Rating: 
Summary: A gem in every sense of the word.
Review: This double DVD-set is a gem in every sense of the word. Of course, the 1938 movie itself hardly needs an introduction anymore. It is by far the best screen adaptation of the legend of Robin Hood and his merry men ever made. Cast to perfection with Errol Flynn as Robin, Olivia De Havilland as Maid Marian, Basil Rathbone as the villain Guy de Gisbourne, Claude Rains as the scheming John Lackland, Alan Hale as Little John and a host of inimitable character actors, shot in awesome Technicolor, with a rousing score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and masterly directed by William Keighley and Michael Curtiz, it still stands as one of Warner Bros. finest moments.For this DVD release picture and audio have been restored and digitally transferred, and I must say that the picture quality, sharpness and colour are simply mind-blowing and completely belying their age. The special features spread over the first and second disc are all of great interest. Film historian Rudy Behlmer provides significant audio commentary to the movie. There is a documentary about the making of the movie, and features that will learn you everything about the cast, the crew, and even the figure of Robin Hood and his many movie adaptations. From the movie itself there are a few outtakes and bloopers. Not to be missed by anyone interested in Hollywood history is a revealing documentary about the development and fame of Technicolor (narrated by Angela Lansbury). And much more, turning this set into a surefire investment that will provide many hours of home movie pleasure.
In short: highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Nobody Buckles the Swashes Like Errol
Review: "You speak treason!"
"Fluently."
- Maid Marion and Robin Hood, respectively Still one of the best lines between love interests in cinema history. I've been watching this movie since I could talk. When the VCR would boot up, I'd put on my blanket/cape, leap on my plastic rocking horse, grab my cardboard sword, and act out the best Robin Hood movie ever made as it played out on the screen. 'Course, I don't do that any more (not sober anyway), but when I first saw the DVD edition of the Errol Flynn classic, it truly made me feel like a kid again. And that's something that I can say for a handful of other movies, if that many. Many have tried to recreate the magic of this movie over the past sixty years, but none has been able to come close to being as good. Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood. But this 1938 film told the definitive story of the knight who turned rebel when the evil Prince John and his #1 lackey, Sir Guy of Gisborne (played to perfection by Basil Rathbone) cross the line in villianhood. It's not just Errol Flynn's irrepressable performance as the legendary outlaw that makes the film. Olivia Dehavalen (yes, I KNOW I spelled that wrong) played the slightly unorthadox, for the time, Maid Marion, and the rest of the cast, from Much the Miller to Little John to Friar Tuck were perfectly cast and marvelously performed. It wasn't just the wonderful duels or tense chase scenes, it was the people who populated this world that made you truly BELIEVE, despite the green tights, that this was the true vision of Robin Hood. The DVD was worth the wait. The video looks better than it has. . . well, ever. There have been numerous restorations on this movie (it was made more than 60 years ago), but this is by far the best. The colors leap off of the screen, from the greens of the forest to the pearly white of Flynn's smile. It doesn't look like a contemporary film by any means, but honestly, it doesn't really need to. Like a good wine, this film silmply gets better with age. The audio is equally impressive, from the redone score to the cleaned up audio track. Gone are the muffled and indistinct voices of a dated VHS. Every line comes out crips and clear thanks to the digital sound, and the music makes you want to join in the swashbuckling just for the fun of it. This is a must-have for anyone who enjoys the Robin Hood legend, and especially for anyone who saw Prince of Thieves (ick), just to see what England's greatest archer was really like. They truly just don't make movies like this anymore.
Rating:
Summary: What a blast from the past!
Review: I bought the DVD largely out of curiosity, as I've watched it from time to time on TV over the years. I was completely fascinated by the quality of this film, made 65 years ago, and the restoration. It simply can't be faulted. The extras are just as good and tell how the film evolved from what was to be a humble B&W affair, with James Cagney as Robin Hood ( ???), into a Technicolour spectacular with the then, new boy on the block, Errol Flynn.
