Still the best Robin Hood film!
Added 11/8/2009
Wikipedia tells us that the story of Robin Hood has been kicking around for centures. The name itself began kicking around in 1228, but people were probably telling stories about the character for a long time before that.
There's been many iterpretations of the Robin Hood story, including several on film which have varied from poor action adventures (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves), to weird comedies (Robin Hood - Men in Tights), to an animated version (Disney's Robin Hood), that probably has most furries creaming their jeans.
But to me the best version of the story ever made was the 1938 Technicolor classic, The Adventures of Robin Hood. It has everything you could ever want in an adventure film: a sneering villain (Basil Rathbone), a beautiful heroine (Olivia de Havilland), a dashing hero (Errol Fylnn), great sword fights, wonderful dialogue, beautiful costumes, amazing sets, and an all around feeling of lighthearted joy and delight!
You know the story: Robin of Locksley goes out to stop the evil Prince John (Claude Rains), and his henchman, the Sherif of Notingham. Along the way he teams up with his Merry Men (including Little John, played by Alan Hale Jr, a man I was most used to seeing as the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island"), enters an archery contest, and wanders around with the kind of smirk Johnny Depp nearly managed to imitate in Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl.
There's several things that make this a great film. First, it's insanely entertaining! It's never slow or dull. It has brisk pacing that never lets up. The cinematography is well-done and fascinating to see, given that it was one of the first Technicolor epics (though you might go a little blind from the bright colors). The writting is sharp and clever. Even the music is everything you'd want from a movie like this! But the real gem here is the acting.
Consider the by-play between Robin and the Sheriff, or Robin and the Prince, or Robin and Maid Marion or, hell, Robin and a brick wall! Errol Flynn had this magical sort of charisma that forced you to pay attention to him every time he was on the screen and to be happy you were doing so. He brough a casual ease to his characters in movies like Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk. He's so important to The Adventures of Robin Hood that it's basically impossible to imagine the movie without him, how much more vapid and uninteresting it would've been with just about anyone else playing the lead. It's his swaggering, his smart-ass attitude and his talent with the sword that makes him the most memorable part of this film.
This isn't to take away from the rest of the cast. A hero is nothing without a great villain and you'd be hard-pressed to find one better than Basil Rathbone, with his sneer and his (frankly superior), fencing skills, he made a worth advesary for a hero like Flynn's Robin.
The movie is relentlessly fun, light-hearted and enjoyable. If you haven't yet seen it, you're doing yourself a great diservice. Watch it and see the swashbuckler genre done to a perfection that has hardly been seen since!
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The ultimate original!
Added 10/7/2009
Almost everybody knows the story of Robin Hood, and what he does for a living. He steals from the rich and gives to the poor, and he does a heck of a good job (unlike Dennis Moore). And so there are numerous movies that have been about this medieval legend. We have the animated Disney version, the 1991 Patrick Bergin version, the 1991 Kevin Costner version, the 1993 Mel Brooks parody, and most recently, the 2006 BBC series. Here, we have the 1938 Errol Flynn version. This is considered to be the greatest film adaptation, and it's not very hard to see why. It looks pretty outdated in today's world, but it's still something to look forward to. There are colorful costume designs, dazzling cinematography, and an impressive music score. But the real standouts here are Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland as Robin Hood & Maid Marian. The critics are correct: these two people give the greatest performances in this film and, in fact, the entire universe of Robin Hood films. This is the true Robin Hood: sly and charismatic. And this is the true Marian: kind, but troubled. Forget Kevin Costner's version. This is the ultimate film adaptation. Watch and enjoy it . . . and after that, watch the hysterical Mel Brooks version as well.
Grade: A
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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A classic of cinema
Added 10/1/2009
The picture quality is fantastic for a film that is over 70 years old, each frame is a joy to behold. The heart and warmth of this movie shines through, and even though the story is camp nonsense it is accomplished with a knowing affection that was produced by the best the Hollywood system had to offer. Modern, soulless American action movies aimed at the teen market, could well learn a thing or three about how to make a classic that can stand the test of time.
The Blu-ray disc also has a great many extras, many duplicated from the DVD Two-Disc Special Edition released a few years ago.
Buy this on Blu-ray to add a little class (and fun) to your collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Still the best film about Robin Hood
Added 9/12/2009
Good natured, entertaining, Errol Flynn, action, humor, what more could you want from a swashbuckler?
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Great film and great product!
