from the rich to give to the poor by way of swordplay, archery, vine swinging, and overall merrymaking.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is everything you would think it would be. And more. It's the pinnacle in swashbuckling action/adventure, all in the grand world of Technicolor. This is the third out of eight features to star Errol Flynn alongside Olivia de Havilland but it's their most well known collaboration. Apparently, de Havilland's Maid Marian wasn't always planned to be included in the film. It would be odd to think of the Robin Hood story without his romantic interest and, luckily for us, she was included and this movie has gone down in the annals of history and inspired a plethora of remakes, adaptations, parodies, and other imitations. Although a lot of this version is taken from Douglas Fairbanks' Robin Hood (1922), the many cartoons, video games, and other movies pay direct homage to this gemstone of American cinema.
It all starts with this pitch perfect cast. Flynn has a certain confidence and charisma that permeates the silver screen. After seeing him act in a few other movies, I don't think he could pull off an award-winning heavy dramatic role, but he is absolutely made for this action folk hero persona. His charm allows him to joke around with friend and foe alike and his athleticism allows him to look realistic when drawing a bow or thrusting a sword. The supporting cast is superb as well. The villainous Basil Rathbone is both smarmy and smooth. His eventual comeuppance feels so earned. The smug Claude Rains is equally easy to hate and one can't help but to eagerly anticipate the return of his brother, King Richard. Alan Hale as Little John and Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck are great for comic relief and Robin's backup in the action sequences. de Havilland plays Marian a little too wishy washy, but her scenes with Flynn have sparks flying. There isn't a character I don't like spending time with, be it hero or villain.
I typically structure these posts in a way so my grievances are aired in this third paragraph. For this film, I am just going to continue gushing. The Technicolor cinematography is simply mesmerizing. You owe it to yourself to seek this out in HD. The colors will pop, which is necessary to admire the wonderful art direction and costume design. Even though this film is over eighty years old, the vast halls of Nottingham Castle and the intricately wooded Sherwood Forest wouldn't improve much visually. It's that good. In fact, a modern film would likely taint this production design with CGI and endless green screens. Despite the age of this film, this unabashedly feels like we stepped back to the 12th Century. I could go on and on about what makes this film work for me, but I have to comment upon the music before this review can be wrapped up. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score for this film is one of the most important scores of all time. It was the most important in his life. He had to be persuaded to score this due to his hesitation to work on a "90% action picture." Because he worked on this in the United States, he was able to escape the Nazis' stronghold in Vienna. His Romantic-era dynamic orchestral music paved the way for many action pictures to come and John Williams has cited Korngold in his inspiration to use Romantic-era style orchestral music for Star Wars (1977). Bombastic brass, fast-paced strings, and driving percussion is all present here; it's all present in most movies today as well.
Overall, Michael Curtiz's fast pace action provides the framework for these wonderful characters to spin a timeless tale. The color photography allows the lavish set design and intricate costumes to burst out of the screen all the while Korngold's orchestral score paints a vivid musical picture. The blueprint for action/adventure movies to come.
My Score: 9/10
It all starts with this pitch perfect cast. Flynn has a certain confidence and charisma that permeates the silver screen. After seeing him act in a few other movies, I don't think he could pull off an award-winning heavy dramatic role, but he is absolutely made for this action folk hero persona. His charm allows him to joke around with friend and foe alike and his athleticism allows him to look realistic when drawing a bow or thrusting a sword. The supporting cast is superb as well. The villainous Basil Rathbone is both smarmy and smooth. His eventual comeuppance feels so earned. The smug Claude Rains is equally easy to hate and one can't help but to eagerly anticipate the return of his brother, King Richard. Alan Hale as Little John and Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck are great for comic relief and Robin's backup in the action sequences. de Havilland plays Marian a little too wishy washy, but her scenes with Flynn have sparks flying. There isn't a character I don't like spending time with, be it hero or villain.
I typically structure these posts in a way so my grievances are aired in this third paragraph. For this film, I am just going to continue gushing. The Technicolor cinematography is simply mesmerizing. You owe it to yourself to seek this out in HD. The colors will pop, which is necessary to admire the wonderful art direction and costume design. Even though this film is over eighty years old, the vast halls of Nottingham Castle and the intricately wooded Sherwood Forest wouldn't improve much visually. It's that good. In fact, a modern film would likely taint this production design with CGI and endless green screens. Despite the age of this film, this unabashedly feels like we stepped back to the 12th Century. I could go on and on about what makes this film work for me, but I have to comment upon the music before this review can be wrapped up. Erich Wolfgang Korngold's score for this film is one of the most important scores of all time. It was the most important in his life. He had to be persuaded to score this due to his hesitation to work on a "90% action picture." Because he worked on this in the United States, he was able to escape the Nazis' stronghold in Vienna. His Romantic-era dynamic orchestral music paved the way for many action pictures to come and John Williams has cited Korngold in his inspiration to use Romantic-era style orchestral music for Star Wars (1977). Bombastic brass, fast-paced strings, and driving percussion is all present here; it's all present in most movies today as well.
Overall, Michael Curtiz's fast pace action provides the framework for these wonderful characters to spin a timeless tale. The color photography allows the lavish set design and intricate costumes to burst out of the screen all the while Korngold's orchestral score paints a vivid musical picture. The blueprint for action/adventure movies to come.
My Score: 9/10