The Adventures of Robin Hood

"Excitement... Danger... Suspense... as this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen!"

1938 1h 42m EN

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7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 879

AdventureRomanceAction

Synopsis

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Robin Hood fights nobly for justice against the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne while striving to win the hand of the beautiful Maid Marian.

“Excitement... Danger... Suspense... as this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen!”

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Cast

Errol Flynn
Robin Hood
Olivia de Havilland
Maid Marian
Basil Rathbone
Sir Guy of Gisbourne
Claude Rains
Prince John
Patric Knowles
Will Scarlett
Eugene Pallette
Friar Tuck
Alan Hale
Little John
Melville Cooper
High Sheriff of Nottingham

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Keighley
Writers: Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

88 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Keighley, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Excitement... Danger... Suspense... as this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0029843 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Keighley directs. Sol Polito behind the camera. Erich Wolfgang Korngold scores. Ralph Dawson cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
288 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by William Keighley, shot by Sol Polito. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Ralph Dawson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Excitement... Danger... Suspense... as this classic adventure story sweeps across the screen!".
8IMDB entry: tt0029843 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "sword", "repayment", "robin hood", "archer".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sol Polito
Original score: Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Editing: Ralph Dawson
Costume design: Milo Anderson
Makeup / hair: Perc Westmore
Runtime: 102 min · 1h 42m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,033,000
Box office: $3,981,000
Return: 196% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Original Score
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
Academy Award for Best Production Design

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William Keighley

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Quincey_Morris2019-01-26
★ 10/10
The Definitive Robin Hood A classic in beautiful Technicolor with iconic fencing scenes, dastardly villains, and the definitive Robin and Marian. Mixing adventure, humor, and romance, Michael Curtiz’s film set the bar for Robin Hood movies for decades, so much so that there was a slew of Robin Hood movies in the 40s and 50s that were actually about the sons and daughters of Robin Hood, not wanting to be compared to this version. All the iconic scenes from the story are there, from the staff fight with Little John to the archery contest to Marian’s rescue. Errol Flynn’s best known performance, with De Havilland and Rathbone memorable as Maid Marian and Sir Guy of Gisborne. A treat for young and old.
CinemaSerf2022-03-28
★ 8/10
Outstanding - no other word for this. Easily the best of the adaptations of the "Robin Hood" stories of English folklore from the end of the 13th century. The magnificent colour, costumes, sword and archery prowess, even the slightly unconvincing sets all contribute to an excellent effort. Errol Flynn leads as as the loyal, mischievous outlaw who defies and systematically robs the rich and redistributes to the poor, whilst he awaits the return of the kidnapped King Richard from his prison in Austria. Basil Rathbone, as "Guy of Gisbourne" steals this for me; he really does convey a degree of menace and I certainly would rather he had come out on top in the end!! Olivia de Havilland and Claude Rains are brilliant too - as is the underrated Melville Cooper as the hugely incompetent High Sheriff, and Alan Hale who reprises his role as "Little John" from the 1922 (Douglas Fairbanks) silent version of this legend. Eugene Pallette and Patric Knowles lead the rest of the usual suspects who make up a wonderfully enthusiastic supporting cast and Korngold comes up with, arguably, his best score of all for this fantastic historical drama.