Errol Flynn is so iconic in the role of Robin Hood that it’s hard to imagine that this was originally going to be a James Cagney film. The only thing that saved that from happening is Cagney himself when he walked out on his contract with Warner Bros. That walkout postponed the film by three full years and paved the way for Errol Flynn to step in and take on one of the most famous roles of his entire career: Robin Hood. The film would become Warner Bros. most expensive film of the time, costing $2 million to produce but it was so successful that it more than made that money back. It also was a critical success and managed to secure an Oscar nomination for Best Picture for 1938, ultimately losing out to the Frank Capra picture You Can’t Take It With You. While the Capra film had a good strong moral to it that still holds up to date, it feels like it is sermonizing to the audience and doesn’t have the excitement and spectacle that The Adventures of Robin Hood has, giving the latter movie more longevity than the former.
Four years before Michael Curtiz finally won his long deserved Oscar for Casablanca he helmed The Adventures of Robin Hood, a Technicolor re-adaptation of the 1922 silent film Robin Hood starring Douglas Fairbanks. Curtiz, a Hungarian immigrant brought to the United States by Warner Bros. on the basis of his filmography in his native Hungary, became known as a workhorse director, churning out movies back to back for a good part of his long career in Hollywood. He famously grew over zealous in his productions, directing Noah’s Ark and risking life and limb from his cast and crew during a particularly chaotic flooding scene. The shooting was dangerous and reportedly at least one person died although that has never been proven concisely. Warner Bros. higher-ups attempted to rein him in over the years, to his increasing frustration, but there was no denying his films brought in audiences and held spectacle that few of his contemporaries could match. That made him the ideal director for The Adventures of Robin Hood. The film would need a director who could handle it all, drama, a period piece, lots of horse riding stunts, and action adventure swashbuckling. Curtiz had done just that just a few years earlier when he directed Errol Flynn’s big breakthrough role in Captain Blood. It seems fitting that the two should pair up again to bring the legendary Sir Robin of Locksley to life for the first time in glorious Technicolor.
While the tale of Robin Hood isn’t verifiably factual, there is a bit of actual history that surrounds the plot. King Richard the Lion-heart (Ian Hunter), the Norman King of England, is taken captive in 1191 while returning from the Third Crusade. While he is in captivity his treacherous brother Prince John (Claude Rains), aided by fellow Norman Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone), names himself regent of England and increases the Saxon’s taxes, lying to the people of England that it is for raising the ransom to release his brother from captivity.
Sir Robin of Loxsley, a Saxon noble, opposes the exploitation of his people and leads an open rebellion, becoming a bandit to rob the Norman nobility, kill those who are using their position to brutalize and oppress the Saxon people, and attempt to rid England of the tyranny of Prince John. The money he secures through all of this is used to take care of those grievously exploited by the Normans as well as to raise the funds needed to free King Richard and bring him home. One such raid brings Robin in contact with Lady Marian (Olivia de Havilland), the ward of the king who initially dislikes Robin and what he is doing until she sees exactly what is really going on between Prince John and the Saxons. Her compassionate nature and morality quickly sways her to Robin’s side and she will become an important ally inside the castle, even coming up with a rescue plan when Robin is captured and sentenced to hang.
Few films were shot in color back in 1938. It was much more expensive to utilize and contributed to making this picture the most expensive film in Warner Bros. history at the time. There were also very few Technicolor cameras in existence and all of them were required to film this movie. Initially it was planned to be a black-and-white feature but just a few months before production began that was changed and it became a vibrant Technicolor feature instead. This allowed things like the bright greens of Robin’s suit and the lush landscapes to really stand out and make this a unique looking picture for the time. It also helped the scenes that take place inside the castle avoid the drabness a black-and-white production would have had. This is especially noticeable during the feast early on when Robin shows up carrying a King’s Deer over his shoulder. The multicolor hues in all the extras really livens up the screen and makes this film look absolutely gorgeous. Black-and-White photography can look exquisite when handled the right way but there is just no substitute for a movie filmed in Technicolor.
As colorful as the film is it is nothing compared to the colorful characterization of Robin Hood himself. Errol Flynn has a natural swagger to him that is just about perfect here. He has just enough swagger and smugness without being so full of himself that he becomes unlikable. Flynn also knew when the time was right to put that smugness aside and show the vulnerability of his character. His fight on the bridge with Little John (Alan Hale) plays just the right note for both sides of his character. He goes into it brimming with self confidence, sure that he cannot be bested. When Little John does beat him, sending him off the side of the bridge and into the water, Robin doesn’t get upset that he has been bested. Instead, he welcomes it and earns a loyal follower in the process. Robin knows that he isn’t the best at everything and welcomes anyone good enough to defeat himself. His usual frivolity is also set aside as he is escorting Marian through the encampment of the local Saxons who have lost everything to Prince John and his men. He shows to her that there is more at stake than just his personal vendetta.
The production for this film is absolutely first rate. While it was filmed entirely in southern California many plants native to England were brought in to disguise this. Grass was painted to give it a more emerald look as well, something that would have been unnecessary had the film remained a black-and-white production. It wasn’t just the scenery that stands out, though. The stunt work is also amazing to watch, much of it done by the actual actors. There are some falls that look like the actors shouldn’t be able to recover from that are done all in one take indicating not only that they were able to but that stuntmen were not involved. One such fall involved Basil Rathbone who ended up getting trampled and ended up with the actor needing stitches on his foot. Robin’s climb over the closed and disabled castle gate is also an impressive feat as he cuts through the rope to the barricade and rides the rope up as it comes crashing down, all done in one shot. Aside from a few such scenes the film did employ the largest number of stunt performers of any production up to that point.
A lot has already been said about Errol Flynn’s opinions on the project but there are a few things that may come as a surprise to the casual viewer. Errol looks like he is having the time of his life in this picture; this comes from his overall performance which is full of life and energy. This perception is far from the truth. In his own memoirs he stated that he found the role dull and boring and he didn’t get along at all with Michael Curtiz. He had no issues with co-director William Keighley but despised Curtiz. It has been speculated that a part of the issue was that Flynn was married to one of Curtiz’s ex-wives at the time. Curtiz in turn disliked Flynn’s overall attitude and seemingly inability to remember his lines. Their conflict came to a head when Curtiz ordered an extra during a sword fight to remove the safety tip from his sword to increase the level of excitement. Flynn was slightly injured during the shot and cornered Curtiz in anger when he found out why it had happened.
Behind the scene dramatics aside, there is no denying the final results. This is a swashbuckling epic that is still held up as a prime example of the best films from the golden age of Hollywood. So much that came from this film has made it into other incarnations of the Robin Hood character including the Disney animated feature in 1973, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves and the Mel Brooks spoof: Robin Hood Men in Tights. All of these films and many others have taken inspiration from what was done in 1938, cribbing off of what still works today. There have been many iconic portrayals of Robin Hood over more than a hundred years of cinema but the one that it always comes back to it Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood, a true cinema classic.
Academy Award Nominations:
Outstanding Production: Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blake
Best Art Direction: Carl Jules Weyl (won)
Best Film Editing: Ralph Dawson (won)
Best Original Score: Erich Wolfgang Korngold (won)
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Release Date: May 14, 1938
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains and Una O’Connor
Directed By: Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
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