Adventures of Robin Hood Review

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

The Warner Bros double disk Special Edition DVD makes The Adventures of Robin Hood an even better value. A great adventure film!

Some actors just define a role, just as Sean Connery defines James Bond. Of all the actors who have played Robin Hood, viewers agree Errol Flynn defines Robin Hood, in exactly the same way.

The Adventures of Robin Hood concerns the abuse of the native Saxons by their recent conquerors, the Normans, and the imprisonment of good Norman King Richard the Lionhearted, while bad King John reigns in his stead. Robin of Locksley is a Saxon noble who won't take this abuse lying down. He begins fighting for the rights of the commoners by robbing the rich Normans to raise the ransom for Richard, something that bad King John cannot tolerate.

The conflict between Robin and the Normans drives the rest of the story, with plenty of action, sword fights, and chases. There are beautiful ladies in distress, dastardly villains, and enough action to please the most demanding moviegoer.

The acting is superior, with Claude Rains, Basil Rathbone, Alan Hale, and Olivia DeHavilland brilliantly supporting Errol Flynn's Robin Hood.

A Technicolor film, it shows how powerfully colors are when properly used. The music score is by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, one of the great composers of his time, with lively passages fitting each scene.

The Adventures of Robin Hood will be enjoyed by all viewers; whoever relishes a good story, superior direction, lighting, and shot selection, and Technicolor like it was meant to be used.

The new double disk DVD edition makes the film an even better with extras such as behind the scenes at the "making of"; a history of Technicolor, a cartoon, and much more.

Robin Hood is an absolutely flawless movie that the whole family will enjoy over and over again!