The Adventures of Robin Hood (film): Difference between revisions

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[[File:The-Adventures-of-Robin-hood-poster.jpg|thumb|350px|An impudent, reckless rogue who goes about the shires stirring up the Saxons against authority!]]
[[File:The-Adventures-of-Robin-hood-poster.jpg|thumb|350px|An impudent, reckless rogue who goes about the shires stirring up the Saxons against authority!]]


'''''The Adventures of Robin Hood''''' is a 1938 [[Warner Brothers]] [[Swashbuckler]] film, directed by Michael Curtiz, William Keighley, and B. Reeves Eason, and starring [[Errol Flynn]], considered by many the definitive cinematic version of the ''[[Robin Hood]]'' legend. The film won three [[Academy Award|Academy Awards]], for Best Art Direction (Carl Jules Weyl), Best Film Editing (Ralph Dawson), and Best Original Score ([[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]).
'''''The Adventures of Robin Hood''''' is a 1938 [[Warner Brothers]] [[Swashbuckler]] film, directed by Michael Curtiz, William Keighley, and B. Reeves Eason, and starring [[Errol Flynn]], considered by many the definitive cinematic version of the ''[[Robin Hood]]'' legend. The film won three [[Academy Award]]s, for Best Art Direction (Carl Jules Weyl), Best Film Editing (Ralph Dawson), and Best Original Score ([[Erich Wolfgang Korngold]]).


{{tropelist}}
{{tropelist}}
* [[Affably Evil]]: Prince John is a smiling, jolly, Prince of a fellow -- even while he is ordering a minion to stab Robin in the back.
* [[Affably Evil]]: Prince John is a smiling, jolly, Prince of a fellow—even while he is ordering a minion to stab Robin in the back.
* [[Age Lift]]: The 48-year-old [[Claude Rains]] is cast as Prince John -- who was actually 26 at the time of Richard's imprisonment. (By contrast, John's ''older'' brother [[Richard the Lion Heart|Richard]], 37 at the time of his return from Germany, was played by 38-year-old Ian Hunter.)
* [[Age Lift]]: The 48-year-old [[Claude Rains]] is cast as Prince John—who was actually 26 at the time of Richard's imprisonment. (By contrast, John's ''older'' brother [[Richard the Lion Heart|Richard]], 37 at the time of his return from Germany, was played by 38-year-old Ian Hunter.)
* [[Annoying Arrows]]: Averted as being hit by Robin's arrows is apparently instant death, justified of course by the fact that we are talking about ''[[Robin Hood]]'' here...
* [[Annoying Arrows]]: Averted as being hit by Robin's arrows is apparently instant death, justified of course by the fact that we are talking about ''[[Robin Hood]]'' here...
* [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign|As Long As It Sounds Medieval]]: The Bishop of the Black Canons asks Prince John by what authority he claims to receive the blessing of the Church as Defender of the Holy Sepulcher. This is arrant nonsense, as the Defender of the Holy Sepulcher was the title of [[The Crusades|Godfrey de Bouillon]] as Christian ruler of ''Jerusalem'' and had nothing to do with England at all. (Oddly enough, the real Prince John as a boy actually ''was'' offered the position of Defender of the Holy Sepulcher, but his father turned it down for him, and sent him to Ireland instead.)
* [[As Long as It Sounds Foreign|As Long As It Sounds Medieval]]: The Bishop of the Black Canons asks Prince John by what authority he claims to receive the blessing of the Church as Defender of the Holy Sepulcher. This is arrant nonsense, as the Defender of the Holy Sepulcher was the title of [[The Crusades|Godfrey de Bouillon]] as Christian ruler of ''Jerusalem'' and had nothing to do with England at all. (Oddly enough, the real Prince John as a boy actually ''was'' offered the position of Defender of the Holy Sepulcher, but his father turned it down for him, and sent him to Ireland instead.)
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* [[The Evil Prince]]: Again Prince John.
* [[The Evil Prince]]: Again Prince John.
