Adventures of Robin Hood [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In order to avoid the material copyrighted by Douglas Fairbanks Sr. for his 1922 Robin Hood, the scripters of this Flynn version relied on several legendary episodes that had never before been filmed, notably the battle between Robin and Little John (Alan Hale Sr., who played this part three times in his long career) and the "piggy-back" episode between Robin and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette). The film ties together the various ancient anecdotes with a storyline bounded by the capture in Austria of Richard the Lionheart (Ian Hunter) on one end and Richard's triumphant return to England on the other. Robin Hood is already an outlaw at the outset of the film, while Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland) is initially part of the enemy camp, as one of Prince John's (Claude Rains) entourage. Marian warms up to Robin's fight against injustice (and to Robin himself), eventually becoming a trusted ally. James Cagney was originally announced for the role of Robin Hood, just before Cagney left Warner Bros. in a salary dispute. William Keighley was the original director, but he worked too slowly to suit the tight production schedule and was replaced by Michael Curtiz (both men receive screen credit). A lengthy opening jousting sequence was shot but removed from the final print; portions of this sequence show up as stock footage in the 1957 Warners film The Story of Mankind. The chestnut-colored Palomino horse ridden by de Havilland in the Sherwood Forest scenes later gained screen stardom as Roy Rogers' Trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Black and White
• Subtitle: English, French, Spanish
• Features:
  • Commentary by film historian Rudy Behlmer
  • Leonard Maltin hosts Warner Night at the Movies 1938 featuring vintage newsreel, musical short Freddie Rich and His Orchestra, classic cartoon Katnip Kollege and Angels With Dirty Faces theatrical trailer
  • 2 in-depth documentaries:
  • Welcome to Sherwood: The Story of The Adventures of Robin Hood
  • Glorious Technicolor, celebrating this revered color filmmaking process
  • Outtakes
  • Robin Hood Through the Ages: Excerpts from the 1912 first screen adaptation, Douglas Fairbanks' rousing 1922 silent and this 1938 version - dubbed in German
  • A Journey to Sherwood Forest: Basil Rathbone and Erich Wolfgang Korngold home movies shot during production
  • 2 classic cartoons: Rabbit Hood and Robin Hood Daffy
  • Splitting the Arrow: historical art, costume design, scene concept drawings, cast & crew, publicity & poster galleries
  • 2 vintage short subjects: Cavalcade of Archery and The Cruise of the Zaca
  • Breakdowns of 1938: Studio Blooper Reel
  • 3 audio-only bonuses:
  • Music-only audio track showcasing the film's Oscar Winning score
  • The Robin Hood Radio Show
  • Korngold Piano Sessions
  • Errol Flynn trailer gallery

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Art Direction - 1938 (Carl Jules Weyl)
•     Won Best Editing - 1938 (Ralph Dawson)
•     Won Best Score - 1938 (Erich Wolfgang Korngold)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1938

• Film Daily

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1938

• Library of Congress

•     Won U.S. National Film Registry - 1994

• New York Times

•     Won 10 Best Films - 1938

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Errol Flynn - Robin Hood
       Olivia de Havilland - Maid Marian
       Basil Rathbone - Sir Guy of Gisbourne
       Claude Rains - Prince John
       Patric Knowles - Will Scarlett

• Director:

  Michael Curtiz, William Keighley

• Producer:

  Henry Blanke, Hal B. Wallis

• Book Author:

  Walter Scott

• Screenwriter:

  Seton Miller, Norman Reilly Raine

• Cinematographer:

  Tony Gaudio, Sol Polito

• Composer (Music Score):

  Erich Wolfgang Korngold

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Leo F. Forbstein

• Editor:

  Ralph Dawson

• Art Director:

  Carl Jules Weyl

REVIEWS:

• {#The Adventures of Robin Hood} is one of the screen's greatest {\adventure} films and an excellent example of how the studio system's production-by-committee method could create synergistically what, in that era, likely could not have been created by any single force. The hero behind the camera is co-director {$Michael Curtiz}, who was installed by the corporate chiefs at {@Warner Bros.} midway through production. {$Curtiz} had little to do, though, with the impeccably selected cast. {$Errol Flynn} may not have been the studio's first choice, but he is the screen's greatest {%Robin Hood}. Among the film's many pleasures, you can watch for the meticulous attention to detail that was a hallmark of {$Curtiz}'s work. Incidentally, if you're wondering how the special effects were done on the split arrow stunt, there were no special effects. The astonishing shot was performed by professional archer {$Howard Hill} who needed only one take. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
• The Adventures of Robin Hood is one of the screen's greatest adventure films and an excellent example of how the studio system's production-by-committee method could create synergistically what, in that era, likely could not have been created by any single force. The hero behind the camera is co-director Michael Curtiz, who was installed by the corporate chiefs at Warner Bros. midway through production. Curtiz had little to do, though, with the impeccably selected cast. Errol Flynn may not have been the studio's first choice, but he is the screen's greatest Robin Hood. Among the film's many pleasures, you can watch for the meticulous attention to detail that was a hallmark of Curtiz's work. Incidentally, if you're wondering how the special effects were done on the split arrow stunt, there were no special effects. The astonishing shot was performed by professional archer Howard Hill who needed only one take. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide

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