The Adventures of Robin Hood (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: I guarantee you will enjoy this movie.
Review: And as a doctor, there's not a lot I can guarantee in general.

But this...oh I envy you if you have not seen this yet. I most certainly envy your upcoming joyous movie-going moment of discovery.

If this movie is not a five star film, then none are.

There are so many perfect things about "The Adventures of Robin Hood"...so many things the filmmakers got absolutely right...that not only is it the best cinematic telling of the Robin Hood legend, it's one of the best cinematic tellings of anything.

Errol Flynn inhabits this role such that you're sure this is what Robin Hood must have really been like...you don't even bother with the question of whether or not he really did exist. Of course he did, and he looked and spoke and fought just like Errol Flynn.

Claude Rains, as the oily Prince John and Basil Rathbone, as the principal nemesis Guy of Gisbourne, are sheer perfection as well. Every line delivery, arched eyebrow...they have the parts nailed.

The Band of Merry Men are terrific as well. You will instantly become fond of Much, Little John, Friar Tuck...only Will Scarlett seems to be an add-on.

Olivia deHavilland is something to behold as Maid Marian. She's initially repulsed by Robin, yet as we all know will fall in love with him by the end. Just using her eyes, she tells her side of the story...she doesn't even need to read her lines.

The direction is brisk, the screenplay literate, the banter witty and the plot has nice surprises sprinkled throughout. Two things stand out above all.
One: The lush cinematography to this day is an example of how colorful film can be.
To this day. It was made in 1938, but it looks gorgeous.
Two: Korngold's justly lauded score. It's the model for pretty much every epic action adventure filmed since. It's never intrusive, but from beginning to end it feels as if it's of a piece....a whole...it's not "just" a soundtrack.

Now let's get to the DVD. Again, it's perfect. The transfer sparkles.
The extras are almost overwhelming, and to be honest, I haven't made it through them all yet. There are great documentaries on the film, on Technicolor itself...home movies, Korngold's score on an isolated track, a nice commentary bu Rudy Behlmer (who hosts most of the extras) and that neat "night at the movies" feature where you can recreate the moviegoing experience of 1938 by watching a trailer, a newsreel, a a short and a cartoon all before the main feature.

I purchased this as part of Warner Legends box set, and if this is any indicator, I'm in for many long, delightful hours of entertainment this new year.

Rating:
Summary: The One and Only Robin Hood Errol Flynn
Review: An actor or actress are sometimes born with a lifetime title role. Errol Flynn is the real Robin Hood VS. any contemporary versions with poor scripts, poor acting and boring special effects. The original Adventures of Robin Hood movie was fabulous especially with Korngold's music custom folded into this classaic. The only critique I could offer is they should have eliminated Flynn's beard(mustache kept alone) and had a better looking long hair wig for him. The DVD's colors and sharpness are superior to any VHS version I've owned.
A must for any serious collector.

Rating:
Summary: The greatest swashbuckling film ever made!
Review: I'm a big fan of the classics, and The Adventures of Robin Hood is a fantastic movie, directed with flair by the legendary Michael Curtiz (Captain Blood). Errol Flyyn was one of the best actors of his time, and the film still holds up well today, with it's frenetic swordfights, effortless charm and brilliant actors, all combining to make a true classic and one of my all-time favorites. The DVD extras accompany the film well, with documentaries, featurettes, trailers, blooper reels and the digital restoration is perfect. A must-have for fans of the genre and for movie lovers everywhere.














Rating:
Summary: Splits the Arrow
Review: Must have seen this movie first in about 1944 or 45. I remember the Merry Men falling off the trees on top of the Norman thugs, and knocking them to the ground; also the bobbing tin hat in the final punch-up being removed, to collect a nice thwack from a merry mace; and the thin, sneering features of the evil Sir Guy. Have seen it many times since then, of course, and now I've got this terrific dvd I'll see it many times in the future. It is possible to criticise this film, but any fault-finding would be completely pointless. Forget it, this is the best there is or ever will be. Gee, I wish I could be Errol Flynn. Even the name swashes with buckle. Was that really Basil Rathbone's real name ? It positively seethes with dastardness. What man wouldn't dream of melting within those soft, sweet contours of ultra-beautiful Olivia ? This is a film that glows with the kind of political correctness that will always matter, not the piles of garbage that are served up today.