* [[Fanfare]]: Korngold composed several for this film, notably one on solo trumpet for Robin (reused in his symphonic piece, ''Sursum Corda'') and a recurring one for the Normans.
* [[Fanfare]]: Korngold composed several for this film, notably one on solo trumpet for Robin (reused in his symphonic piece, ''Sursum Corda'') and a recurring one for the Normans.
* [[Flynning]]: Fred Cavens deliberately designed all the movements of the duels to be as large and visible as possible. This is the benchmark for cinematic [[Sword Fight|Sword Fights]], rarely equaled and never surpassed.
* [[Flynning]]: Fred Cavens deliberately designed all the movements of the duels to be as large and visible as possible. This is the benchmark for cinematic [[Sword Fight]]s, rarely equaled and never surpassed.
* [[The Full Name Adventures]]: You were expecting ''The Adventures of Someone Else''?
* [[The Full Name Adventures]]: You were expecting ''The Adventures of Someone Else''?
* [[Hero Ball]]/[[Idiot Ball]]: For all the awesome in this movie, Robin's slip that gives him away at the archery tournament was pretty stupid.
* [[Hero Ball]]/[[Idiot Ball]]: For all the awesome in this movie, Robin's slip that gives him away at the archery tournament was pretty stupid.
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* [[King Incognito]]: Richard first appears in the film as a traveling pilgrim, then as a wandering abbot, ''then'' as one of the Bishop's black canons.
* [[King Incognito]]: Richard first appears in the film as a traveling pilgrim, then as a wandering abbot, ''then'' as one of the Bishop's black canons.
* [[Kneel Before Frodo]]: "All these...have remained loyal."
* [[Kneel Before Frodo]]: "All these...have remained loyal."
* [[Land in the Saddle]]: Robin pulls off this jump with his hands tied behind his back. (Well, he's supposed to -- if you watch closely, the stunt guy's hands move in front of his body in one shot.)
* [[Land in the Saddle]]: Robin pulls off this jump with his hands tied behind his back. (Well, he's supposed to—if you watch closely, the stunt guy's hands move in front of his body in one shot.)
* [[Men of Sherwood]]: Robin's men not only competently carry out the attack on Sir Guy's treasure caravan, but they also execute Robin's rescue from hanging even without his leadership. (The [[Trope Namer]])
* [[Men of Sherwood]]: Robin's men not only competently carry out the attack on Sir Guy's treasure caravan, but they also execute Robin's rescue from hanging even without his leadership. (The [[Trope Namer]])
* [[Musicalis Interruptus]] (sort of): The film features Will Scarlet as Robin's sidekick, presenting him as a minstrel-like figure (the usual minstrel figure, Allan-a-Dale, does not appear in the film). In the original script, Will actually was to have sung a song; however, an agreement with [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer|MGM]] prevented Warners from including any original musical numbers in their films in 1938, so Will's minstrelsy is reduced to a few chords on a mandolin at the beginning of Robin's quarterstaff bout with Little John. In effect, the [[Musicalis Interruptus|Interruptus]] took place before he even...er...touched his G-string.
* [[Musicalis Interruptus]] (sort of): The film features Will Scarlet as Robin's sidekick, presenting him as a minstrel-like figure (the usual minstrel figure, Allan-a-Dale, does not appear in the film). In the original script, Will actually was to have sung a song; however, an agreement with [[Metro Goldwyn Mayer|MGM]] prevented Warners from including any original musical numbers in their films in 1938, so Will's minstrelsy is reduced to a few chords on a mandolin at the beginning of Robin's quarterstaff bout with Little John. In effect, the [[Musicalis Interruptus|Interruptus]] took place before he even...er...touched his G-string.
