--- title: "The Adventures of Robin Hood" year: 1938 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-adventures-of-robin-hood" fi1m_score: 90 critics_score: 89 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-19T23:45:13.746722+00:00" updated: "2026-09-19T23:45:42.581082+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Directed by Michael Curtiz, William Keighley · 1h 42m · MPA PG · Adventure, Romance, Action **Fi1m score: 90** · Critics 89 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* A man in green tights laughs at everyone who wants him hanged, and the whole forest joins in > Michael Curtiz and William Keighley’s Technicolor swashbuckler is the Robin Hood every later one has been measured against, and Errol Flynn is the reason. It is simple, loud and built on a single straight moral line, and we would send a stranger to see it. ## Synopsis England, during the reign of Richard the Lion-Heart (Ian Hunter). The king is a prisoner abroad, and his brother Prince John (Claude Rains) seizes power, with Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone) and the High Sheriff of Nottingham (Melville Cooper) squeezing the Saxon villages for taxes. Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn), a Norman knight, refuses to go along. He rescues the poacher Much (Herbert Mundin) from Gisbourne’s men, walks into John’s banquet at Nottingham Castle with the deer over his shoulders, calls the prince a usurper and fights his way out. Outlawed, he takes to Sherwood Forest with Will Scarlett (Patric Knowles) and recruits Little John (Alan Hale) and Friar Tuck (Eugene Pallette). Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), John’s ward, is not impressed. ## Review *The Adventures of Robin Hood* has one idea in its head, that a bad prince should be resisted and a good king welcomed home, and it holds that idea with complete conviction for 102 minutes. Norman Reilly Raine and Seton I. Miller’s screenplay lays it out in the opening ten: Richard is a prisoner abroad, his brother John has taken the throne, the Saxons are being taxed into the dirt, and one Norman knight will not stand for it. Everything after that is a set piece. The film knows exactly which ones it wants and puts them in the right order. Errol Flynn is the reason it works. He plays Robin as a man who finds tyranny faintly ridiculous and cannot be bothered to hide it. He carries a poached deer into Prince John’s banquet at Nottingham Castle, drops it on the table, helps himself to the food and tells the prince he is a usurper, and the pleasure is in how little any of it costs him. We grinned through that banquet like children and did not stop for some time. The cause is Flynn’s laugh, which comes every time somebody draws a sword at him, and which is never smug; he is simply enjoying himself more than anyone else at the table. The villains are cast to match. Basil Rathbone plays Sir Guy of Gisbourne cold and correct, a man who can actually fence and knows it, so the fights between him and Flynn are contests rather than displays. Claude Rains gives Prince John a soft voice and a small smile, and treats cruelty as a pastime he happens to be good at. Melville Cooper’s Sheriff is a coward the film uses for laughs, and gets them. Eugene Pallette’s Friar Tuck talks like a man gargling gravel and hits harder than anyone expects; Alan Hale’s Little John meets Robin with a quarterstaff on a log bridge and the scene tells you everything about both of them. Una O’Connor and Herbert Mundin, as Bess and Much, are the broad Saxon comedy, and broad is the word. Olivia de Havilland is asked to be the prize for a long stretch before she is allowed to be a person, and she does more with the wait than the script deserves. When Marian does change her mind about Robin it is because of something she sees, not something he says, and de Havilland plays the turn quietly enough that it registers. Sol Polito and Tony Gaudio shoot in three-strip Technicolor and use it as a code. Robin’s men are in greens and browns; John’s court is in scarlet, black and gold; Marian moves from one palette to the other as her loyalties do. Milo Anderson’s costumes make this legible from the back of the cinema, and there is not a muddy shade in the film. Erich Wolfgang Korngold scores it like an opera, with a brass march for the outlaws, strings for the lovers and a fanfare for every entrance. Ralph Dawson cuts the ambush of Gisbourne’s tax convoy fast and the sword fight that ends the film slow, so you can see that the actors are doing it themselves, and the second choice is the better one. It is not all of a piece. Two directors are credited, and the film changed hands during shooting; the castle interiors, with courtiers arranged in rows and nobody moving until told, feel like a different production from the forest, and the one early review that called it stolid was looking at those scenes. The comedy is aimed at the very young and stays there. The politics are a colouring book. And Robin is never for one second in danger, which is the point, but it means the film has excitement without suspense. Every Robin Hood since has been arguing with this one, usually by being darker, and none has been more fun. It carries a U certificate and earns it. If you have a child who has never seen a film made before they were born, start here; if you have never seen one yourself, the same applies. *Fi1m score 90, published 19 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are unanimous. Every critic who has written about it, from its release onward, recommends it, and the praise lands in the same places each time: Errol Flynn’s swaggering, good-humoured Robin, which most consider the definitive one; the three-strip Technicolor, with its costumes and sets; Korngold’s score; and the fencing, above all the climactic duel, which several single out. Many also note that it plays as well to children as to adults, and a few frame it as the standard every later Robin Hood is measured against. The spread is narrow. The one cooler voice is The New Yorker in 1938, which finds the production rich but somewhat stolid and thinks the supporting cast gets lost under the medieval spectacle, though it still admires the colour and Flynn’s agility. Den of Geek mentions the film’s chaotic production and its change of director, more as a curiosity than a complaint. Nobody else records a reservation. ### Reviews we read (12) - **Radio Times**, Adrian Turner (5/5): This Technicolor swashbuckler remains an action picture that delights people of all ages over 80 years on. It features Errol Flynn perfectly cast as the noble outlaw alongside strong supporting turns and a heraldic Korngold score. