A Challenge for Robin Hood

There are probably a lot of you out there who will be keen to get hold of this DVD for all the wrong reasons. The fact that it is a 'Hammer' film is really neither here nor there - there is nothing notably 'Hammerish' about it, other than the fact that it's British. Robin Hood fans will find the thigh-slapping bonhomie, stilted dialogue and hammy fighting almost comical, perhaps more so than Richard Greene's TV Series from the 1950's.  Yet the film has an indisputable 'boy's own' charm about it; more like an adventure serial than a movie in its own right. It's more 'Flashing Blade' than 'Braveheart' - and if you don't get the reference then you're either too young, or too old to really appreciate this film. It's notable that Director C.M Pennington-Richards cut his teeth on TV series like 'The Buccaneers' and the early Roger Moore vehicle, 'Ivanhoe'. To some degree, this film represents business as usual.  


So for those who enjoy 'Boy's Own' style children's TV drama from the 60's - well, you're probably going to enjoy this far more than you ought to. I know I did.

Curiously, 'Robin Hood' is played here by the terribly British, but scarcely known, Barry Ingham. Known more for his omni-presence in TV bit-parts throughout the 60's (both in the UK and the USA), Cult TV fans may know him best for appearances in 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)' and the original 'Dr.Who'.


This version of the legend really does try to pack it all in, rather like a TV drama serial might, from the 'Robert of Huntingdon' origins through to his resolve to fight back against injustice, to the gathering of his 'Merry Men', to the defeat of his cousin Roger and his evil cohort, the infamous Sheriff of Nottingham. As Robert De Courtenay, Ingham starts out as a well meaning Norman nobleman who is framed for murder by his evil, grasping Cousin Roger (played slightly campily by Peter Blythe).
Robin makes a new life for himself in Sherwood Forest where he meets and is joined by Friar Tuck, Alan-A-Dale, Little John and Will Scarlett (James Hayter, Eric Flynn, Leon Greene and Douglas Mitchell). James Hayter is particularly notable as Friar Tuck, a role he had previously played in the "The Story of Robin Hood and his Merrie Men" (1952). It's pretty much a men's film full of men though Maid Marian does make a brief appearance or two, though the romance is made little of.


The film, whilst delighting the young and the nostalgic, will look positively creaky to the modern viewer. Costumes appear to have been zipped at the back, aeroplane vapour trails are visible above the castle and there is clearly a car moving along the horizon of an exterior shot at a village fair. But to be fair, these do little to spoil enjoyment of what is, after all, a low-budget wheeze of an adventure, never intended to be critically dissected or pored over frame by frame by DVD critics.


Many will remember this film from their childhood with a warm nostalgic glow. Oft repeated on TV in the early 80's during rainy half-terms, it's not only the near fifty-year olds who will be pleased by this release.


The picture quality is very pleasing, even on my 42" set. In fact, it looked positively cinematic.
Audio is original mono and is adequately presented. There are no extras on the disc at all, though on so marginal a release with little hope of a substantial return we shouldn't be surprised or complain about that. It's great that there are organisations around who are prepared to release under-appreciated gems like this at all.