* [[Not Even Bothering with the Accent]]: Of the main cast, only Prince John, the Sheriff, the Bishop, Will Scarlet, and Much are played by actual Englishmen, although King Richard and Sir Guy, both South Africans, and Robin, a Tasmanian, still speak received English. Maid Marian was of British parentage, though born in Tokyo and raised in California, and her maid Bess was from Northern Ireland. Little John and Friar Tuck remain thoroughly American, particularly the latter -- yet somehow this seems less disturbing than in other [[Robin Hood]] films. Sheer style, perhaps?
* [[Not Even Bothering with the Accent]]: Of the main cast, only Prince John, the Sheriff, the Bishop, Will Scarlet, and Much are played by actual Englishmen, although King Richard and Sir Guy, both South Africans, and Robin, a Tasmanian, still speak received English. Maid Marian was of British parentage, though born in Tokyo and raised in California, and her maid Bess was from Northern Ireland. Little John and Friar Tuck remain thoroughly American, particularly the latter—yet somehow this seems less disturbing than in other [[Robin Hood]] films. Sheer style, perhaps?
* [[Not So Harmless]]: As noted on the main [[Robin Hood]] page, the film slightly reshuffles the usual villain roles, leaving us with Sir Guy as [[The Dragon]] to Prince John's [[Big Bad]] -- the Sheriff is pretty much demoted to a [[Cowardly Sidekick]]. Oddly enough, though, the Sheriff, despite his surface buffoonery, is clever enough a) to realize Prince John's treasure caravan should take extra precautions against Robin Hood (he is overruled by Sir Guy), b) to devise a plan that actually captures Robin, and c) to survive the big final battle and to be merely exiled rather than executed.
* [[Not So Harmless]]: As noted on the main [[Robin Hood]] page, the film slightly reshuffles the usual villain roles, leaving us with Sir Guy as [[The Dragon]] to Prince John's [[Big Bad]]—the Sheriff is pretty much demoted to a [[Cowardly Sidekick]]. Oddly enough, though, the Sheriff, despite his surface buffoonery, is clever enough a) to realize Prince John's treasure caravan should take extra precautions against Robin Hood (he is overruled by Sir Guy), b) to devise a plan that actually captures Robin, and c) to survive the big final battle and to be merely exiled rather than executed.
* [[People of Hair Color]]: Largely averted. We are told of the dissension between Normans and Saxons, but its racial aspect is not notably stressed. Of the principals, on the Saxon side, only Will Scarlet is portrayed as a blond (possibly the better to contrast with his costume); Robin, Little John, Friar Tuck, and Much have light to medium brown hair. Of the Normans, King Richard (so far as we can tell) has brown hair; Prince John has dark red hair; Marian has reddish-brown hair; the Bishop has gray hair; Sir Guy and the rest of the Norman knights have dark brown to black hair. One may compare these portrayals to those of [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Merry_Adventures_of_Robin_Hood,_2_Frontispiece.png Howard Pyle] or [http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens1522758module8983548photo_USAwyeth.jpg1207336915 N.C. Wyeth]{{Dead link}}.
* [[People of Hair Color]]: Largely averted. We are told of the dissension between Normans and Saxons, but its racial aspect is not notably stressed. Of the principals, on the Saxon side, only Will Scarlet is portrayed as a blond (possibly the better to contrast with his costume); Robin, Little John, Friar Tuck, and Much have light to medium brown hair. Of the Normans, King Richard (so far as we can tell) has brown hair; Prince John has dark red hair; Marian has reddish-brown hair; the Bishop has gray hair; Sir Guy and the rest of the Norman knights have dark brown to black hair. One may compare these portrayals to those of [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Merry_Adventures_of_Robin_Hood,_2_Frontispiece.png Howard Pyle] or [http://static.squidoo.com/resize/squidoo_images/-1/draft_lens1522758module8983548photo_USAwyeth.jpg1207336915 N.C. Wyeth]{{Dead link}}.
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Sir Guy delivers a brief one at Lady Marian's trial for high treason; she replies with a brief [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] of her own.
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: Sir Guy delivers a brief one at Lady Marian's trial for high treason; she replies with a brief [[Shut UP, Hannibal]] of her own.
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