Just sit back and enjoy it for what it is - a very well made fairy tale movie, with a great cast of legends.
Loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: A childhood favorite.
Review: When I was a kid this was my favorite movie. Olivia de Havilland was the most beautiful woman in the world and Errol Flynn was my dream boat. I've watched it more recently, in a colorized version and it's still very entertaining, although now my heart beats very still while watching it. I just can't take it seriously any more, and now prefer Mel Brook's take on the myth. I've found Errol Flynn a lot more ridiculous but still surprisingly seductive. What a haircut! What a laugh! And what about those tights? "We're men! We're men in tiiiiights!...." Too bad I can't stand Olivia's very dated performance any more, her puppy sad eyes expressions, teen age sighs and silly tantrums. She's always over acting. The only thing that consoles me a little is her wonderful figure and the ridiculous but glamorous shiny dresses she wears.
Rating:
Summary: Prince of Thieves - King of Swashbucklers
Review: If you can see only one Robin Hood movie in your life, let this be it! Forget about Fairbanks, Costner and others - Errol Flynn is the perfect Robin Hood in this all-time classic. It does tend to become too sentimental at times, and we all know the story and the ending already, but this is still a masterpiece of the genre.
Rating: 
Summary: What a wasted opportunity!
Review: Last month, I bought the DVD edition of THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, and found myself reintroduced to the finest film incarnation of the Sherwood Forest swashbuckler. So naturally, I decided to try and see if the soundtrack was available. I stumbled across this disc on Amazon, and decided to try my luck. Well, I can honestly say this 1983 re-recording of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's legendary score is a major disappointment. This is not a knock against the Utah Symphony Orchestra or its conductor Varujan Kojian. The quality of the performance is top-shelf (although I think Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra's rendition of the Robin/Merry Men fanfare is more appropriately bombastic). My problem is-and this is a gripe I have with ALL soundtrack albums-that Korngold's music has been severely edited and, in some instances, butchered beyond recognition. Huge chunks of music are missing from this album. The opening sequence, with Prince John's men attacking the Saxons, is absent, as is Robin's first appearance and rescue of Much. Robin's meetings with Little John and Friar Tuck are ridiculously pared down to nearly nothing. The scene where the Merry Men set and execute their trap for Sir Guy of Gisbourne in Sherwood is chopped in half, as is the music for Much's battle with the assassin Dicken and King Richard's stay in Sherwood. The coronation scene is cut off before Richard reveals himself to John. The finale where John is exiled and Robin is re-knighted is needlessly edited. The end credits music is completely absent. But the most unforgivable chopping comes with the climactic battle music. The fight in the throne room is just GONE, and the savage sword battle between Robin and Gisbourne... ...good grief, whoever decided to edit the music for this recording should be slapped. Repeatedly. With an armored glove. The music for this battle, with its ultraviolent orchestration and high-pitched xylophone percussion, is the high point of Korngold's score in the movie. For this recording, it's MUTILATED. We get the chase down the stairs, then an abrupt jump to the shadows bashing it out on the wall, then we get a grotesque, discordant, and just plain stupid bridge that was never in Korngold's score to begin with, then another bizarre jump to Robin getting backed against the wall, then ANOTHER jump to Robin freeing Marian. What the heck is this? The powers at Varese Sarabande clearly had access to Korngold's original compositions, especially with his son George producing the album. There was not one reason for them to butcher his score like this. But they did, as the end result is an album that, while nicely performed by a group of talented musicians giving it their all, is a disgrace to Korngold's work. To listen to this album, you'd never be able to understand why Korngold won an Oscar for this music. Making this album an even bigger embarrassment is-surprise, surprise-the ROBIN HOOD DVD, which features an audio-only track in which every single bit of Korngold's music can be heard in all its glory, digitally remastered to the point where it sounds as brand-spanking new as any soundtrack album just coming off the assembly line. If the original soundtrack recording from 1938 still exists and is in pristine condition, why in blue blazes doesn't Warner Bros. release it all on a two-disc soundtrack album like they did with John Williams' SUPERMAN? After all, they released the soundtrack to James Cagney's YANKEE DOODLE DANDY just recently to coincide with the DVD release. Why don't they do the same for ROBIN HOOD and let people hear Korngold's score for what it is? Because I just have to say, it would beat the pants off this misbegotten Varese re-recording, and unlike this album, a full-blown Korngold reissue would actually be well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to Sherwood!! And How!!
