Review of rather specific recommendation - The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Harking back to the time of old movies for a sec, let’s take a moment to revel in the joys of the 1930’s, when innocence was projected onto the screen and nobody thought anybody was a Nazi/Communist just yet. And specifically, let us take a look at the best adaptation of a classic folk tale of merriment and vandalism, Robin Hood.

I watched this with my dad, who was a huge fan of the movie, and I must say, it holds up pretty outstandingly. Yes, there are definitely moments of janky green screen, but it’s a much better movie than the later Kevin Costner version (errgh…) or the Taron Egerton version (which is my FU review – you can imagine the noise I make for that).

This movie abandons any pretence of high-art or comedy that later Robin Hood adaptations would fall victim to, in favour of good old-fashioned action fun. There’s not a lot of blood, just a large group of charismatic, handsome men riding horses through the woods, laughing and enjoying themselves in their quest to defeat evil. Australia’s own Errol Flynn as the eponymous Hood is a huge contributor of that feeling, bringing energy and joy and lighting up every scene he is in. As much of a dick in real life as he was, Flynn is hands down one of the best heroes in movie history, and he shows it amazingly in this movie.

In watching an old action movie, you’d expect it to be poorly choreographed, silly to the core and entertaining in more a bizarre way than a thrilling way (anyone remember Polanski’s Macbeth and the slowest sword fight ever put to screen?). But The Adventures of Robin Hood has an astounding amount of effort put into it, especially considering other movies that came out before CGI and rapid cutting existed. The sets are great, and Flynn’s physicality makes for a great number of well-choreographed fight scenes that even today, some filmmakers have difficulty pulling off.

And the movie is massively aided by an excellent score from Erich Korngold, who stated that composing this movie saved his life (because he was being hunted by the Nazis). It’s exactly what a great movie needs; high emotion, orchestral bombast and all the energy of Robin Hood himself. Influencing many of the works of John Williams and Hans Zimmer, it’s truly the grandfather of Hollywood music. If you’re reading this, composer friend Patty, have a listen.

The Merry Men.

Just to end the review, I really kind of miss this point in Hollywood filmmaking, when there was no attempt to be gritty or be so self-important that you absorb yourself, but just an intent to make plain fun for all of the family to enjoy. Instead of going for the trends of the day, directors embraced their creative sides and got Australian fishermen instead of primadonna Americans to be their heroes. After this, there was the wars and revolutions in technology that made everyone want to leave the silly serials of the 1930’s. Only some movies, such as the original Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies, recognized the importance of just being fun and creative instead of stretching for pretension. And those movies are truly the greatest of all time.

In conclusion, this movie is one of the most influential movies ever made. I strongly recommend it (I know a DVD exists somewhere), and I’m going to give it a 9/10.

If you’ve seen it (and I doubt it – no-one remembers 1930’s films unless they’re Gone with the Wind or The Wizard of Oz), what do you think? Leave your answers in the comments below.