Not The Bill Collins Blog No.10: "The Adventures of Robin Hood"

There was a time when Australian actors who had an international presence were as rare as exit straegies for the US in Iraq. Chips Rafferty and Michael Pate had a few roles in the forties and fifties, whilst Frank Thring scored a few gigs in flicks like "Ben Hur" and "El Cid". Peter Finch and Rod Taylor also were moderately successful stars in the 50s, 60s and 70s, and that was about it. Before then, in the so-called golden years of Hollywood during the studio era the Aussie voice was almost totally silent. Except for one Tasmanian, who arguably was and still is the greatest Australian film star...Errol Flynn.

When it comes to the fine Hollywood arts of swashbuckling, boozing, womanising and pissing off the studio heavyweights Errol was the definitive archetype. A goodly percentage of the less cinematic qualities he possessed may have taken time to gather into full flood. But when it comes to the sword waving, duelling, fighting and loving in technicolour or black and white period pieces Errol was the go to man from 1938's "Captain Blood" through to "The Master of Ballantrae". Plus he could actually act! And all this was there for every and any movie goer in "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

As Hollywood interpretations of the old English myth this is the best, plain and simple. Forget the execrable Kevin Costner version, or the old British TV series with Richard Greene; accept no substitutes. From the moment Errol as Robin swings in onto a Sherwood Forest tree bough and says to Olivia De Havilland's Maid Marion "Welcome to Sherwood milady" you know that this is good gear.

It doesn't hurt that the supporting cast are so well put together and perform as both individual's but also as supports to the central act of Errol's. Alan Hale Snr is brawny and funny as the loyal Little John, whilst Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck has that appealing mix of silly gluttony and moral rectitude that has always made his character enjoyable through the centuries. Claude Rains brings the right degree of oily aristocratic evilness to the role of King John, whereas Melville Cooper is a more cowardly and foolish Sheriff than may have been expected. Yet it's De Havilland and Basil Rathbone who help Errol Flynn turn this version of the Robin Hood legend into great cinema.

De Havilland, Flynn and Rathbone had first appeared together as a triumvirate in "Captain Blood", and in some ways the performances of their characters continue the motifs from the earlier film. Olivia's Marian is at first not too keen on Errol's Robin, but of course all it takes is some good deeds, fine words, a swashed buckle and those oh-so-tight green 'uniform' for her to melt into Robin's arms. Olivia De Havilland was one of the greats when it came to being the not quite so helpless heroines of the Hollywood studio films, and her work with Errol Flynn will always be highly regarded.

Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisborne on the otherhand is a delight as the wicked nemesis of Errol's Robin Hood. With an intelligence and skill with swords that none of the other baddies can match, Rathbone's Gisborne is in fact a better villian because he makes life so hard for Errol's Robin. I've always thought that Basil Rathbone deserves more plaudits for his role in developing the character of the cad, the anti-hero, the conspiring and plotting villian as part of Hollywood tradition. And in fact if you look at his Sherlock Holmes films he brings that same slightly cruel wickedness deployed coolly and intelligently to that particular good-guy.

Yet all in all it is Errol Flynn's movie. Errol's Robin is the best lover, the best swordsman, the best archer, the best people's champion, the best joker and even the best Englishman (for an Aussie) seen in swashbucklers and action movies up to the time of "...Robin Hood"s' release. It could be argued he never performed as well again (although I disagree with that proposal...his work in "Too Much, Too Soon" as John Barrymore is the best of his performances), but it can't be argued that he defined how the action hero should be. There would be no Indiana Jones and legions of other later action heroes in Hollywood films if it weren't for Flynn.

Two very important other elements must be cited when reviewing "The Adventures of Robin Hood". Firstly, Michael Curtiz's direction is flawless. Yes, he was no Orson Welles or Sergei Eisenstein. Curtiz understood what the genre's requirements were, and he knew that the individual performance of the hero was central to the sucess of a film.

Secondly, "The Adventures of Robin Hood" looks wonderful thanks to its technicolor film and the respective work of the art director and costume designer. This is a lush film visually, and of course coming at a time when black and white was the norm the colors and tones of "Adventures..." really mark it out as a rich visual experience. There are two great achievements in technicolor film; one is "Gone With The Wind"...this is the other.

Finally my personal history with this movie is one that is tightly linked to the guy who's photo is below. "The Adventures of Robin Hood" was a standard and frequent showing on Bill Collin's "Golden Years of Hollywood" on Channel 10 during the 1970s. I must haved watched it at least 2 or 3 times with Bill getting hyper about Errol, Olivia, Basil etc etc. I haven't got a copy on DVD right now, but when I have a few spare dollars it's certainly one I'll throw into my JB Hi Fi basket.

My Rating: 3.5 Bills