Few films are as full of merriment and rollicking action as 1938's "THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD". Actors have seldom appeared to be having such a rousing time as this troupe does.The mirth remains infectious even a long lifetime later.Not even the tiniest crack of creative manipulation intrudes into this spirited,witty and handsome re-telling of the most rooted of English legends.It is the kind of romp that no one makes any more. Modern day cinematic exuberance is generally relegated to parodies.(A bit of that kind of elan shows up in "The Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise but they are too self-consciously tongue-in-cheek to have the same impact.)
Norma Desmond, in the person of Gloria Swanson, said that "We didn't need dialogue. We had faces." They also had charisma, highly potent and full of an ease that the Studio System bred, through intense training and repetition,into all of its stars.Errol Flynn was one of Hollywood's most dynamic products, possessing a beacon-like charm and natural athleticism that made him the ideal Robin Hood ( in spite of the fact that the brass at Warner Brothers initially wanted James Cagney for the role).It is impossible to imagine a more ideal cast than those chosen to people this Technicolour version of Nottingham, which is like a stunning storybook sprung to ruddy,rude, pulsing life.
Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains,Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale, Una O'Connor and a heartbreakingly lovely Olivia de Havilland join in the intrigue, romance and revelry of the well-known tale.The sword-fights are real,the words are witty and the action is sublimely engaging.Few films hold such wide appeal: little boys,grown men, and women young and old have been mesmerised by Errol Flynn and gang for 70-plus years. This remains the best of the many renderings. It will never be topped for energy,joyousness,lushness or believability.
PHOTO:A portrait of ERROL FLYNN, shot a couple of years after he played Robin Hood.
