The Adventures of Robin Hood

The Adventures of Robin Hood (in Spain, Robin de los bosques; in Latin America, The Adventures of Robin Hood) is a 1938 American adventure film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley and written by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller, based on the legend of Robin Hood. Starring Errol Flynn in the title role, Olivia de Havilland as Lady Marian, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy de Gisbourne, and Claude Rains as Prince John; it is considered one of the best adventure films of all time.

The film cost over $2 million to make, the most expensive Warner Bros. film at its time, and was one of the few films of the 1930s filmed in color, and the first Technicolor version of the myth. of Robin Hood. It was an unusually extravagant production for the Warner Bros. studio, which until then had been characterized by producing low-budget gangster films, but adventure films with Errol Flynn had been successful and this film was intended to seize the moment of success. The film was acclaimed by critics, and garnered three Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Original Score, and Best Editing.

In 1995, the film was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. all time by GQ.

Plot

Richard the Lionheart (Ian Hunter), King of England, is captured in 1191 on his return from the Third Crusade. Richard's treacherous brother, Prince John (Claude Rains), usurps the throne and proceeds to oppress the Saxons, using the false pretense of paying Richard's ransom to impose new tributes that the poorest cannot afford. Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn), a Saxon nobleman, saves Much (Herbert Mundin) from being caught for poaching in Sherwood Forest by Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone).

Only Robin openly opposes Prince John. At Gisbourne Castle, Robin challenges John, his Norman followers, and the initially contemptuous Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Olivia de Havilland), who will do everything in her power to restore Richard to the throne, escaping soon after.. He, his friend Will Scarlet (Patric Knowles) and Much take refuge in Sherwood Forest and recruit Little John (Alan Hale, Sr.), Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette) and others to the cause. Branded outlaws, Robin and his gang fight against the tyranny of Prince John.

Robin and his men capture a large group of Normans carrying tax money extorted from the Saxons. Among the "guests" Robin includes Sir Guy of Gisbourne, the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper) and Lady Marian. At first dismissive of Robin, Marian realizes that she is right about Norman brutality. Robin allows the humiliated Sir Guy and the Sheriff to leave Sherwood, telling them they have Lady Marian to thank for allowing them to leave.

Olivia de Havilland in a picture of the trailer, in her role as Lady Marian.

The Sheriff devises an ingenious plan to capture Robin by announcing an archery tournament with the prize of a golden arrow that Marian will present to him. Everything goes according to plan: Robin can't resist the temptation. He wins the tournament, but is captured and sentenced to hang. Marian helps Robin's men rescue him from the gallows. When she later sneaks back to Nottingham Castle to see her, they promise to love each other, but Marian refuses to leave, believing she can best help by acting as Robin's spy.

King Richard and his men have secretly returned to England, disguised as monks. At a roadside inn, the Bishop of the Black Canons (Montagu Love) recognizes him and alerts Prince John. Dickon Malbete (Harry Cording), a debased knight, agrees to get rid of Richard in exchange for the restoration of his rank and Robin's lordship and estate. Marian overhears her plan and writes a note to Robin, but Gisbourne finds her, arrests her, and Prince John sentences her to death for treason. Marian's confidante, Bess (Una O'Connor), sends Much to warn Robin. Along the way, she intercepts and kills Dickon, but is wounded.

As Richard and his costumed knights travel through Sherwood Forest, they are stopped by Robin and his men. When asked if he supported Richard, the unknown king affirms it and is invited by Robin to have dinner with them. Later, when Much returns and informs Robin about the danger from Marian and that Ricardo is now in England. Robin orders a search to find the King and bring him to Sherwood for safety. At that moment, Ricardo reveals his identity to the now stunned men.

Robin hatches a plan to break into Nottingham Castle. He coerces the Bishop of the Black Canons into including his men, disguised as monks, in his entourage for John's coronation. In the great hall, Richard reveals himself to the assembled nobles, and a riot breaks out. Robin and Gisbourne engage in a protracted sword fight, which ends in Gisbourne's death. Robin frees Marian from her dungeon cell, and Prince John's faction is defeated. Ricardo exiles Juan and his followers for the rest of his life and spares Sherwood's men. He elevates Robin Hood to Baron of Locksley and Earl of Sherwood and Nottingham. Having noted how they feel about each other, Ricardo also orders Robin to marry Lady Marian.

Cast

Production

Olivia from Havilland and Errol Flynn in a picture of the original trailer.

The Adventures of Robin Hood was produced at an estimated cost of $2 million at the time, the most expensive film Warner Bros. had made to that point. studio's big-budget color film using the three-strip Technicolor process.

James Cagney was originally cast as Robin Hood, but he dropped his contract with Warner Bros., paving the way for Flynn, though filming was postponed for three years.

The film was filmed on location in California. Bidwell Park in Chico replaced Sherwood Forest, although one major scene was filmed at the California locations called "Lake Sherwood" and "Sherwood Forest," so named because they were the sites of the 1922 Robin Hood production. Several scenes were filmed at Warner Bros. Burbank Studios and at the Warner Ranch in Calabasas. The archery tournament was filmed at the former Busch Gardens, now part of Lower Arroyo Park, in Pasadena.

