The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

“It’s injustice I hate, not the Normans. ” – Robin Hood

Number of Times Seen – Twice (30 Jun 2001 and 23 Nov 2017)

Brief Synopsis – While King Richard is off fighting the crusades, his brother John begins to oppress the people. A group of rebels led by Robin of Locksley fight back by stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.

My Take on it – I have always loved the story of Robin Hood and this is one of the most interesting retellings of that classic story.

Errol Flynn is amazing in the lead role and his chemistry with ‘usual’ leading lady Olivia deHaviland sizzles the whole way through.

Basil Rathbone and Claude Raines both are equally good as the two villains;  Guy of Gisborne and Prince John.

The music used for this film is excellent and it helps the story flow so well.

This is IMHO, one of the best swashbuckler films of its day because of the lavish production, the great dialogue and of course due to the superbly choreographed action scenes.

It has withstood the test of time and after 80 years is still looked upon as a true classic that led the way in the entertainment business.

The fight scenes are amazingly shot especially given the lack of equipment and technology available today; they apparently knew the best tricks of the time to make it work and seem plausible.

Bottom Line – Great retelling of the famous tale of Robin Hood. Flynn and deHaviland are both great as the two main characters and Rathbone and Raines are perfect as the devious enemies. The music works so well with the flow of the film.  One of the best swashbucklers of it’s day and still stands the test of time after 80 years. The fight scenes are breathtaking and it still amazes me how they manages to present this story so well using just the skills and technology of the time. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The sound of Robin’s arrow is the favorite sound of Skywalker Sound’s Ben Burtt. He has used that sound in almost all the Star Wars films. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy

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