Ranking Robin Hoods

[beamjockey]

I was interested to read Mark Leeper's essay in a recent MT VOID, in which I learned that he doesn't care for the 1938 Errol Flynn movie The Adventures of Robin Hood-- very popular with other moviegoers-- because it's too merry:

We see in the film it is full of men with boisterous high spirits, acrobatics with horses, Una O'Connor (a personal distaste of mine--though she is more restrained here than James Whale would have had her be), fat jokes at Friar Tuck's expense, Tarzan vine swings in a northern forest, Robin Hood's forest banquet with huge volumes of food just a minute's walk from starving peasants not invited to join in, deep belly laughs from the likes of Alan Hale, Errol Flynn athletic stunts that never muss his long, naturally wavy hair, and Maid Marion with perfect 20th century makeup. The clothing is in bright colors to fully exercise the Technicolor but with no period feel. I love it that King Richard and his entourage say they are trying not to attract attention and each is wearing a different-colored neon- bright cloak. Somehow everything is just a little more merry than I like to think it was or would have been.

Mark does admit to a fondness for the 1955-1960 TV series of the same title, starring Richard Greene.

Everyone is entitled to his own merriness quotient, but because Mark mentioned "period feel," my mind wandered off on a tangent:

How would the several movie versions of Robin Hood be ranked by historical authenticity?

Among my friends and correspondents are many more qualified than I to offer an opinion on this question.

The Internet Movie Database lists many versions of the Robin Hood story.

I am pretty sure that the 1938 version, of which I myself am quite fond, will not be at the top of the list. I know some recent versions of the story have been grubbier but that does not necessarily mean they are well-researched.

Most authentic? Least? Credible attempts in-between? Pure hack-work?

Comments

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

Cary Elwes -- was at least able to manage a passable British accent.

[planettom.livejournal.com]

Judging historical accuracy I'll leave for others, but how about:

What's the least merry version of ROBIN HOOD?

Maybe the 1976 ROBIN AND MARION with Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn?

This wikipedia list may be more helpful than the imdb.

[neowolf2.livejournal.com]

I suspect the cartoon version, where Robin Hood was an anthropomorphic fox, may not have been entirely accurate.

[tlunquist.livejournal.com]

The 70s were a dark time for Disney.

And most of the rest of us, for that matter....

[apostle-of-eris.livejournal.com]

historical authenticity?
huh?
Is there anyone who knows what a 13th century regional dialect sounded like? I mean entirely aside from "Robin Hood" being a crazy quilt of pastiches.
(Iirc, Richard spent less than a grand total of one year of his reign in England.)

[were-gopher.livejournal.com]

Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves tends to get refered to as Raiders of the Lost Forest in this house. AS for the BBCs latgest attempt, that gets called Robin Thud and was the final push that fired up Amazon to buy all three seasons of Robin of Sherwood.

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

I really don't want "historical" in my Robin Hood. He's a legend and the story should have that quality.

Errol Flynn will always be Robin Hood for me, everyone else is a pretender. I enjoyed the British "Robin of Sherwood" series from the 80's. Richard Greene will certainly be in the pantheon.

None of the movie versions moved me, though "Robin and Marion" has it's moments. Screw Costner and Crowe.