Review: Errol Flynn at his very best. No one could pull off these kinds of swashbucklers better than Flynn(though this is much more than just that). What a great movie for everyone at anytime. You just can't get tired of it. And that great Technicolor! Wow! Not to be missed over and over again. . .My 9 year old daughter just saw it for the first time and loved every minute. The extras are excellent as well.
Rating:
Summary: The Perfect Movie, Perfectly Restored
Review: "The Adventures of Robin Hood" is one of my very favorite movies. It has just the right mix of fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, chases, escapes, true love, and miracles (my apologies to William Goldman, but it's true)...not to mention Basil Rathbone, Olivia DeHavilland, and Errol Flynn. I've actually worn out my VHS copy. So I was going crazy for the DVD release, constantly wondering, "What the heck is taking them so long?" Now that I've gotten my mitts on this DVD, I KNOW what took them so long, and it was soooo worth the wait. The picture is crystal clear and the colors are as bright and vibrant as a Van Gogh painting. I was shocked at how fantastic the movie looked! I noticed details that I hadn't before--like that when Robin rescues Much the Miller, he (Much, not Robin, of course) is actually bleeding! And that Maid Marian's dresses are GORGEOUS!! And that Will Scarlet's lute has no strings!!! (How did I miss THAT??) The extras on the second disk are pretty cool too. My favorite was the behind-the-scenes bit where you learn just how real those arrows were. Basil Rathbone's "Helmet Tests" are pretty funny as well. This is a great movie, restored in a format that does justice to its greatness. It was definitely worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: There is only ONE "Robin Hood" and that was Errol Flynn!
Review: If I had to describe this DVD set in one word, I'd have to say... "PEREFECTION" Truly one of the most timeless, entertaining, and delightful films ever made, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD has never looked or sounded so good as it does on this outstanding DVD package. Others here have already sung Warner Brothers' praises for the fine work that went into this presetation. Let me then just add my voice of resounding approval to theirs and highly recommend this purchase as an essential DVD for anyone's collection.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Robin Hood ,Flynn now a fantastic WB DVD set!
Review: Warner Brothers (WB) Studios has begun meticulously digitally restoring its action classics of the 1930's & 40's under the "Two Disc Special Edition" Series. This 1938 TECHNICOLOR (awesome) film "The Adventures of Robin Hood" starring Errol Flynn, Olivia deHavilland, Basil Rathbone & Claude Rains is still the best rendition of this fictionalized English tale. Warner Brothers has given us with this 2 Disc set the complete movie theatre experience circa 1938. DISC 1 - First we get a complete "Night at the Movies" program. Introduction by film critic Leonard Maltin explaining for your 10 cent investment what you got in a 1938 movie house. Next the entire continous show with; coming attraction, news reel, Bugs Bunny Cartoon, short subject feature and then the main feature, "The Adventures of Robin Hood". This is a totally ingenius idea!!! Also on Disc 1 - you have 12 Errol Flynn movie trailers and finally an indepth feature commentary by film historian Rudy Belhmer. Disc 2 - Includes 3 hours of everything about Robin Hood, the movie, the stars, documentaries, cartoons, and a most informative documentary about TECHNICOLOR and why even today it still was the best color process ever. I love this fun filled DVD set. My hat is off to Warner Brothers for their dedication to the golden age of Hollywood and bring back the grandest of movies for us to see again & again better than their original release. Enjoy.
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