Rating:
Summary: The Definitive Edition Of Robin Hood!! A Must-Have Classic.
Review: Michael Curtz's ("Casablanca", Academy Award for Best Director, 1943; see my review on it) classic, sumptuous rendition of the Robin Hood legends starring legendary actor Errol Flynn ("Captain Blood", "They Died With Their Boots On," etc) as the dashing outlaw, Olivia DeHaviland (who would next star in the memorable role of Melanie Hamilton in the epic film "Gone With The Wind", based on the novel of the same name; review of it coming soon) as the beautiful Lady Marian, Claude Rains ("Casablanca", etc) as the scheming Prince John and Basil Rathbone ("The Court Jester", etc) as the evil Sir Guy Of Gisbourne is the definitive edition of Robin Hood. The 1991 remake starring Kevin Costner ("The Untouchables", etc), Morgan Freeman ("Lean On Me", etc) and Alan Rickman ("Die Hard", etc) is dark, fast-paced and filled with furious action whereas this one is calm and vibrant. Although Kevin Costner was good as the legendary outlaw, I prefer dashing matinee idol Errol Flynn in the role. I also prefer the lovely Olivia DeHaviland as Lady Marian, a perfectly villainous Alan Rickman as the evil Sheriff of Nottingham and ---- ------- as King Richard. Want to know why I didn't place his name there? Because there may be people reading this who haven't seen it and I don't want to spoil it for them. I'll only say one thing: they'll be very surprised. Watch this version first, as it is the best adaptation of the Robin Hood legends. This version is Not Rated. The remake is rated PG for violence, mild thematic elements, a childbirth scene and brief language.

Rating:
Summary: Bulls-eye!
Review: The Adventures Of Robin Hood, one of the best swashbuckling adventure films ever made, has come to DVD in a deluxe 2-disc edition that has everything you could ever want in a digital package, and more. The movie itself is peerless. Errol Flynn as Robin, the beautiful Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains as the bad guys, and Hollywood's top tier of British-born character actors fill out the saga.

That's all well and good, but the DVD is where Warners has really excelled. For a movie that's over 65 years old, the picture is practically pristine, and while the soundtrack is little more than glorified mono, there are no hisses or pops that I could detect. And the extras ...

On disc one we have a commentary by Rudy Behlmer, whose tracks are almost always guaranteed to be as entertaining as they are informative (see his chats for Casablanca or Yankee Doodle Dandy for more great yakkers). He relays studio trivia, production notes, gossip from the era -- anything and everything. That's not all, though; there's an isolated music track featuring the score of Erich Wolfgang Korngold, a rousing work that has been unfairly dismissed as being simplistic and overbearing. Warners also attempts to give us a peek at what it would be like to attend a movie in 1938, with a theatrical trailer, a newsreel, a cartoon and a short subject. It's a wonderful idea that should be repeated more often on classic DVDs. Rounding out disc one is an Errol Flynn trailer gallery, with previews for 12 of his movies (actually 11, as Robin Hood has two separate trailers.

It doesn't stop there. Disc two has two documentaries, one on the history of Technicolor (most informative) and one on the movie itself (pretty good, but a bit repetitive from the commentary). There are a couple of deleted scenes (without sound), and a blooper reel from various Warner movies of 1938. We get a couple of short featurettes: a retrospective one on the history of the Robin Hood legend in film, a contemporary one about archery, a travelogue Errol Flynn made a few years before he died, and Basil Rathbone's home movies from the set! We also get a couple of Looney Tunes cartoons slightly related to the movie, a huge still and publicity material gallery, and, finally, a couple of audio supplements: a radio show promoting the movie and some piano tracks with Korngold himself playing music from his different films.

Whew! Suffice it to say, this is definitely up there among my top five DVDs ever. Not to be missed.

The film: 5
The extras: 5+