Robin Hood (1922)

Robin Hood was a dream project for dashing Douglas Fairbanks and he brought the full resources of his studio to the film, building the largest standing set ever for Prince John's magnificent castle and filling open plains with thousands of extras. The sense of scale still awes audiences, yet none of it detracts from the vigorous presence of Fairbanks, a hearty hero with grace, gymnastic prowess, and a sense of humor as big as Sherwood Forest. It takes some time for this first incarnation of the great bandit hero to get started--the first hour is a little slow as it establishes the conflict between Prince John and the Earl of Huntington (Fairbanks) in moody scenes inside the dark, torch-lit castle. But when the disenfranchised Earl transforms into forest warrior Robin Hood with a gazelle-like entrance, the film becomes a sweeping adventure classic full of swordfights, jousts, larger-than-life stunts, and Fairbanks's brand of jaunty heroism. Allan Dwan balances the enormous sense of scale with scenes of intimacy and quiet, all realized in a rich black-and-white palette of contrasts both bold and delicate. Wallace Beery costars as Richard the Lionhearted with Fairbanks favorite Sam De Grasse as the villainous Prince John and Alan Hale as Robin's faithful squire turned comrade in arms Little John, a role he also played in the famous Errol Flynn remake of 1938. Fairbanks fans each have their favorites, but all agree than none is as magnificent as Robin Hood. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com essential video

"Damn their black hides! I'll lash them till they bleat!" Robin Hood

We are watching a 1.4 million dollar early production of "Robin Hood" (1922).
The sets were the most expensive at the time.

King Richard the Lion-Hearted (Wallace Beery) oversees a tournament just before the great crusades. The winner of course is a night The Earl of Huntingdon (Douglas Fairbanks.) What does he win? The right to be Richards's right hand man in the Crusades. Richard knowing that the Earl is woman shy forces the winner to be surrounded by every female available.

While the king is away on the Crusades, his brother has a plan in process to userp the thrown and practices his evil ways on the people of England.

Can no one save them? Is there no leader to champion their cause against oppression?

This is the KINO international film.
We are al familiar with the most popular version of Robin Hood and this film pretty much follows form. However (it just may be from watching it nearly a century later) Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Enid Bennett) looks like a sixties hippy. Who ever picked the music? The film is almost better off without it; this is some sort of electronic concoction.

Of course after the fact better versions of the story were filmed. However that can not distract that this one was a biggie in its day; the premiere was held at Grauman's brand new Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

To get a better background on the story I suggest you read about the cinematic history of Robin.
Robin Hood: A Cinematic History of the English Outlaw and His Scottish Counterparts by Scott Allen Nollen (May 1999)


Robin Hood: A Cinematic History of the English Outlaw and His Scottish Counterparts August 27, 2007

Douglas Fairbanks-Robin Hood DVD

1922 (silent-version) The first version of Robin Hood, with Douglas Fairbanks is a great movie. My favorite scene is the jousting tournament at the beginning of the movie. The movie cost $1 million in 1922, a huge sum for a new art form at the time.

The movie is unintentionally funny at times, because the actor playing Richard the Lionhearted is Wallace Beery, who I know better as the gravelly voiced character actor from so many old westerns.

This story of Robin Hood, focuses more on the Crusades, Richard Lionheart and Robin Hood. Rather than the story of Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and Prince John. That most of us are more familiar with.

You can see where the 1938 movie, The Adventures of Robin Hood got its ideas for sets, as well as story points. Although, in 1938, they definitely had to have a better script writer.

So if you are a fan of silent movies, movie history, or the immortal Douglas Fairbanks. I'd definitely put this movie on my list as one to get.

This DVD may not work on all portable DVD players, it does however work on your PC, or any DVD player, attached to a TV set. I only add this, because the DVD, which I purchased from Amazon did not work correctly on my portable 7 inch Audiovox player. However, I had no trouble playing the disc, on any other player, I tested. February 1, 2007

