Stories of Robin Hood, the nobleman who stole from the rich to give to the poor, go back for centuries, with tales as far back as the 1300s. The story has been told in countless ways, and when cinema was invented, filmmakers began telling this story on film. The first version was made in 1908, but the first one that really created an iconic character of Robin Hood was Allan Dwan’s 1922 tale starring Douglas Fairbanks. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off a new series looking at cinematic versions of Robin Hood with Dwan’s 1922 film Robin Hood.
We talk about what works in the film and what doesn’t – notably the long setup of the main character. We look at Fairbanks and gauge how well he works for us. We look at some of the other key performers and how well they play. We discuss the tone shifts – from silly, cartoon humor to violent murder scenes. We talk about the tropes of Robin Hood and what works here. And we touch on King Richard the Lion-Hearted’s possible homosexuality and how (and if) this film deals with it.
It’s an interesting film to start off with and one that will be a fun benchmark for the rest of the films in the series. So check it out then tune in to this week’s show on The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
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- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
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