The Adventures Of Robin Hood [1938]

The decadent Prince John (a smoothly conniving Claude Rains) takes advantage of King Richard's absence to tax the country into poverty but meets his match in the medieval guerrilla rebel Robin Hood and his Merry Men of Sherwood Forest, who rise up and, to quote a cliché coined by the film, "steal from the rich and give to the poor". Stocky Alan Hale Sr plays Robin's loyal friend Little John (a part he played in Douglas Fairbanks' silent version), Eugene Palette plays the portly Friar Tuck and Melville Cooper is the bumbling Sheriff of Nottingham. Flynn's confidence and cocky charm makes for a perfect Robin and his easygoing manner is a marvellous counterpoint to Rathbone's regal bearing and courtly diction. The film climaxes in their rousing battle-to-the-finish sword fight, a magnificently choreographed scene highlighted by Curtiz's inventive use of shadows cast upon the castle walls. --Sean Axmaker

For the first time they have managed to tame the highly over saturated Technicolor of the original film, and we can see it with a natural colour balance revealing masses of previously hidden detail. As a result all our favourite bits of the film are better that ever, the perfect cast of Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Raines, and the music of Korngold, the magnificent sets.

But it wasn't originally planned like this, and the excellent special features and commentary by Rudy Behlmer provide endless detail and fascinating facts. In addition there are light hearted extras,, two Robin Hood inspired Looney Tunes, two other shorts and a varied and not always relevant section called "Night at the movies 1938".

A wonderful re-issue of a wonderful film.