A wonderful costume drama

Though perhaps not as consistently action-filled and developed plotwise as other of Fairbanks's films, I really enjoyed this one. I was prepared for it to be a typical silent costume drama as it began, but though it does have a number of the same potential drawbacks (particularly for someone new to the silent cinema), such as an awful lot of intertitles, a plot that could use more definition and shape, a lot of different characters to keep track of, and a longer running time than most silents, it's a lot more interesting and faster-paced than most seem to be. And some people aren't going to like costume dramas anyway because not everyone likes history, or at least the historical era in that particular film. Medieval history was never one of my own fields of interest until just recently; in the past several years I've come to love that era more and more, so the historical setting held an added interest for me. (Usually these costume dramas seem to be set in 17th or 18th century France.) The first half of the film does move a bit slowly at times, which certainly could bore some people, but that serves to set up the situation and characters. This cinematic device can work very well at really drawing the viewer into the story and keeping his or her interest in the slowly but surely unfolding plot. The second half is much more action-packed, the kind of thing Doug was famous for, even though it's not the movie to watch if you're interested in seeing him take center-stage for most of the action. With so many other characters here, he's not always going to be the center of the action or even onscreen at all.

Although the jury is still out on just who the real Robin Hood was and when exactly he lived (he appeared on the scene anywhere between 1190 and the 1320s), this version of the famous story is the one that most people are the most familiar with. Robert, Earl of Huntingdon, is in a jousting match witnessed by his good buddy, King Richard I (the Lionhearted), and his jerk of a brother Prince John (later King John I). Prince John's henchman, Sir Guy of Gisbourne, has buckled himself into his saddle to ensure himself of a win, but to his surprise is easily beaten anyway by Huntingdon. It then comes out that Huntingdon is afraid of women, so much so he has trouble getting one to put the wreath of laurels on his head. This fear of women, however, is soon cured when he catches Prince John trying to abduct Lady Marian, whom he, of course, falls head over heels in love with at first sight. King Richard is pleased as punch that his friend finally has a woman to fight for, particularly since they're about to leave on the Third Crusade. (Richard was not so successful on this Crusade as he's made out to be in the movie, particularly not after his truce with Sultan Saladin; he was shipwrecked on the way home and wound up in Austria, where he was caught by his enemy Duke Leopold V and held for ransom before being taken back to England.) Before they can even get to the fighting, however, Huntingdon receives a message from Marian, saying that John has taken control and is doing horrible things (which did happen in real life; it's said that England has never had another king named John since because this man was such a horrible evil king). Huntingdon does not get permission from Richard to return to England (he felt that if he knew the real reason he wanted to leave, he would be distracted from doing well on the battlefield), and ends up framed for desertion and thrown into prison. He later manages to escape, and returns to England as Robin Hood, who robs from the rich and gives to the poor, and who fights against Prince John's evil henchmen. He and his followers are committed to fighting the good fight till Richard comes home and can rule again. Though not as action-packed or edge of one's seat exciting as some of Doug's other films, it's still a very solid and entertaining story.

Extras are outtakes and an excerpt from the 1923 Will Rogers short 'Big Moments from Little Pictures.' The print used for this edition is in wonderful shape (as is to be expected from a Kino release), and the soundtrack used is also very well-chosen, particularly since it's the soundtrack that was originally written for this film in 1922. I didn't find anything inappropriate or annoying about how some of it was performed with a synthesiser. If one's complaints about a DVD release of a classic are as petty as that, then it seems safe to say there's nothing really wrong with it, or at least nothing that the average (non-purist) silent film fan will have any issues with. December 25, 2006

A real classic

There have been several Robin Hood Movies but this one is the best. The entire cast entertains you. Errol Flynn is the consummate Robin. He plays the role with ease and grace. If you haven't seen it, rent it, buy it and enjoy a great film. January 15, 2006

Lavish Silent Film Version Of The Robin Hood Story Starring A lively Douglas Fairbanks

While the magnificent 1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood", starring the perfectly cast Errol Flynn in his signature role is by far my favourite version of this famous story this incredibly lavish 1922 version starring Douglas Fairbanks comes a respectable second second. With its extravagant photography, costumes and amazingly lavish sets which were the biggest built in Hollywood up until that time this film really illustrates perfectly the type of film vehicle that Douglas Fairbanks became renowned the world over for. While he does seem much older looking in the role of Robin Hodd than Errol Flynn did in the later version, Fairbanks has all the expected characteristics of the famed bandit down to perfection, and is as gallant, adventurous and full of energy as one would expect from the actor at his peak. Full of daring do, sword fits, devious villians, and with our hero jumping onto horses and climbing up Castle battlements to protect the lovely maid Marion, this version of Robin Hood along with his superb "The Thief of Bagdad", really are the "A Typical", performances by Douglas Fairbanks in swashbuckling roles that became his trademark during the silent era. January 9, 2006

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