Tasmanian Errol Flynn had already proven himself a solid action star for Warner Bros. in films like Captain Blood, so when the dealings with James Cagney to play Robin Hood fell through, Flynn seemed like a logical choice. And it’s lucky for all of us that things went this way because Flynn created one of the most iconic portrayals of Robin Hood that has graced the silver screen.
Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Robin Hood series to talk about Michael Curtiz’s and William Keighley’s 1938 film The Adventures of Robin Hood.
We talk about the differences in the myths and portrayals of the title character between this and the Douglas Fairbanks version, and how these differences affect our opinion of the film. We look at Errol Flynn and how effective he is as the titular character. We chat about the rest of the cast that stands out to us – Olivia de Havilland, Alan Hale, Claude Rains, and Basil Rathbone. We discuss the stunt work – both archery and swordplay – and how it all came together to make for incredibly effective action sequences. And we touched on the fabulous use of technicolor.
It’s a wonderful and thrilling film that’s well worth checking out. It holds up as a central figure in the modern Robin Hood myths. We have a great time chatting about it. Check it out then tune in! The Next Reel – when the movie ends, our conversation begins.
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Film Sundries
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- Watch this film: iTunes • Amazon • Netflix • Hulu • YouTube
- Script Transcript
- Original theatrical trailer
- Original poster artwork
- Flickchart
- Letterboxd
- Sponsor: Audible — Download the book of your choice free, or search for our recommended pick this week: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle!
