Robin Hood

Plot

Robin Hood, Douglas Fairbanks' biggest (though not necessarily best) production of the silent era, represents the first time that many familiar of the elements of the Robin Hood legend were presented on screen. To bring the project to full fruition, Fairbanks and his wife Mary Pickford purchased the old Jesse Hampton studio in Santa Monica, and on that site constructed a near-lifesized replica of 12th century Nottingham. The humongous castle set was so awesome that Fairbanks became worried that his own performance might be dwarfed. It wasn't: take our word for it. When first we meet Robin Hood, he is still the Earl of Huntington, preparing to joust with his bitter enemy Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Paul Dickey). Despite Sir Guy's propensity for cheating, the Earl is victorious. Shortly thereafter, Huntington rides off to the crusades with Richard the Lionhearted (Wallace Beery). Upon learning that Prince John (Sam De Grasse), goaded on by Sir Guy, has usurped his brother Richard's throne, Huntington returns to Nottingham in a new guise: dashing righter-of-wrongs Robin Hood. While robbing from the rich, giving to the poor, and bedevilling the villains, Robin romances the fetching Maid Marian (Enid Bennett). The film's singular highlight is Fairbanks' slide down a two-story tapestry, a bit of bravado accomplished by hiding a playground slide behind the huge cloth. As in all of Fairbanks' films, Charlie Stevens, a grandson of Geronimo and Doug's "mascot", appears in several minor roles. Also appearing is Alan Hale Sr. as Little John, a role he'd repeat in the 1938 Errol Flynn Robin Hood, not to mention the 1950 swashbuckler Rogues of Sherwood Forest. Long thought lost, Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (as the film was so copyrighted) was rediscovered in the early 1960s. Most current prints fail to do justice to Arthur Edeson's glistening photography; also, some versions are stretch-framed to slow down the action to "normal" speed, a process that retards the marvelously fast pace instilled by star Fairbanks and director Allan Dwan. We recommend that you seek out a good-quality, tinted print of Robin Hood, processed at the slightly faster-than-life speed at which it was originally filmed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Review

Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood is one of the silent era's best adventure films, a grandly staged epic that represents the height of production values for films of the early 1920s. Although by no means the first film version of the Robin Hood legends, it crystallized for 20th century audiences the popular elements of the Robin Hood stories. The film is a pure star vehicle for Douglas Fairbanks, who also had a direct hand in writing and producing it. He is showcased to great effect in some of the finest stunts and action sequences of the silent era. As with the later Errol Flynn version of the same story, the heroes are very heroic and there is no moral ambiguity. The sets are of particular note. The castle alone was more expensive to build than many films of the early 1920s cost to produce. ~ Richard Gilliam, Rovi

Cast

• Douglas Fairbanks - The Earl of Huntingdon/Robin Hood
• Wallace Beery - Richard I the Lionheart
• Sam de Grasse - Prince John
• Enid Bennett - Maid Marian
• Paul Dickey - Sir Guy of Gisbourne
• William Lowery - The High Sheriff of Nottingham

Roy Coulson - The King's Jester; Billie Bennett - Lady Marian's Serving Woman; Wilson Benge - Henchman to Prince John; Willard Louis - Friar Tuck; Alan Hale - Little John; Maine Geary - Will Scariett; Lloyd Talman - Alan a Dale; Merrill McCormick - Henchmen to Prince John

Credit

Edward M. Langley - Art Director, Wilfred Buckland - Art Director, Mitchell Leisen - Costume Designer, Allan Dwan - Director, William Nolan - Editor, Arthur Edeson - Cinematographer, Douglas Fairbanks - Producer, Paul Eagler - Special Effects, Douglas Fairbanks - Screenwriter, Lotta Woods - Screenwriter, Alexandre Dumas - Book Author, Elton Thomas - Short Story Author

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