The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Review- By Michael J. Carlisle

Title: The Adventures of Robin Hood
Year: 1938
Director: Michael Curtiz
Country: US
Language: English

For The Adventures of Robin Hood, Warner Brothers went all out on production, creating a swashbuckling costume epic that would appeal to all ages. The finest talent, both onscreen and off screen, were gathered to create the first grand Technicolor masterpiece. Indeed it's an iconic picture, a great financial and commercial success that would have spawned a sequel if not for the imminent second World War. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), this particular cinematic version of the thief who "stole from the rich and gave to the poor" has a timeless quality & is entertaining even 78 years later. 

When Prince John (Claude Rains) and the Norman Lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence, a Saxon (Errol Flynn)  lord fights back as the outlaw leader of a rebel guerrilla army.

In the mid-1930s, each of the Big Five studios had their genre: Warner Bros. was known for James Cagney gangster pictures and Busby Berkeley musicals. For years, films like The Public Enemy (1931) and The Gold Diggers of 1935 sustained the studio’s financial position, but limited diverse output, hindering the studio’s reputation. The studio would find themselves surprised when A Midsummer Night’s Dream and William Keighley’s version of The Prince and the Pauper made big money at the box office. The possibility of making prestige pictures shined brighter than ever, so they decided to adapt Robin Hood to the screen. 

This was not necessarily a "bold" move on the part of Warner Brothers. Robin Hood’s story had already become a then-iconic feature: the silent 1922 version by Douglas Fairbanks, entitled Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood. Although, this also meant WB's version had to be greater than that of Fairbanks or be subject to intense scrutiny.  The studio cautiously proceeded by assuring that every aspect of their production would be bigger and better. Producer Hal B. Wallis asserted that their A-list project should maintain the same swashbuckling ferocity, but improve upon it by optimizing the studio’s top resources. Intense research was made to ensure this film would be as great as a Robin Hood film could be. 

The visual variety, outdoor shooting, intensity of the action scenes, and epic scale of the picture ensured that Adventures of Robin Hood would at least be memorable. The film gave financiers a run for their money as Technicolor photography, which was only used in one unsuccessful film before this (God's Country and the Woman)  drove the budget beyond Warner’s expectations. Fortunately, the intense planning of the filmmaker's ensured the production went as smoothly as it could. The use of three-strip technicolor proved innovative and enticed other studios to use it in their large-scale productions. 

Errol Flynn makes an exceptional hero and Olivia De Havilland plays the part of Maid Marian rather well. Even though they were not the best of friends offscreen, Havilland did not like Flynn's immaturity, their onscreen chemistry shines quite brightly. Curtiz makes images proficiently sparkle with the flash of striking swords and the launching of arrows. Robin Hood is an impressive piece of Classic Hollywood movie making.