Reflections
on “The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938)
Written
by Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller
Directed
by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley
Starring
Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains
A video presentation of this material is available here.
I have long since
championed this film as one of the best examples of its genre, if not the
best. As an entertaining historical adventure film, few can match it. The
storyline and main themes are easily summarised and identified, and are likely
to appeal to most.
Hard-working, honest and
relatively poor citizens are being exploited and oppressed by a self-serving
and scheming ruling class who consider themselves superior by birth to those
they govern.
Their defender is a man
of principle willing to renounce a life of privilege in order to pursue justice
while shielding and protecting those being abused.
Men and women are judged
by the values they adhere to and act upon, with fraternity, fairness and honour
the bonding principles of some, as opposed to upholding a ruling elite and
pursuing self-interest for others. The film makes its points very clearly and
unequivocally. There are no psychological shades of grey here, characters are
black or white, good or bad.
This is a film that
inspires, involves and moves its audience while never losing sight of its
principal purpose to entertain, and that is the key to the longevity of its
appeal. Many films have dealt with similar themes but this one delivers its worthy
message while alternating between threat and a tone of lightness and self-aware
fun.
Of course, many films and
film series have since adopted a similar tone. The early James Bonds, Star Wars
and Indiana Jones, to name but a few, have all been influenced, to varying
degrees, by the inclusion of knowing humour and self-awareness, and that notion
can, I suggest, be traced back to “Robin Hood”, both in terms of the writing
and performance.
The key to success and
lasting appeal for any adventure film is in the balance of the elements that go
to make it, and in the case of “Robin Hood”, that balance is just about
perfect.
Threat must be real and
credible, and tension must be created. Considerable effort is made to develop
threat and tension in many scenes in “Robin Hood” – the meal in the castle, the
archery tournament and the combat in Nottingham Castle – and the antagonists
are usually defeated with skill, heroism and wit, often with an action or a
line that diminishes the foe or shows humanity or a foible in our “hero”, thus
engaging affection, admiration and engagement in the audience.
The characters may be
relatively uncomplicated representations of attitude or thought, but they are
made human, interesting and entertaining by inclusion of personal
characteristics and quirks, and through interaction with others, often with
humorous, romantic or threatening overtones.
Serious points are made,
emphasising values, justice and common decency, but they are made through
characters and a script that entertain without condescension or moralising.
Performance is an essential feature in delivering all these elements and must
contain a combination of sincerity, threat and light-heartedness. Lines are sometimes
delivered if not to the audience, then for the audience. These
are lines that may have a connotation for or connection with the public,
regularly at the expense of an unsuspecting foe, and make the audience complicit
in the action. This may be said to peek over, if not actually break, the fourth
wall, and invites a form of collusion.
Errol Flynn was the
perfect incarnation for this “new” style of heroic engagement with an audience.
He manages to combine a knowing self-awareness in places, almost as if he is
sharing a joke with the audience, with a sincere and inspiring delivery and
performance when showing compassion or aiming to motivate his men. He receives
credit-worthy support from his co-stars who all play to the general tone of the
piece.
The direction dynamically
reflects the pace and style of the script and the whole is complemented and
enhanced by the luscious colour photography and Korngold’s wonderful music
which, like the film itself, can be dramatic or playful. And, just as the film
may have influenced later film-makers, this music and its orchestration has also
exercised an influence on later film composers.
Film-making may have
developed enormously on a technical level since this film was made, but in
terms of the combination of writing, direction and performance in the
action/adventure genre, and the creation of a refreshingly witty and involving
style, this film is, in my opinion, virtually without equal.
My thanks for taking the
time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie
I can be contacted at stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk .
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