The stuntmen were padded with balsa wood on protective metal plates, and paid $150 per arrow received from professional archer Howard Hill. Hill, though listed as the archer captain defeated by Robin, was cast as Elwen the Welshman, an archer seen shooting Robin in his escape from Nottingham Castle and later defeated by Robin in the archery tournament. To win, Robin splits the arrow of Philip of Arras, a captain of the guard under Gisbourne, who had hit the bull's-eye. An examination of the slow-motion film footage led to speculation that the split arrow may have been made of bamboo and had been previously split, the parts being held together with small rings. Buster Wiles—a stuntman and close friend of Errol Flynn—maintains that the arrow-splitting trick was performed using an extra-large arrow (for the target) and that the second arrow had a broad, flat head and was fired straight ahead. length of a wire. Wiles discusses the scene in his autobiography, My Days With Errol Flynn.

Hill can also be seen in the scene where Robin is rescued from the gallows by his men. Concealed in a wagon, he shoots a mounted man-at-arms, whose horse is instantly mounted by Robin Hood.

Soundtrack

In 1938, Erich Wolfgang Korngold was conducting opera in Austria when Warner Bros. asked him to return to Hollywood and compose a score for The Adventures of Robin Hood. Its music is considered the best of its kind, with a continuous series of romantic and adventurous sequences propelled by Korngold's dynamism. Historian Laurence E. MacDonald notes that there were many factors that made the film a success, including its cast., its Technicolor cinematography and Michael Curtiz's breakneck direction but "above all, there is Korngold's glorious music". Film historian Rudy Behlmer describes Korngold's contribution to this and his other films:

The soundtrack of Korngold was a splendid added dimension. His style for Flynn's swordsman looked like the German symphonic poets of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. It incorporated chromatic harmonies, lush instrumental effects, passionate climax, all interpreted in a generally romantic way. The original and distinctive style of Korngold was influenced by the leitmotiv wagneriano, the orchestral virtuosity of Richard Strauss, the delicacy and the wide melodic deployment of Puccini and the long-lasting development of Gustav Mahler.

Before Korngold began composing the score, Austria was invaded and annexed by Nazi Germany, and his home in Vienna was searched and confiscated. As this meant that all Jews in Austria were now in danger, Korngold he remained in the United States until the end of World War II. He later said: 'We considered ourselves Viennese, Hitler made us Jews.' Korngold claimed the opportunity to score the score for The Adventures of Robin Hood saved him life.

It also gave it its second Academy Award for Best Original Score and established the symphonic style that would later be used in action films during Hollywood's Golden Age. More current epics, such as the trilogies Star Wars and Indiana Jones, also featured original symphonic scores, but according to composer John Williams, he has cited Korngold as his inspiration for these scores.

Reception

Reviews at the time were highly positive. "A rich, boldly embellished, colorful and romantic spectacle, boldly launching itself into the forefront of this years best," wrote Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times. "It is cinematic pageantry at its best. A highly imaginative retelling of folklore in all shades of Technicolor, deserving of a handsome box office comeback, Variety claimed. Film Daily called it "first class entertainment" with "excellent address" and an "ideal choice" at Flynn's casting. "Excellent entertainment!" wrote Harrison's Reports. "Adventure, romance, comedy and human appeal have been deftly blended to satisfy in all respects (...) The final-scene duel between the hero and his arch-nemesis is the most exciting ever filmed& #34;. John Mosher of The New Yorker called it "a rich, flashy and, despite their bickering, somewhat stolid affair," praising Flynns performance and the action sequences but finding that the "excellent collection" of supporting actors was "something buried under the medieval panoply".

The website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of critics gave the film a positive opinion, based on 44 reviews, with an average score of 8.9/10. The film is currently 29th on his list of the highest-rated films in theaters, summing up: "Errol Flynn thrills as the legendary title character, and the film embodies the kind of imaginative family adventure made by hand. measure for the silver screen".

Ticket office

The film was well received and became the sixth highest grossing of the year, earning about $4 million at a time when admission was less than 25 cents. Warner Bros. was so delighted with the result that he filmed two more great color epics before the next decade rolled around: Dodge City and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.

A sequel, Sir Robin of Locksley, was announced but never realized.

Awards and nominations

For the 11th Academy Awards, The Adventures of Robin Hood won three of the four awards it was nominated for.

So too, the film is part of the following listings:

• 2001: 84.a better film of all time, according to a Channel 4 vote.
• 2001: 100.a better suspense film on the 100-year list... 100 suspense films from the American Film Institute.
• 2003: Robin Hood by Errol Flynn as the 18th best hero on the 100-year list... 100 heroes and villains from the American Film Institute.
• 2005: 11th best soundtrack on the 100-year list of soundtracks at the American Film Institute.

Legacy

Due to the popularity of the film, Errol Flynn's name and image became attached to the figure of Robin Hood in the public eye, even more so than Douglas Fairbanks, who had previously played the role in 1922.

This was the third film to pair Flynn and Olivia de Havilland together (after Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade). Ultimately, they would star together in nine films, the aforementioned Four's a Crowd (1938), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), They Died with Their Boots On (1941) and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), although they did not share scenes in the latter film.

The scenes and costumes worn by the characters have been endlessly imitated and parodied, for example, in the animated shorts Bugs Bunny's Rabbit Hood and Robin Hood Daffy of the Daffy Duck and Porky the Pig, both from Warner Bros., Goofin' Hood & His Melancholy Men from Disney's The Goofy Troop; in Disney's animated feature Robin Hood (1973); and the parody Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), written and directed by Mel Brooks.