Rent The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Classic Romantic Adventure - The Adventures of Robin Hood review by GI

British history, even when it's the legendary bits, has been richly mined by cinema not least Hollywood. This is the quintessential historical romantic adventure film that follows the children's Robin Hood stories. It's a rousing swashbuckler full of sword fights, archery battles and a classic tale of good versus evil. All the famous scenes are here, including the archery contest, Robin's rescue from the gallows and the return of Richard The Lionheart (Ian Hunter). Beautifully filmed in rich technicolour it stars the inimitable Errol Flynn, whose best films involved swordplay, the classic cinematic hero. As Robin Hood he dons green tights to fight the dastardly Guy of Gisborne (Basil Rathbone) and the treasonous Prince John (Claude Rains) to literally rob the rich to give to the poor and all for the love of King and Country....oh and the Lady Marian (Olivia de Havilland). This is a wonderful film, one you probably saw as a child and were captivated by the spectacle and action which is fast and fun. There's a famous score by composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold and it's a fine example of the use of leitmotifs. Arguably this is the greatest Robin Hood film, this is cinema at its purest, a wonderful film, and one to enjoy time and time again.