THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938)

THE FILM

FILM DIRECTOR: Michael Curtiz

SCREENWRITER: Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller, Rowland Leigh

FILM STARS: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale, Sr., Melville Cooper, Ian Hunter, Una O’Connor, Herbert Mundin, Montagu Love, Carole Landis, Trigger (as Lady Marian’s horse)

COUNTRY: USA

THIS BOOK

AUTHOR: none

TYPE: Novel

PUBLISHER: Ward, Lock & Co

THIS EDITION PUBLISHED: 1938

COUNTRY: Great Britain

COVER: Hardcover

THE ORIGINAL BOOK

ORIGINAL AUTHOR: None

YEAR FIRST PUBLISHED: 1938

ORIGINAL BOOK TITLE: The film title

NOTES

GENRE: Adventure

WORDS: Okay, a kids book to cash in on a adventure film which kids liked, and, which grown ups liked.  This is a novelization is perhaps a “true novelization”. Most novelizations are books written from screenplays so the books can be released at the same time to cash in on the film. This novelization is also, no doubt, rushed out to coincide with the film, but, because it is aimed at a younger audience, it is less fussy with detail and takes the form of narrative with some description … basically describing what is said and going on on-screen with pictures to go along with the action. In the days before TV, VHS and DVD this is the way you re-lived the magic of the movie.

Today, with easy access to the film, this is not worth reading … but what a book! The colour plates (and the sepia scenes) are spectacular and vivid which gives the book coffee table book gravitas … leave this lying around and you are more likely to strike up a conversation about the film than if you left around a straight film edition or novelisation.

The film is, spectacular. Made in 1938 it was a big budget quality production. Directed by the great Michael Curtiz and starring the great Errol Flynn (along with Rod Taylor (and Mel Gibson) the greatest of Australian actors) in perhaps his best role and he is backed by a great leading lady, Olivia de Havilland, and a superb supporting cast (especially Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains and Alan Hale). This is intelligent escapism with never a dull moment and not one shaky camera used. You don’t need a shaky camera to get across action if you have a good director and cast. The sets are impressive (no CGI), the colour is vivid (no down and dirty colour), the costumes are marvellous and the tone pitched perfectly between serious and comedic but always with an eye on adventure. I love this film. Loved it as a kid and love it now. It’s one that adults and kids can both watch (much like the Raiders of the Lost Ark films). A while back I watched this movie with my young kids, and they loved it. We watched it again when they were teens and they still loved it. I suspect they will love it as adults. There is something perfect about the daring do, the chivalry, the romance, the fight between good and bad, the lack of moral greys. Whether it is accurate or not who knows (and, ultimately, who cares). There is some debate whether Robin Hood (who steals from the rich to give to the poor)  existed and if he did he certainly wasn’t the Robin Hood that came to be familiar in English folklore and then in subsequent literature, film and television. Many actors have played Robin Hood Douglas Fairbanks, Jon Hall, John Derek, Richard Todd, Richard Greene, Lex Barker, George Segal, Patrick Bergin, Kevin Costner, Cary Elwes, Devon Sawa, Russell Crowe, Taron Egerton and others but Errol Flynn is the most memorable and the best, hands down. My opinion, but I’m not the only one.

I would love to see this on the big screen. Until then it’s the big screen at home.

If you haven’t seen it

A. Shame on You.

B. Go watch it now.

EXTRACTS

The Book

Some Colour Plates

FILM TRIVIA NOTE

Roy Rogers admired Maid Marian’s horse, then-named Golden Cloud, so much that he bought it (in 1943), renamed it Trigger to use in his own films. Trigger became one of the most famous animals in show business.

LINKS

TRAILER