Added 9/12/2009
I have started buying Errol Flynn movies. I was pleasantly suprised that this was a very good transfer with good sound and a great story. I would compare it to the Court Jester in quality.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Still the best Robin Hood film!
Added 11/8/2009
Wikipedia tells us that the story of Robin Hood has been kicking around for centures. The name itself began kicking around in 1228, but people were probably telling stories about the character for a long time before that.
There's been many iterpretations of the Robin Hood story, including several on film which have varied from poor action adventures (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves), to weird comedies (Robin Hood - Men in Tights), to an animated version (Disney's Robin Hood), that probably has most furries creaming their jeans.
But to me the best version of the story ever made was the 1938 Technicolor classic, The Adventures of Robin Hood. It has everything you could ever want in an adventure film: a sneering villain (Basil Rathbone), a beautiful heroine (Olivia de Havilland), a dashing hero (Errol Fylnn), great sword fights, wonderful dialogue, beautiful costumes, amazing sets, and an all around feeling of lighthearted joy and delight!
You know the story: Robin of Locksley goes out to stop the evil Prince John (Claude Rains), and his henchman, the Sherif of Notingham. Along the way he teams up with his Merry Men (including Little John, played by Alan Hale Jr, a man I was most used to seeing as the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island"), enters an archery contest, and wanders around with the kind of smirk Johnny Depp nearly managed to imitate in Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl.
There's several things that make this a great film. First, it's insanely entertaining! It's never slow or dull. It has brisk pacing that never lets up. The cinematography is well-done and fascinating to see, given that it was one of the first Technicolor epics (though you might go a little blind from the bright colors). The writting is sharp and clever. Even the music is everything you'd want from a movie like this! But the real gem here is the acting.
Consider the by-play between Robin and the Sheriff, or Robin and the Prince, or Robin and Maid Marion or, hell, Robin and a brick wall! Errol Flynn had this magical sort of charisma that forced you to pay attention to him every time he was on the screen and to be happy you were doing so. He brough a casual ease to his characters in movies like Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk. He's so important to The Adventures of Robin Hood that it's basically impossible to imagine the movie without him, how much more vapid and uninteresting it would've been with just about anyone else playing the lead. It's his swaggering, his smart-ass attitude and his talent with the sword that makes him the most memorable part of this film.
This isn't to take away from the rest of the cast. A hero is nothing without a great villain and you'd be hard-pressed to find one better than Basil Rathbone, with his sneer and his (frankly superior), fencing skills, he made a worth advesary for a hero like Flynn's Robin.
The movie is relentlessly fun, light-hearted and enjoyable. If you haven't yet seen it, you're doing yourself a great diservice. Watch it and see the swashbuckler genre done to a perfection that has hardly been seen since!
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
The ultimate original!
Added 10/7/2009
Almost everybody knows the story of Robin Hood, and what he does for a living. He steals from the rich and gives to the poor, and he does a heck of a good job (unlike Dennis Moore). And so there are numerous movies that have been about this medieval legend. We have the animated Disney version, the 1991 Patrick Bergin version, the 1991 Kevin Costner version, the 1993 Mel Brooks parody, and most recently, the 2006 BBC series. Here, we have the 1938 Errol Flynn version. This is considered to be the greatest film adaptation, and it's not very hard to see why. It looks pretty outdated in today's world, but it's still something to look forward to. There are colorful costume designs, dazzling cinematography, and an impressive music score. But the real standouts here are Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland as Robin Hood & Maid Marian. The critics are correct: these two people give the greatest performances in this film and, in fact, the entire universe of Robin Hood films. This is the true Robin Hood: sly and charismatic. And this is the true Marian: kind, but troubled. Forget Kevin Costner's version. This is the ultimate film adaptation. Watch and enjoy it . . . and after that, watch the hysterical Mel Brooks version as well.
Grade: A
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
A classic of cinema
Added 10/1/2009
The picture quality is fantastic for a film that is over 70 years old, each frame is a joy to behold. The heart and warmth of this movie shines through, and even though the story is camp nonsense it is accomplished with a knowing affection that was produced by the best the Hollywood system had to offer. Modern, soulless American action movies aimed at the teen market, could well learn a thing or three about how to make a classic that can stand the test of time.
The Blu-ray disc also has a great many extras, many duplicated from the DVD Two-Disc Special Edition released a few years ago.
Buy this on Blu-ray to add a little class (and fun) to your collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
