Robin Hood (1922)

Director:

Allan Dwan

Writer:

Douglas Fairbanks (story)

Release Date:

18 October 1922 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Romance | Family

Plot:

Amid big-budget medieval pageantry, King Richard goes on the Crusades leaving his brother Prince John as regent...

Plot Keywords:

Tyrant | England | Robin Hood | Crusades | Pigeon

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Wallace Beery	...	King Richard the Lion-Hearted
Sam De Grasse	...	Prince John
Enid Bennett	...	Lady Marian Fitzwalter
Paul Dickey	...	Sir Guy of Gisbourne
William Lowery	...	The High Sheriff of Nottingham
Roy Coulson	...	The King's Jester
Billie Bennett	...	Lady Marian's serving woman
Merrill McCormick	...	Prince John's henchman
Wilson Benge	...	Prince John's henchman
Willard Louis	...	Friar Tuck
Alan Hale	...	The Squire / Little John
Bud Geary	...	Will Scarlett (as Maine Geary)
Lloyd Talman	...	Allan-a-Dale
Douglas Fairbanks	...	Earl of Huntingdon / Robin Hood

Also Known As:

Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

127 min | UK:117 min (video) | 133 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

UK:PG | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Douglas Fairbanks Pictures

Trivia:

The castle is reputed to be the largest Hollywood set built for any silent movie. Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's son, designed at least one set which he later remodeled as a temporary band shell for the Hollywood Bowl.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Big Moments from Little Pictures (1924)

Movie Odyssey Review #032: Robin Hood

032: Robin Hood (1922) - released 10/18/1922; viewed 1/24/06.

Mohandes Gandhi is arrested in Bombay and sentenced to six years for sedition. Construction begins on Yankees Stadium in the Bronx. The Lincoln Memorial is dedicated. The Irish Civil War begins.

BIRTHS: Carl Reiner, Ray Goulding, Christopher Lee, Judy Garland, Sid Caesar, Jackie Cooper. DEATHS: Hermann Rorschach, Alexander Graham Bell, Michael Collins, Bob Elliott.

DOUG: We watched a featurette about this movie narrated by Rudy Behlmer that came with the DVD for Errol Flynn's 'Hood.' I didn't enjoy this one as much as Zorro. One thing that bothered me is how long the movie spends with the Earl at the Crusades before he becomes Robin Hood. When Robin Hood finally arrives (roughly two thirds in), the movie comes alive with Fairbanks' trademark swordfights, stuntwork, and bravado. My favorite moment had Robin battling one of the Sheriff's henchmen, and he strangles him against a rail. Big Bad Wallace Beery makes a good King Richard, and this film spends more time with Richard than any other I've seen, but his subplot failed to capture my interest. It was a pleasure to see Alan Hale as Little John (he would reprise the role in Adventures, and again in Rogues of Sherwood Forest), but was disappointed that he and the other Merry Men receive little introduction.

KEVIN: I definitely did not enjoy Robin Hood as much as Zorro, and of all the versions of Robin Hood that I've seen, I think I enjoyed this one the least. The real problem was that it took far too long to really get going. Huntingdon (as he is known in this version) doesn't become Robin Hood until two-thirds into the film. Up to that point I had a lot of trouble staying awake. However, the moment Robin Hood comes into the story that bares his name, everything is fantastic. Fairbanks inhabits the character as well as any I've seen, leaping and bounding and fighting bad guys at every turn. That's what I wanted to see! Also, this is the only version I've seen that chronicles Prince John's takeover within the narrative, as the film starts with King Richard (Wallace Beery) leaving for the Crusades. That's something I've never seen before. I guess I can forgive the film's shortcomings, as this was the earliest production of the legend I've seen and there was much room and many chances for improvement in the years to come.

Last film viewed: Mark of Zorro (1920). Last film chronologically: Nosferatu (1922). Next film: Safety Last (1923).

The Movie Odyssey is an exhaustive, chronological project where we watch as many milestone films as possible, starting with D.W. Griffith's Intolerance in 1916 and working our way through, year by year, one film at a time. We also write a short review for each film before we watch the next, never reading the other's review before we finish our own. In this project, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the time period, the films of the era, and each film in context, while at the same time just watching a lot of great movies, most of which we never would have watched otherwise.