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-22sfn8/the-adventures-of-robin-hood/) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the 1938 film as an evergreen classic that remains exciting, romantic and entertaining. They single out Errol Flynn's definitive portrayal of Robin Hood, along with the lively cast, Technicolor visuals, action sequences and Korngold score. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/adventures-robin-hood-2-review/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a triumph of the studio system and a masterpiece of Technicolor swashbuckling made with innocence and artistry. He singles out Errol Flynn's joyful, exuberant performance and the real stunt work in the sword fights for particular praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-adventures-of-robin-hood-1938) - **The AV Club**, Caroline Siede (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a perfect gateway to classic cinema, praising its fun, exciting, romantic tone, glorious Technicolor visuals and costumes, impressive swordfights and stunts, and strong moral backbone about standing up to tyrants. They single out Errol Flynn’s charismatic, joyful performance as Robin as central to its enduring appeal and accessibility. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-adventures-of-robin-hood-perfect-way-into-classic-movies) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The film stands as one of the most energetic and likable swashbucklers of Hollywood's prewar heyday. It shows the Warner Brothers house style at its best, with perfect casting and sparkling Technicolor escapism that provided delightful relief during the Great Depression. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/19/adventures-robin-hood-action) - **The Telegraph** (90/100, inferred): The 1938 classic established the Robin Hood story in Hollywood cinematic history and remains both a product of its era and entirely timeless. Errol Flynn displays peerless comic timing and fencing skills, with a soaring score and one of the greatest duels on screen. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/01/08/hollywood-keeps-sucking-the-fun-out-of-robin-hood/) - **Time Out**, SM (90/100, inferred): One of the great adventure movies that can be enjoyed by treating it as family fare while indulging oneself. It showcases the best of what large studio resources could produce in glorious colour, sumptuous sets and a brilliantly choreographed climactic sword fight. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-adventures-of-robin-hood) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (90/100, inferred): The review hails it as cinematic pageantry at its best, a highly imaginative Technicolor telling of folklore with superlative production values and an excellent cast. It praises the skillful blending of the co-directors' work and the romance emphasized alongside the action. [Read](https://variety.com/1937/film/reviews/the-adventures-of-robin-hood-1200411570/) - **The New Yorker**, John C. Mosher (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the production rich, showy, and somewhat stolid but appreciates its Technicolor beauty and suitability for younger audiences. He notes Errol Flynn's agility in the role while observing that the supporting cast is somewhat buried under the medieval spectacle. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1938/05/21/1938-05-21-071-tny-cards-000037475) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a bonafide masterpiece and the only Robin Hood movie that matters, praising its lavish Technicolor visuals, faithful weaving of legends into a witty narrative, and Errol Flynn's definitive swaggering performance as the standout element despite a chaotic production involving director changes. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-adventures-of-robin-hood-80-years-later-and-still-the-best/) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (90/100, inferred): The critic praises this as the definitive version of the Robin Hood tale for its unmatched panache and fun. They single out Errol Flynn's swaggering performance and the film's energetic direction and score. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-adventures-of-robin-hood-1938-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) - **Paste**, Kenneth Lowe (90/100, inferred): The 1938 film remains the definitive cinematic version of Robin Hood and the standard against which all later adaptations are measured. The critic singles out its vibrant three-strip Technicolor visuals and infectious ensemble energy as standout elements. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/robin-hood/robin-hood-a-technicolor-folktale-turns-80) ## Details - **Director:** Michael Curtiz, William Keighley - **Director:** Michael Curtiz, William Keighley - **Screenplay:** Norman Reilly Raine, Seton I. Miller - **Cinematography:** Tony Gaudio, Sol Polito - **Editor:** Ralph Dawson - **Music:** Erich Wolfgang Korngold - **Costume design:** Milo Anderson - **Producer:** Hal B. Wallis, Henry Blanke, Jack Warner - **Cast:** Errol Flynn as Robin Hood; Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian; Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy of Gisbourne; Claude Rains as Prince John; Patric Knowles as Will Scarlett; Eugene Pallette as Friar Tuck; Alan Hale as Little John; Melville Cooper as High Sheriff of Nottingham - **Runtime:** 1h 42m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 14 May 1938 - **Genres:** Adventure, Romance, Action - **Budget:** $2 million - **Box office:** $4 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU6rh7nRDgY ## Where to watch in the US - Tubi: free, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-19.* Also available in: AU, BE, BG, CA, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FR, GB, HR, IE, IN, IT, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PL, RO, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1939: Best Picture (nominated); Best Film Editing (won); Best Original Score (won); Best Production Design (won) ## If you liked this - *Captain Blood* (1935), Fi1m 80: Flynn and Curtiz’s first go at this, on a ship, and nearly as much fun. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/captain-blood.md) - *The Mark of Zorro* (1940): Tyrone Power and Basil Rathbone in the other great studio duel. - *Fanfan la Tulipe* (1952): The French answer: Gérard Philipe grinning his way through a war. - *The Hidden Fortress* (1958): Kurosawa’s adventure has the same swagger and rather more mud. - *The Princess Bride* (1987), Fi1m 86: Knows every trick this film taught it and loves them all. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-princess-bride.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. 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