The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
- kbroer
- Jun 7, 2024
- 3 min read
Errol Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains
Directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
Available to stream on Prime Video
June is the month of "Swashbucklers and Gunslingers" and we are starting with one of the most famous swashbucklers, Errol Flynn, in one of his career-defining roles as Robin Hood. In this classic, heroic Robin Hood takes on evil Prince John and his henchmen, leads the men of Sherwood Forest in restoring King Richard to the throne, and wins the hand of aristocratic Lady Marian, all in beautiful Technicolor.
Why we love it: Everyone's fantasy of 12th century England, this movie succeeds on every level. It's not meant to be realistic, but to be a medieval fairy tale with heroes and villains, lots of sword fights, archery displays, colorful banners, and beautiful gowns. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland are the handsome and brave couple who take on the villains. The bad guys are a wonderful trio, too - Basil Rathbone appropriately diabolical as Guy of Gisbourne; Claude Rains as incompetent Prince John; Melville Cooper as the buffoonish Sheriff of Nottingham. The Oscar-winning music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold puts the finishing touch on a fun adventure to watch over and over.
Fun Facts:
The film credits two directors. William Keighley began as the film's director but was then moved to another project and Michael Curtiz, who was the studio's top action director, was brought on to finish the movie.
The movie won three Academy Awards -- Best Score, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing.
The horse that Olivia DeHavilland rides in one scene was named Golden Cloud, and he went on to become the most famous horse in Hollywood when he was chosen by Roy Rogers to be his horse, "Trigger." Golden Cloud/Trigger appeared in dozens of Roy Rogers films and on his TV show in the 1950's.
Alan Hale, the actor who plays Little John, might be the only person to have played the same role in three different films. He first appeared as Little John in the 1922 version of Robin Hood with Douglas Fairbanks portraying Robin Hood. He reprised his role in 1938 with Errol Flynn. And, in 1950 he once again appeared as Little John in the film Rogues of Sherwood Forest.
The Oscar winning score was composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, famous Austrian composer who was also Jewish. He had done some work in Hollywood earlier in the 1930's but had returned to Austria and was conducting the opera when Warner Brothers asked him to come back to Hollywood to compose the score for Robin Hood. While he was working on the score, the Nazis invaded Austria and confiscated Korngold's house. He later remarked that returning to Hollywood to work on the score for Robin Hood had probably saved his life. Korngold's musical style has inspired later action film scores, including John Williams's score for Star Wars.
Basil Rathbone was actually an accomplished fencer and he was considered to be the greatest swordsman in Hollywood history (even better than Errol Flynn), though because he usually played the villain he only ever won two on-screen duels.
Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn had appeared together in another swashbuckling movie, Captain Blood, in 1936. They became a well known onscreen couple and appeared in 8 movies together.
Watch the original trailer for the film below:
For reviews and articles from the time, go to the Fan Magazine Reviews page.
Featured Cocktail:
Paloma
The name for this increasingly popular drink is the Spanish word for dove, but it may also be a derivative of the word pomelo, which is Spanish for grapefruit. Either way, it is delicious.
2 oz (60 ml) tequila blanco or reposado
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
3-4 oz (90-120 ml) grapefruit soda
Lime wheel for garnish
Pour tequila and lime juice into highball glass filled with ice. Top with grapefruit soda. Stir gently. If desired, you may begin by wetting the rim of the glass with lime and dipping it in salt.
Garnish with lime wheel.
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